Review of Electoral Arrangements Public Consultation

Local Boundary for Scotland Press Release on Na h-Eileanan an Iar Area

Overview

We are conducting a public consultation on our Review of Electoral Arrangements for Na h-Eileanan an Iar Council area.

The Review will recommend to Scottish Ministers the number of councillors and ward boundaries for Na h-Eileanan an Iar Council.

The public consultation will run from 10 September until 2 December 2019.

Why We Are Consulting

One of the main reasons we undertake reviews is that the population, and therefore the electorate, of any local authority area is constantly changing, with migration into or out of areas as well as within the same area. As a result of these changes, some councillors may represent considerably more or fewer electors than other councillors in the same council area.

The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 introduced the use of one or two member wards where a ward containing an inhabited island, in addition to the current multi-member ward system. The Act requires us to review the six Councils containing inhabited islands, including Na h-Eileanan an Iar, as soon as possible.

We expect our recommendations, if accepted, to be in place for the next local government elections in May 2022.

We consult widely on our proposals with Councils and the public as we want our final recommendations to be informed by local input as far as possible.