Elections 2008

Highland Councillors are to support a move to delay by one year to 2008 the next local government elections to avoid a clash with the Scottish Parliamentary election in 2007.

In responding to a consultation on the Local Government Elections (Scotland) Bill, being sponsored by Conservative MSP Brian Monteith, members expressed their concerns that local issues will be overshadowed by the national debate and that the public will struggle to understand the complexities of the separate voting procedures.

The Scottish Parliament elects its members via the direct election of 73 members and through proportional representation of 56 additional members.

As the result of the decision to introduce proportional local government elections using the single transferable vote, the 80 Highland Councillors are going to be elected to 23 three or four member wards.

Having witnessed proportional voting via the single transferable vote in Northern Ireland, the Council is aware of the additional administrative burden involved in running the election and counting the votes.

If the elections were to be run in tandem, it would be essential that the Scottish Executive addressed the issues of voter education; adequately funded the elections; separated the two counts and agreed to counting in day time instead of at night following closure of the polling stations.