Scottish Borders Council
Scottish Borders Council Comhairle Chrìochan na h-Alba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leadership | |
David Robertson since January 2023[2] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 34 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
| Council Headquarters, Bowden Road, Newtown St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0SA | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Scottish Borders Council is a local authority in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.
Political control
[edit]The council has been under no overall control since 1999. Since the 2022 election the council has been run by an administration of the Conservatives and three of the independent councillors.[3]
The first election to the Borders Regional Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the reforms which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:[4]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1975–1978 | |
| No overall control | 1978–1982 | |
| Independent | 1982–1994 | |
| No overall control | 1994–1996 | |
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1996–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–present | |
Leadership
[edit]The first leader of the council following the 1996 reforms was Drew Tulley, who had been the last leader of the former Ettrick and Lauderdale District Council.[5] The leaders since 1996 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Tulley[6][5] | Independent | 1 Apr 1996 | 6 Mar 2002 | |
| John Ross Scott[6][7] | Liberal Democrats | 6 Mar 2002 | May 2003 | |
| David Parker[8][9] | Independent | 12 May 2003 | May 2017 | |
| Shona Haslam[10][11] | Conservative | 18 May 2017 | Nov 2021 | |
| Mark Rowley[12][13] | Conservative | 25 Nov 2021 | May 2022 | |
| Euan Jardine[1] | Conservative | 19 May 2022 | ||
Composition
[edit]Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to June 2025, the composition of the council was:[14]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 15 | |
| SNP | 7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | |
| Green | 1 | |
| Independent | 8 | |
| Total | 34 | |
The next election is due in 2027.[14]
Premises
[edit]Scottish Borders Council is based at the Council Headquarters in Newtown St Boswells. The building had been the headquarters of Roxburghshire County Council prior to 1975,[15] and subsequently served as the served as the main office of the Borders Regional Council between 1975 and 1996.[16]
Elections
[edit]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:[4]
| Year | Seats | Conservative | SNP | Liberal Democrats | Green | Labour | Independent / Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 58 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 30 | |
| 1999 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 14 | New ward boundaries[17] |
| 2003 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| 2007 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | New ward boundaries[18] |
| 2012 | 34 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | SNP / Lib Dem / Independent coalition |
| 2017 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Conservative / Independent coalition[19] |
| 2022 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | Conservative / Independent coalition[20] |
Wards
[edit].svg)
The council area is divided into 11 wards that elect 34 councilors:
| Ward Number | Ward Name | Location | Population 2022 Census |
Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tweeddale West |  |
10,407 | 3 |
| 2 | Tweeddale East |  |
10,942 | 3 |
| 3 | Galashiels and District |  |
15,336 | 4 |
| 4 | Selkirkshire |  |
9,796 | 3 |
| 5 | Leaderdale and Melrose |  |
11,391 | 3 |
| 6 | Mid Berwickshire |  |
10,645 | 3 |
| 7 | East Berwickshire |  |
11,381 | 3 |
| 8 | Kelso and District |  |
10,212 | 3 |
| 9 | Jedburgh and District |  |
9,003 | 3 |
| 10 | Hawick and Denholm |  |
9,159 | 3 |
| 11 | Hawick and Hermitage |  |
8,551 | 3 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Council minutes, 19 May 2022". Scottish Borders Council. 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ↑ "New chief executive appointed at Scottish Borders Council". BBC News. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ↑ Kelly, Paul (19 May 2022). "New leader and convener of Scottish Borders Council appointed". Border Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- 1 2 "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Scottish Borders" in search box to see specific results.)
- 1 2 Janiak, Kevin (30 November 2020). "Drew gave 'total commitment'". Southern Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- 1 2 "Council minutes, 6 March 2002" (PDF). Scottish Borders Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ Bould, Sarah (10 January 2012). "Accolade for former Scottish weekly editor". Hold the Front Page. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ "Council minutes, 12 May 2003" (PDF). Scottish Borders Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ "Conservatives and independents to run Scottish Borders Council". BBC News. 9 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 May 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ "Council minutes, 18 May 2017". Scottish Borders Council. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ Thomson, Mike (12 November 2021). "Shona Haslam: Scottish Borders Council leader to step down". Border Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 October 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ "Council minutes, 25 November 2021". Scottish Borders Council. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ Hoare, Greg (10 May 2022). "Scottish Borders Council set for new chief as local Conservatives ditch leader". ITV News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Scottish Borders". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ "Roxburgh County Offices, Newtown St Boswells". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ↑ Scottish Borders Council, Location Archived 2025-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 30 May 2023
- ↑ "The Scottish Borders (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/3103, retrieved 15 December 2022
- ↑ Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Borders (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
- ↑ "Conservatives and independents to run Scottish Borders Council". BBC News. 9 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 May 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ↑ "Scottish election results 2022: First Green for Scottish Borders Council". BBC News. 2022-05-06. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2022-05-07.