Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
| Year | 1994 |
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
1994 CHAPTER 39
An Act to make provision with respect to local government and the functions of local authorities; to make amendments in relation to local government finance, local authority accounts and the records of local authorities; to establish a Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority for the purposes of the Transport Act 1968; to provide for the establishment of new water and sewerage authorities; to provide for the establishment of a council to represent the interests of customers and potential customers of those new authorities; to provide for the vesting in those new authorities of the property, rights and liabilities of the Central Scotland Water Development Board and of such property, rights and liabilities of regional and islands councils as those councils have as water authorities, as providers of sewerage and in relation to dealing with the contents of sewers; to provide for the dissolution of that Board; to cancel certain obligations to contribute towards expenses which have been incurred by local authorities in making provision for sewerage or disposal of sewage in rural localities; to create an office of Principal Reporter and transfer to him the functions of reporters to children's hearings; to establish a body to facilitate the performance by the Principal Reporter of his functions; to amend the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 in relation to children's hearings; to amend the procedure for making byelaws under section 121 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982; to transfer to local authorities responsibility for fixing and reviewing polling districts and polling places in Parliamentary elections; to amend section 21 of the Self-Governing Schools etc. (Scotland) Act 1989; to amend the law relating to roads and the placing of traffic signs on roads; to make amendments in relation to valuation and rating; to abolish the Scottish Valuation Advisory Council; to empower the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority to guarantee certain obligations; to empower local authorities to make grants to ethnic minorities; to confer on local authorities the function of promoting economic development; to provide for the establishment of area tourist boards; to make amendments in relation to lieutenancies; all as respects Scotland; and for connected purposes.
[3rd November 1994]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Part I
Local Government Reorganisation
Chapter 1
Local Government Areas, Authorities and Elections
1 Local government areas in Scotland.
(1) Scotland shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Part of this Act, have local government areas for the administration of local government on and after 1st April 1996.
(2) Scotland shall be divided into the local government areas named in column 1 of Part I of Schedule 1 to this Act, and those areas shall comprise the areas described in column 2 of Part I.
(3) On 1st April 1996—
(a) all local government areas existing immediately before that date which are regions or districts; and
(b) all regional and district councils,
shall cease to exist.
(4) Part II of Schedule 1 (provisions as to boundaries) shall have effect.
2 Constitution of councils.
(1) For every local government area there shall be a council consisting of a convener and councillors.
(2) Subject to any provision of this Act, the council for each local government area shall on and after 1st April 1996 have all the functions exercised immediately before that date in relation to their area by any existing regional, islands or district council.
(3) The council for each local government area shall be a body corporate by the name ‘The Council’ with the addition of the name of the particular area, and shall have a common seal.
3 Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles.
(1) The islands councils of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles shall continue to exist as bodies corporate but, on and after 1st April 1996—
(a) they shall be known as ‘Orkney Islands Council’, ‘Shetland Islands Council’ and ‘Western Isles Council’; and
(b) their areas shall be known as ‘Orkney Islands’, ‘Shetland Islands’ and ‘Western Isles’,
respectively.
(2) The islands councils consisting of the councillors elected for the islands areas of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles at the ordinary election held in 1994 shall continue as councils until the second ordinary election of councillors for the new councils held under section 5 of this Act.
4 Convener and depute convener.
(1) The council of each local government area shall elect a convener from among the councillors.
(2) A council may elect a member of the council to be depute convener.
(3) Subject to the provisions of this section and of Schedule 2 to this Act, the standing orders of a council may make provision for—
(a) the duration of the term of office (which may not extend beyond the next ordinary election of the council); and
(b) the procedure for early removal from office,
of the convener and depute convener.
(4) The election of the convener shall be the first business transacted at the first meeting of the council held after an ordinary election of councillors and at that meeting, until the convener is elected, the returning officer or, failing him, such councillor as may be selected by the meeting shall preside.
(5) A person holding the office of convener or depute convener shall be eligible for re-election but shall cease to hold office upon ceasing to be a councillor.
(6) On a casual vacancy occurring in the office of convener, an election to fill the vacancy shall be held as soon as practicable by the council at a meeting of the council the notice of which specifies the filling of the vacancy as an item of business, and the depute convener or, failing him, a councillor selected by the meeting shall preside.
(7) The convener of each of the councils of the cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow shall, with effect from 1st April 1996, be known by the title of ‘Lord Provost’, and the convener of each other council shall be known by such title as that council may decide:
Provided that no such other council may, without the consent of the Secretary of State, decide that their convener shall be known by the title of ‘Lord Provost’.
(8) A council may pay the convener and depute convener, for the purpose of enabling each of them to meet the expenses of his office, such allowance...
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