Politics of the Highland council area and Category:Culture of Algeria: Difference between pages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
FairuseBot (talk | contribs)
Bots
143,798 edits
Removing image with inadequate rationale
 
HakuGaara (talk | contribs)
22 edits
No edit summary
 
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Category:Algeria|Culture]]
{| class="toccolours" style="border-collapse: collapse; float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="260"
[[Category:Culture by nationality]]
|-
[[Category:African culture]]
|align="center"| [[Image:ScotlandHighlands.png]]
[[Category:North African culture]]
|-
|align="center"| '''[[Highland council area]]''' <br> Shown as one of the [[council areas of Scotland]]
|}


Algeria is a country in North Africa.
'''Politics of the Highland council area''' in [[Scotland]] are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the [[Highland (council area)|Highland]] Council,<ref>[http://www.highland.gov.uk Highland Council (''Comhairle na Gaidhealtachd'') website, accessed 29 February 2008]</ref> in elections to the council, and in elections to the [[House of Commons (UK)|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] ([[Westminster Palace|Westminster]]) and the [[Scottish Parliament]] ([[Scottish Parliament Building|Holyrood]]).<ref>[http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/electoralboundaries/?wbc_purpose=Basic ''Electoral boundaries'', Highland Council website, accessed 29 February 2008]</ref> In the [[European Parliament]] the area is within the [[Scotland (European Parliament constituency)|Scotland constituency]], which covers all of the 32 [[Council areas of Scotland|council areas]] of [[Scotland]].


[[ar:تصنيف:ثقافة جزائرية]]
== Highland Council ==
[[cy:Categori:Diwylliant Algeria]]

[[de:Kategorie:Kultur (Algerien)]]
{| class="toccolours" style="border-collapse: collapse; float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="260"
[[es:Categoría:Cultura de Argelia]]
|+ <big>'''The Highland Council'''</big>
[[fr:Catégorie:Culture algérienne]]
|-
[[nl:Categorie:Cultuur in Algerije]]
|colspan="2" align="center"| '''Council area''' <br> [[Highland (council area)|Highland]]
[[ja:Category:アルジェリアの文化]]
|-
[[no:Kategori:Algerisk kultur]]
!Administrative headquarters
[[pl:Kategoria:Kultura Algierii]]
|[[Inverness]]
[[pt:Categoria:Cultura da Argélia]]
|-
[[sv:Kategori:Kultur i Algeriet]]
!Control
|Independent Group (Sandy Park group), [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] coalition
|-
!Convener:'''
|Sandy Park, leader of the so-called Independent Group
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|'''Council website''' <br> http://www.highland.gov.uk/
|}

The Highland Council (''Comhairle na Gaidhealtachd'' in [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]]) became a [[Local government in Scotland|local government authority]] in 1996, when the two-tier system of [[Regions and districts of Scotland|regions and districts]] was abolished and the Highland region became a [[unitary council area]]. The first [[general election]] of the Highland Council, however, was one year earlier, in 1995. Until 1996 councillors shadowed the regional and district councils and planned for the transfer of powers and responsibilities. Elections to the council are normally on a four-year cycle, all wards being contestable at each election.

The [[The Highland Council election, 1995|1995 election]] created a council of 72 members, each elected from a single-member [[ward (politics)|ward]] by the [[first past the post]] system of election. Ward boundaries were redrawn for the next election, in 1999, to create 80 single-member wards and, again, election was by the first past the post system. The same wards and the same system of election were used for the [[The Highland Council election, 2003|third election]], in 2003. For the [[The Highland Council election, 2007|fourth election]], in 2007, ward boundaries were redrawn again to create 22 multi-member wards, each electing three or four councillors by the [[single transferable vote]] system, which is designed to produce a form of [[proportional representation]].<ref>[http://www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk/multimember/highland/index.htm ''Multi Member Wards Highland'', Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland website, accessed 29 February 2008]<br> [http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/yourward/?wbc_purpose=Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpubl ''Find Your Ward'', Highland Council website, accessed 29 February 2008]</ref>

The most recent [[general election]] of the council was on 3 May 2007, and resulted in a so-called ''Independent Group'' and [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP) coalition administration. The SNP withdrew from the coalition in June 2008, and an Independent Group, [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] coalition was formed.

Although consisting largely of former [[independent (politics)|independent]] councillors, the Independent Group functions as a [[party (politics)|party]], with Councillor Sandy Park as its leader and members accepting what is effectively a party [[whip (politics)|whip]]<ref>[http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4836/ ''New council must deliver for the electors - Flear'', John O’Groat Journal, 2 July 2008, accessed 8 July 2008]</ref>. The process of collapse of the Sandy Park group and SNP coalition also produced an ''Independent Members Group'' consisting of councillors who are outside the Sandy Park group and outside the ruling coalition.

As of 4 July 2008, political representation is as follows:<ref>[http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/yourcouncillors/politicalrepresentation/ ''Political representation'', Highland Council website, accessed 4 July 2008]</ref>

{{Highland Council political representation}}

The meeting place of the full council and the main offices of the council are in [[Inverness]]<ref>[[Ordnance Survey]] [[British national grid reference system|grid reference]] for Highland Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness: {{gbmappingsmall|NH661448}}</ref>. Also, some powers are delegated to committees meeting in other places and designed to represented geographically defined subdivisions (management areas) of the council area. Until 2007 the management areas were the eight areas of the former districts, which were abolished in 1996 when the two-tier region became a unitary council area. In 2007 the council replaced the eight management areas with a system of three corporate management areas, consisting of groups of wards created under the [[Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004]] and first used for electoral purposes in the same year. Also, each corporate management area is subdivided to create a total of 16 ward management areas. The number of ward management areas is less than the number of wards because some wards are grouped into larger areas for ward management purposes, and one ward is divided between two different ward management areas.

The eight older management areas created in 1996 were also groups of wards, and each management area had an [[area committee]] of councillors elected from the wards in the area. When ward boundaries were redrawn in 1999, however, management area boundaries were not. Thus, from 1999 to 2007, area committees were not exactly representative of areas for which they were named and for which they took decisions.

Three of the older management areas, [[Caithness]], [[Nairn]] and [[Sutherland]] were very similar to earlier local government [[Counties of Scotland|counties]] (although the county of Nairn is often called [[Nairnshire]]). Two others, [[Inverness]] and [[Ross and Cromarty]], had the names of earlier counties (although the county of Inverness is often called [[Inverness-shire]]) but have very different boundaries.

The new corporate management areas are named as (1) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, (2) Inverness, Nairn, and Badenoch and Strathspey, and (3) Ross, Skye and Lochaber. Two of these names are also those of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster Parliament]] ([[House of Commons (UK)|House of Commons]]) [[United Kingdom constituencies|constituencies]], and one name is very similar to the name of another Westminster constituency, but constituency and corporate management area boundaries are different.

Like the older management areas, the new corporate management areas are represented, for some purposes, by their own committees. Also, there is an Inverness city management area covering seven of the nine wards (and thus four of the six ward management areas) of the Inverness, Nairn, and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate management area, with the city area being represented by a city committee.

At ward level, ward forums are being held.

=== Management areas, 1996 to 2007 ===
For lists of wards see ''[[Highland Council wards 1995 to 1999]]'' and ''[[Highland Council wards 1999 to 2007]]''.

The management areas were:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! 1996 to 1999
! 1999 to 2007
|-
| [[Badenoch and Strathspey]]
| consisting of 5 wards
| with 5 related wards
|-
| [[Caithness]]
| consisting of 8 wards
| with 10 related wards
|-
| [[Inverness]]
| consisting of 20 wards
| with 23 related wards
|-
| [[Lochaber]]
| consisting of 8 wards
| with 8 related wards
|-
| [[Nairn]]
| consisting of 5 wards
| with 4 related wards
|-
| [[Ross and Cromarty]]
| consisting of 13 wards
| with 18 related wards
|-
| [[Skye and Lochalsh]]
| consisting of 6 wards
| with 6 related wards
|-
| [[Sutherland]]
| consisting of 7 wards
| with 6 related wards
|}

=== Corporate management areas, created in 2007 ===
For lists of wards and details of how they are grouped into corporate and ward management areas, see ''[[Highland Council wards created in 2007]]''.

The corporate management areas are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| '''Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross'''
| 7 wards electing 23 councillors
|-
| '''Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey'''
| 9 wards electing 34 councillors
|-
| '''Ross, Skye and Lochaber'''
| 6 wards electing 23 councillors
|}

== Westminster and Holyrood ==

The council area is covered by three [[constituencies]] of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) and three constituencies of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). The Scottish Parliament constituencies are also components of that parliament's [[Highlands and Islands (Scottish Parliament region)|Highlands and Islands]] [[Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions|electoral region]].

All the constituencies are entirely within the council area, but the Highlands and Islands electoral region includes also five other constituencies, covering the [[Orkney]], [[Shetland]] and [[Na h-Eileanan Siar|Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan Siar)]] council areas and most of the [[Argyll and Bute]] and [[Moray]] council areas.

Since the creation of the unitary Highland council area, in 1996, the Westminster constituencies have been altered twice, in 1997 and 2005. Neither the Holyrood constituencies nor the Holyrood electoral region have not been altered since their creation in 1999.

=== Westminster ===

[[Image:Houseofcommons2.jpg|55px|left]]
As a geographic area the Highland council area is the largest in [[Scotland]]. Working solely on the basis of the size of its [[electorate]], however, it would qualify for just 2.3 Westminster seats. [[Boundary Commission (United Kingdom)|Boundary reviews]] have considered ways of addressing the area's apparent over representation, by reducing the number of constituencies to two, or by creating constituencies straddling boundaries with other council areas, but to date, for various geographic and cultural reasons, none of these proposals has been reflected in actual boundary changes.

==== 1996 to 1997 ====

The boundaries of one constituency had been established since the [[United Kingdom general election, 1918|1918 general election]], the other two since the [[United Kingdom general election, 1983|1983 general election]]. There were no parliamentary elections during the 1996 to 1997 period.

List of constituencies:
: [[Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness and Sutherland]]
: [[Ross, Cromarty and Skye (UK Parliament constituency)|Ross, Cromarty and Skye]]
: [[Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency)|Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber]]

==== 1997 to 2005 ====

All of the council area's constituencies were altered for the [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997 general election]]. The same constituencies were used in the [[United Kingdom general election, 2001|2001 general election]].

List of constituencies:
: [[Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross]]
: [[Ross, Skye and Inverness West (UK Parliament constituency)|Ross, Skye and Inverness West]]
: [[Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency)|Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber]]

==== 2005 to present ====

All of the council area's constituencies were altered for the [[United Kingdom general election, 2005|2005 general election]].<ref>[http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/5th_westminster/report/index.htm ''Fifth Periodical Report'', Boundary Commission for Scotland website, accessed 28 February 2008]</ref> One, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, carries forward the name of a constituency created in 1997. This new constituency is slightly larger than the earlier constituency.

List of constituencies and current [[MPs (members of parliament)]]:
{|-
|
: [[Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross]]
: [[Ross, Skye and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency)|Ross, Skye and Lochaber]]
: [[Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (UK Parliament constituency)|Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey]]
||
: [[John Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso|John Thurso]], [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]]<ref name="List MPs">[http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alcm.cfm ''Alphabetical List of Constituencies and Members of Parliament'', Parliament of the United Kingdom website, accessed 29 February 2008]</ref>
: [[Charles Kennedy]], Liberal Democrat<ref name="List MPs"/>
: [[Danny Alexander]], Liberal Democrat<ref name="List MPs"/>
|}

=== Holyrood ===

<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Scottish Parliament logo.png|225px|left|]] -->
The Holyrood constituencies were created for the [[Scottish Parliament election, 1999|1999 Scottish Parliament election]], with the names and boundaries of then existing Westminster constituencies. The same Scottish Parliament constituencies were used in the [[Scottish Parliament election, 2003|2003 Scottish Parliament election]] and the [[Scottish Parliament election, 2007|2007 Scottish Parliament election]].

List of constituencies and current [[MSPs (members of the Scottish Parliament)]]:
{|-
|
: [[Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross]]
: [[Ross, Skye and Inverness West (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Ross, Skye and Inverness West]]
: [[Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber]]
||
: [[Jamie Stone]], [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]]<ref>[http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/jamie_stone/index.htm ''Jamie Stone MSP'', Scottish Parliament website, accessed 29 February 2008]</ref>
: [[John Farquhar Munro]], Liberal Democrat<ref>[http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/john_farquhar_munro/index.htm ''John Farquhar Munro MSP'', Scottish Parliament website, accessed 29 February 2008]</ref>
: [[Fergus Ewing]], [[Scottish National Party]]<ref>[http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/fergus_ewing/index.htm ''Fergus Ewing MSP'', Scottish Parliament website, accessed 29 February 2008]</ref>
|}

As a whole, including MSPs elected by constituencies in the Highland council area, the [[Highlands and Islands (Scottish Parliament region)|Highlands and Islands]] electoral region is represented by:
: 6 [[Scottish National Party]] MSPs (four constituency MSPs and two additional members)
: 4 [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] MSPs (all constituency MSPs)
: 3 [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MSPs (all additional members)
: 2 [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MSPs (both additional members)

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==

* [http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1330832006 "Independents in talks on joint election campaign"], ''[[The Scotsman]]'', 9 September 2006
[[Category:Politics of Highland]]
[[Category:Local authorities of Scotland]]

Revision as of 06:23, 11 October 2008


Algeria is a country in North Africa.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Politics_of_the_Highland_council_area&oldid=244523293"