The Politics of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
have changed significantly in recent years. In 1996, under the
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland.
It abolished the two-tie ...
,
Grampian Regional Council
Grampian ( gd, Roinn a' Mhonaidh) was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The region t ...
and Aberdeen District Council were dissolved, creating the new unitary
Aberdeen City Council
gd, Comhairle Cathair Obar Dheathain
, native_name_lang =
, other_name =
, image_skyline = Town House, Municipal Offices and Court Houses in Aberdeen.jpg
, image_caption ...
to represent the city's
council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act. ...
.
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City Council
gd, Comhairle Cathair Obar Dheathain
, native_name_lang =
, other_name =
, image_skyline = Town House, Municipal Offices and Court Houses in Aberdeen.jpg
, image_caption ...
represents the Aberdeen City
council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act. ...
of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Aberdeen City Council currently comprises forty-three councillors, who represent the city's thirteen multi-member
wards, and is chaired by the
Lord Provost.
The council area was created in 1996, under the
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland.
It abolished the two-tie ...
. However, a sense of Aberdeen as a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, with its own city council, can be traced back to 1900, when the
city of county of Aberdeen was created. In 1975, under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975.
The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...
, the county of city was combined with
Bucksburn
Bucksburn is an suburb of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, named after the stream that flows through it. The stream is called Bucks Burn. Bucksburn was formerly a market village before being swallowed up by the spread of the city. The area is b ...
,
Dyce
Dyce ( gd, Deis) is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, situated on the River Don about northwest of the city centre. It is best known as the location of Aberdeen Airport.
History
Dyce is the site of an early medieval church dedicated to the 8 ...
, Newhills, Old Machar,
Peterculter
Peterculter ( sco, Petercouter), also known as Culter (Scots: ''Couter''), is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, about inland from Aberdeen city centre. Peterculter is on the northern banks of the River Dee, near the confluences with Crynoch ...
and the Stoneywood areas of the
county of Aberdeen
Aberdeenshire or the County of Aberdeen ( sco, Coontie o Aiberdeen, gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. The area of the county, excluding the city of Aberdeen itself, is also a lieutenancy ...
and, the
Nigg area of the
county of Kincardine
Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the Stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and ...
, (including
Cove Bay
Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Today Cove is home to around 8,000 people. It is a popular residential location owing to its village-like status. It is a quiet suburb at the Southern ed ...
) to form the Aberdeen district of the
Grampian
Grampian ( gd, Roinn a' Mhonaidh) was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The region to ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
.
On 9 May 1995, by resolution under section 23 of the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975.
The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...
, The City of Aberdeen Council changed the name of the local government area of "City of Aberdeen" to "Aberdeen City", which remains the existing
unitary council area
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
.
Prior to the 2003 election, the council had been considered a
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
stronghold. Between 2003 and 2007, the council was under the control of a
Liberal Democrat
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology.
Active parties
Former parties
See also
*Liberal democracy
*Lib ...
and
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
coalition, holding 23 of the 43 seats on the council. Following the
May 2007 election, contested for the first time using a system of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
, the Liberal Democrats and the
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
(SNP) formed a coalition to run the council, holding 27 of the 43 seats (following an SNP by-election gain from the Conservatives on 16 August 2007, the Liberal Democrat/SNP coalition held 28 of the 43 seats). At the
May 2012 election, Labour entered into a coalition with the Conservatives and the
independents to run the council, with 23 out of the 43 seats.
Composition (2003–2007)
The city council's original composition from 1995 used 43 wards while using the standard
first-past-the-post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
voting system. The final group of representative councillors and their political parties using this system were:
New wards from May 2007
Before May 2007, councillors represented 43 single-member wards, but since then, all seats were contested by the
first-past-the-post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
electoral system. On 5 May 2007, it was the first
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
to use the
single transferable vote
Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...
system of election and multi-member
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
s, each ward electing three or four councillors. The
Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
Boundaries Scotland is an independent body in Scotland created as the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. According to its website, it is responsible for: carrying out reviews of boun ...
completed its final recommendations for new wards for all the
council areas of Scotland
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" ( gd, comhairlean), which are all governed by single-tier authorities designated as "councils". They have the option under the Local Government (Ga ...
and for
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
it was concluded that there would be 13 multi-member wards with a total of 43 councillors. This system was introduced as a result of the
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (asp 9) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, amongst other things, for the election of councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the single transferable vote system.
The Commissi ...
, and was designed to produce a form of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
.
The composition of wards changed to:
4 councillors:
*(1)
Dyce
Dyce ( gd, Deis) is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, situated on the River Don about northwest of the city centre. It is best known as the location of Aberdeen Airport.
History
Dyce is the site of an early medieval church dedicated to the 8 ...
/
Bucksburn
Bucksburn is an suburb of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, named after the stream that flows through it. The stream is called Bucks Burn. Bucksburn was formerly a market village before being swallowed up by the spread of the city. The area is b ...
/
Danestone
Danestone is a small, village-like area of Aberdeen, Scotland, located next to the suburb of Bridge of Don.
Located North of Aberdeen City Centre, ''Danestone'' is a relatively new area of Aberdeen. The area was all farmland until the 1980s whe ...
*(2)
Bridge of Don
Bridge of Don is a suburb in the north of Aberdeen, Scotland. In , the Bridge of Don electoral ward was estimated to have a population of 19,545.
Bridge of Don is split into four areas for statistical purposes by Aberdeen City Council and Polic ...
*(10)
Hazlehead/Ashley/
Queens Cross
*(12)
Torry
Torry is an area within the city of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Torry’s origins
People have been living in Torry since at least the 12th century. The place name first appears in written records in 1484 and was erected a Burgh of barony by Royal Cha ...
/
Ferryhill
Ferryhill is a town in County Durham, England, with an estimated population in 2018 of 9,362. The town grew in the 1900s around the coal mining industry. The last mine officially closed in 1968. It is located between the towns of Bishop Auckland ...
3 councillors:
*(3)
Kingswells
Kingswells is a village and suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, situated west of the city and to the east of Westhill.
Kingswells has existed as a village for centuries, but only beginning in the 1980s did it expand as a result of the boom in the oil ...
/Sheddocksley – name later changed to Kingswells/Sheddocksley/
Summerhill
*(4) Northfield – name later changed to Northfield/
Mastrick
Mastrick ( gd, Mastraig) is an area of Aberdeen, Scotland, located on the western fringes of the city around 2.5 miles from the city centre. It currently has a population of 7,365 and an unemployment rate of 1.6%. Residential property in the are ...
North
*(5)
Hilton/Stockethill – name later changed to Hilton/
Woodside/Stockethill
*(6)
Tillydrone
Tillydrone is an area of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. Lying north of the city centre and slightly north-west of Old Aberdeen, it is roughly bounded by the River Don, St Machar Drive, and the main Aberdeen-Inverness railway line.
The name i ...
/Seaton/
Old Aberdeen
Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It ret ...
*(7)
Midstocket/
Rosemount
*(8) George Street/Harbour
*(9) Lower Deeside
*(11) Airyhall/
Broomhill/
Garthdee
Garthdee ( gd, Gart Dè) is an area of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Location
Garthdee is south west of the city centre, 3 km from Holburn Junction. It lies on the north side the River Dee, north-west from the Bridge of Dee.
Facilitie ...
*(13)
Kincorth
Kincorth is a suburb located to the south of Aberdeen, Scotland. The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic "Ceann Coirthe", which probably refers to an old pillar or standing stone (''coirthe''). Kincorth is known as the garden estate of ...
/Loirston – name later changed to Kincorth/
Nigg/
Cove
A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...
Composition (2007–2012)
Changes since 2007 Election
*A by-election was held in the Midstocket/Rosemount Ward following the death of the Conservatives' John Porter on 23 May 2007. The by-election, on 16 August 2007, was won by the SNP's John Corall.
*In January 2011, Tillydrone/Seaton/Old Aberdeen Cllr Norman Collie resigned from the Labour Party and sat as an Independent.
*A by-election was held in the Dyce/Bucksburn/Danestone Ward following the death of the Liberal Democrat's Ron Clark on 21 February 2011. The by-election, on 19 May 2011, was won by the SNP's Neil MacGregor.
*In June 2011, Hazlehead/Ashley/Queens Cross Cllr Jim Farquaharson was expelled from the Conservative Party and sat as an Independent.
*In June 2011, Lower Deeside Cllr Alan Milne was expelled from the Conservative Party and sat as an Independent.
*A by-election was held in the Airyhall/Broomhill/Garthdee Ward following the resignation of the Liberal Democrat's Scott Cassie on 27 April 2011 after he was jailed for embezzlement. The by-election, on 23 June 2011, was won by the SNP's Gordon Scott Townson.
*In September 2011, Bridge of Don Cllr Gordon Leslie was suspended from the Liberal Democrats. He subsequently resigned from the party and sat as an Independent.
*In February 2012, George Street/Harbour Cllr Jim Hunter was suspended from the Labour Party. He subsequently resigned from the party and sat as an Independent.
*In March 2012, Bridge of Don Cllr John Reynolds resigned from the Liberal Democrats and sat as an Independent.
Composition (2012–2017)
Changes since 2012 Election
*In January 2014, Torry/Ferryhill Cllr Alan Donnelly was expelled from the Conservative Party group and sits as an Independent.
*In May 2014, Midstocket/Rosemount Cllr Jenny Laing replaced Dyce/Bucksburn/Danestone Cllr Barney Crockett as Leader of the Council.
*In May 2014, Midstocket/Rosemount Cllr Fraser Forsyth resigned from the Conservative Party group and sits as an Independent.
Composition (2017–2022)
UK Parliament
In the
United Kingdom Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
, the city is divided between three
constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
:
Scottish Parliament
There are three
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
constituencies that overlap the Aberdeen City Council area in the
North East Scotland electoral region:
Other
MSPs
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.
Electoral system
The ad ...
in the
North East Scotland electoral region (but selected by the
Additional Member proportional representation system, and not in constituencies overlapping Aberdeen City or the Aberdeen City Council area) are:
Scottish independence referendum
In 2014 a referendum was held asking voters in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" The referendum was held by the
SNP administration after their victory in the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to Members of the 4th Scottish Parliament, elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, ...
to determine whether Scotland should become an
independent nation
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or Sovereign state, state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independ ...
or remain a
devolved part of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Of the 3,623,344 votes cast (on a turnout of 84.6%) 2,001,926 were in favour of a "No" vote (55.3%) while 1,617,989 were "Yes" (44.7%): leading to Scotland remaining part of the United Kingdom.
The Aberdeen City local authority area had a higher than average No vote. 84,094 voters in the area voted against independence (58.6%) while 59,390 voted in favour of independence (41.4%). The Aberdeen City council area had the third lowest turnout in Scotland with 143,484 valid ballot papers on a turnout of 81.7%, ahead of
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
and
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
Twinned cities
Aberdeen is
twinned with several cities across Europe and throughout the rest of the world.
These include:
See also
*
Aberdeen City Youth Council
Aberdeen City Youth Council is an organisation that aims to give young people a voice in decision-making at a citywide level in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is open to young people, aged 12–25 years of age. It is supported by Aberdeen City Council
...
*
Politics of Dundee
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 ...
*
Politics of Edinburgh
The politics of Edinburgh are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of the City of Edinburgh Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament.
Also, as Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh is host to the ...
*
Politics of Glasgow
The politics of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city by population, are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of Glasgow City Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, UK Parli ...
*
Politics of Scotland
The politics of Scotland operate within the constitution of the United Kingdom, of which Scotland is a home nation. Scotland is a democracy, being represented in both the Scottish Parliament and the Parliament of the United Kingdom since the S ...
*
Politics of the Highland council area
The politics of the Highland council area in Scotland are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the Highland Council, in elections to the council, and in elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminst ...
References
External links
Council website
{{Former local government regions of Scotland