South Lanarkshire Council

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

South Lanarkshire Council is the unitary authority serving the South Lanarkshire council area in Scotland. The council has its headquarters in Hamilton, has 16,000 employees, and an annual budget of almost £1bn. The large and varied geographical territory takes in rural and upland areas, market towns such as Lanark, Strathaven and Carluke, the urban burghs of Rutherglen, Cambuslang, and East Kilbride which was Scotland's first new town. The area was formed in 1996 from the areas of Clydesdale,[1] Hamilton and East Kilbride districts, and some outer areas of Glasgow district (Rutherglen/Fernhill, Cambuslang/Halfway and part of King's Park/Toryglen); all were previously within the Strathclyde region from 1975 but in historic Lanarkshire prior to that.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Political control

The first election to South Lanarkshire Council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been as follows:[8]

Party in control Years
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 1996–2007

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 2007–2013

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 2013–2017

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 2017–

Leadership

South Lanarkshire operates a cabinet style system, with key decisions being taken by the executive committee, under the leadership of the Council Leader,[9] and approved by the council, chaired by the provost.

The first leader of South Lanarkshire Council, selected from among the sitting councillors, was Tom McCabe who previously held the same office at Hamilton District.[10] When McCabe was elected as an MSP in 1999, the role went to his deputy Eddie McAvoy - brother of one of the region's MPs Tommy McAvoy - who held the post for the next 18 years until his retirement ahead of the 2017 election.[11][12] The new leader from 2017 was John Ross.[13]

The ambassadorial role of provost is also filled by one of the serving councillors.[14] Office holders include:

The leaders of the council since 1996 have been:[23]

Councillor Party From To
Tom McCabe
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|1 Apr 1996 || align=right|6 May 1999

Eddie McAvoy
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|May 1999 || align=right|4 May 2017

John Ross
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|18 May 2017 || align=right|May 2022

Joe Fagan
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|18 May 2022 || align=right|

Current composition

The results of the last local elections on 5 May 2022 were:[24]

Party Councillors
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Scottish National Party 27
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Labour 24
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Conservative 7
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Liberal Democrats 3
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Independent Group 2
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Green 1

Following the defection of East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow MP Lisa Cameron from the SNP to the Conservatives in October 2023, her husband – Cllr Mark Horsham – stood back from his role as business manager within the SNP group[25] before resigning from the party to sit as an Independent 10 days later. He did not join the 'Independent Group' with the other independent councillors.[26]

In May 2023, East Kilbride West councillor Ali Salamati resigned his seat for work reasons, triggering a by-election[27] which Labour won.[28] Two Conservative councillors defected to Reform UK in March 2025.[29] Therefore, as of 25 March 2025, the composition of the Council is:

Party Councillors
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Scottish National Party 25
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Labour 25
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Conservative 7
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Liberal Democrats 3
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Reform UK 2
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Independent Group 2
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Green 1
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Independent 1

Elections

Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[8]

Year Seats SNP Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Green Independent / Other Notes
style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" |
1995 73 8 61 2 2 0 0 Labour majority
1999 67 10 54 2 1 0 0 New ward boundaries.[30] Labour majority
2003 67 10 50 2 2 0 3 Labour majority
2007 67 24 30 8 2 0 3 New ward boundaries.[31]
2012 67 28 33 3 1 0 2
2017 64 27 22 14 1 0 0 New ward boundaries.[32]
2022 64 27 24 7 3 1 2 Labour / Lib Dem minority coalition
style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" | style="background-color: Template:Party color; width: 3px;" |

Premises

The Council Headquarters building, on Almada Street, Hamilton, was built as the Lanark County Buildings in 1963, and designed by county architect David Gordon Bannerman.[33][34][35][36][37] The 17 storey, Script error: No such module "convert". tower is the tallest building in the council area, is Category A-listed, and is a highly visible landmark across this part of the Clyde Valley. The modernist design was influenced by the United Nations building in New York City. At the front of the building is the circular council chamber, and a plaza with water features. Between 1975 and 1996 the building had been used as a sub-regional office of Strathclyde Regional Council, with Hamilton District Council using Hamilton Townhouse in that time. On the creation of South Lanarkshire Council in 1996 the new council chose to base itself at the Almada Street building.

Wards

In the council's initial 12 years, individual wards (73 in 1995, adjusted down to 67 in 1999 and 2003) each electing one councillor using the First past the post method.[38][39]

Since the 2007 South Lanarkshire Council election, there are 20 council wards in South Lanarkshire,[40] each serving a population ranging from 13,000 to 20,000[41] and each ward represented on the council by 3 or 4 councillors elected using single transferable vote; in 2007 and 2012 this produced a total of 67 available seats, which was adjusted down to 64 in 2017 along with boundary adjustments, although the same number of wards overall.

File:South Lanarkshire UK ward map 2017 (blank).svg
Map of South Lanarkshire's 20 wards, using 2017 boundaries
Number Ward Name Location Seats

(2017)

Population

(2018)

1 Clydesdale West File:Clydesdale West.svg 4 19,124
2 Clydesdale North File:Clydesdale North.svg 3 14,777
3 Clydesdale East File:Clydesdale East.svg 3 13,065
4 Clydesdale South File:Clydesdale South.svg 3 14,647
5 Avondale and Stonehouse File:Avondale and Stonehouse.svg 3 17,089
6 East Kilbride South File:East Kilbride South.svg 3 16,688
7 East Kilbride Central South File:East Kilbride Central South.svg 3 16,177
8 East Kilbride Central North File:East Kilbride Central North.svg 3 16,799
9 East Kilbride West File:East Kilbride West.svg 3 13,695
10 East Kilbride East File:East Kilbride East.svg 3 14,308
11 Rutherglen South File:Rutherglen South.svg 3 15,448
12 Rutherglen Central and North File:Rutherglen Central and North.svg 3 14,489
13 Cambuslang West File:Cambuslang West.svg 3 14,177
14 Cambuslang East File:Cambuslang East.svg 3 16,915
15 Blantyre File:Blantyre.svg 3 16,127
16 Bothwell and Uddingston File:Bothwell and Uddingston.svg 3 13,187
17 Hamilton North and East File:Hamilton North and East.svg 3 15,036
18 Hamilton West and Earnock File:Hamilton West and Earnock.svg 4 18,618
19 Hamilton South File:Hamilton South.svg 4 21,793
20 Larkhall File:Larkhall.svg 4 18,444
Total 64 320,530

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ Historical Timeline: 1975, The Lanark Website
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ People power kept the heart of a burgh beating, Daily Record, 19 April 2021
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Council leader, South Lanarkshire Council
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Provost, South Lanarkshire Council
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ 20 Years Ago, East Kilbride News, 22 May 2019, via PressReader
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Template:Cite legislation UK
  31. ↑ Template:Cite legislation Scotland
  32. ↑ Template:Cite legislation Scotland
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ South Lanarkshire Council HeadquartersTemplate:Category handler[<span title="Script error: No such module "string".">usurped]Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., Emporis
  35. ↑ Hamilton, Almada Street, Lanark County Buildings, Canmore
  36. ↑ South Lanarkshire Council HQ, Skyscraper News
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Formation electoral arrangements in 1995: South Lanarkshire council area, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
  39. ↑ Electoral Arrangements for Local Government Areas in Scotland: South Lanarkshire Council Area, 3rd Reviews of Electoral Arrangements Maps: Wards 1999 - 2007: Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:South Lanarkshire elections Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=South_Lanarkshire_Council&oldid=1627482"