Politics of Dundee

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Dundee City Council
Logo Coat of arms
Location
Geography
Area	Ranked 32nd
- Total	60 km²
- % Water	?
Admin HQ	Dundee
ISO 3166-2	GB-DND
ONS code	00QJ
Demographics
Population	Ranked 13th
- Total (2006 )	142,200
- Density	2,370 /km² (6,100 /sq mi)
Politics
Dundee City Council http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/
Control	Labour/Liberal Democrat (minority control)
MPs	Stewart Hosie James McGovern
MSPs	Shona Robison Joe Fitzpatrick

Politics in the Dundee City (Mòr-bhaile Dhùn Dèagh in Gaelic) council area are evident in the deliberations and decisions of Dundee City Council, in elections to the council, and in elections to the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster).

In the European Parliament, the city area is within the Scotland constituency, which covers all of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

Dundee City became a unitary council area in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994^[1], with the boundaries of the City of Dundee district of the Tayside region, minus a Monifieth area and part of a Sidlaw area, which were transferred from the city area to the new unitary council area of Angus. The city district was also the administrative centre for the region.

The new unitary city council area was named The City of Dundee in the legislation of 1994, but this was changed to Dundee City by a council resolution on 29th June 1995, under section 23 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65).^[2] In terms of area, it is the smallest of Scotland's unitary council areas.

The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to include: the former county of city of Dundee; a Monifieth area, including the burgh of Monifieth (but not Newtyle and Kettins areas), previously within the county of Angus; and a Longforgan area previously within the county of Perth.

The county of city was created in 1894, and the city area has included the burgh of Broughty Ferry since 1913. Dundee has been a royal burgh since 1191.

[edit] City council

Council meetings take place in the City Chambers, located in City Square. They were opened in 1933.

The council executive is based in Tayside House on the banks of the River Tay, but the council intends to demolish it in favour of new premises (Dundee House) on North Lindsay Street.^[3]

[edit] Composition and control

The council consists of 29 councillors:

• Scottish National Party - 13 councillors
• Labour - 10 councillors
• Conservative - 3 councillors
• Liberal Democrat - 2 councillors
• Independent - 1 councillor

Although the Scottish National Party has the largest number of seats, the council is controlled by a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition, with the support of the Conservatives.^[4][5]

The civic head and chair of the council is known as the Lord Provost which is similar to a mayor in other areas.

The council has a history of Labour Party domination. George Galloway was leader for a time, and was responsible for organising Dundee's twinning with the Palestinian city of Nablus.^[6]

[edit] Elections

Tayside House
Current home of Dundee City Council

General elections to the council are held on a four year cycle, with the last on Thursday 3 May 2007.

Councillors are elected from subdivisions of the city area called wards. At present they are elected form 29 single-member wards. by the plurality (first past the post) system of election. As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004,^[7] eight new wards are to be introduced for the 2007 election, each electing three or four members by the single transferable vote system of election, to produce a form of proportional representation. The total number of councillors will remain the same.

[edit] Wards

[edit] 1999 to 2007

Existing wards, listed below, were first used for elections in 1999. The names and parties of current councillors are also listed:^[4]

Dundee City Square
Caird Hall is the building at the back of the square
The building on the right is Dundee City Chambers, where the city council meets

[edit] To be created in 2007

The first elections using the new boundaries and using the STV system to vote were held on May 3rd 2007. The results were

[edit] Scottish Parliament

For elections to the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) the city area is divided between three constituencies. The Dundee East (Holyrood) constituency and the Dundee West (Holyrood) constituency are entirely within the city area. The Angus (Holyrood) constituency includes north-eastern and north-western portions of the city area, part of the Angus council area, and part of the Perth and Kinross council area.^[9]

All three constituencies are within the North East Scotland electoral region. The region elects a total of nine first past the post constituency Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and seven additional members, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Boundaries date from 1999, when the parliament itself was created.

Currently, Shona Robison (SNP) is MSP for the Dundee East constituency, Joe Fitzpatrick (SNP) is MSP for the Dundee West constituency, and Andrew Welsh (SNP) is MSP for the Angus constituency.

[edit] Parliament of the United Kingdom

For elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), the city area is divided between the Dundee East (Westminster) constituency and the Dundee West (Westminster) constituency. These constituencies also include portions of the Angus council area.^[9]

Current boundaries date from 2005. Prior to the 2005 general election, the constituencies had the boundaries of now existing Scottish Parliament constituencies, with north-eastern and north-western portions of the city area being covered by the Angus (Westminster) constituency.

Currently, Stewart Hosie (Scottish National Party) is Member of Parliament (MP) for the Dundee East constituency, and James McGovern (Labour) is MP for the Dundee West constituency.

[edit] Historic constituencies

As a royal burgh, Dundee was represented as a component of the Perth Burghs constituency from 1708 to 1832, when the Dundee burgh constituency was created. In 1868 the burgh constituency became a two-member constituency.

East and West single-member constituencies have existed, with varying boundaries, since 1950.

[edit] Notes and references

1. ^ Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, full text, Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website
   OPSI home page
2. ^ Edinburgh Gazette, July 7, 1995
3. ^ Long live Dundee House, Evening Telegraph (publisher DC Thomson), 15 March 2006
4. ^ ^{a b} Dundee City Council Political Make-up, Dundee City Council website
5. ^ Dundee Tory leader hits out at critic, Evening Telegraph (publisher DC Thomson), 28 February 2005
6. ^ As council leader, he flew the Palestinian flag over Dundee, according to Torcuil Crichton in Kebabs Over Baghdad?, Sunday Herald, 25 April 2004
7. ^ Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, full text, Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website
8. ^ Nigel Don was originally voted in, however was also elected as MSP for Dundee West. A further by-election in late 2007 voted in Alan Ross
9. ^ ^{a b} Fifth Periodical Review of Constituencies, Boundary Commission for Scotland, in which review-period boundaries for Westminster constituencies are those of now existing Holyrood constituencies

[edit] See also

v • d • e Council areas of Scotland Aberdeen · Aberdeenshire · Angus · Argyll and Bute · Clackmannanshire · Dumfries and Galloway · Dundee · East Ayrshire · East Dunbartonshire · East Lothian · East Renfrewshire · Edinburgh · Falkirk · Fife · Glasgow · Highland · Inverclyde · Midlothian · Moray · Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) · North Ayrshire · North Lanarkshire · Orkney · Perth and Kinross · Renfrewshire · Scottish Borders · Shetland · South Ayrshire · South Lanarkshire · Stirling · West Dunbartonshire · West Lothian

[edit] External links

Local political parties:

• Dundee Liberal Democrats
• Dundee Scottish National Party