Glasgow City Council

Glasgow City Council Glesga Ceetie Cooncil Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu
Logo
Admin HQ	Glasgow
Government
• Body	Glasgow City Council
• Control	Labour
• MPs	Willie Bain Margaret Curran Ian Davidson Tom Harris Ann McKechin John Robertson Anas Sarwar
• MSPs	Ruth Davidson Bob Doris James Dornan Patricia Ferguson Patrick Harvie Bill Kidd Johann Lamont Hanzala Malik Paul Martin John Mason Anne McTaggart Drew Smith Nicola Sturgeon Sandra White Humza Yousaf
Area
• Total	68 sq mi (175 km2)
Area rank	Ranked 27th
Population (2010 est.)
• Total	593,000
• Rank	Ranked 1st
• Density	8,800/sq mi (3,396/km2)
ONS code	00QS
ISO 3166 code	GB-GLG
Website	http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/

Politics in Glasgow, Scotland, is evident in the deliberations and decisions of the city council of Glasgow, in elections to the council at Glasgow City Chambers, and in elections to the Scottish Parliament and Westminster.

In the European Parliament, the city area is within the Scotland constituency, which covers all of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

Glasgow City became one of the newly created single tier local authorities in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994,^[1] with boundaries somewhat different from those of the City of Glasgow district of the Strathclyde region: parts of the Cambuslang and Halfway and Rutherglen and Fernhill areas were transferred from the city area to the new South Lanarkshire council area.

The district had been created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to include: the former county of the city of Glasgow and a number of areas previously within the county of Lanark: Cambuslang (Central and North, and South lying outwith East Kilbride), Rutherglen (including the burgh of Rutherglen), part of a Carmunnock area (that lying outwith East Kilbride) and Baillieston, Carmyle, Garrowhill, Mount Vernon and Springboig.

Glasgow City Council

History

The early city was run by the old Glasgow Town Council. In 1895, the Town Council formally became The Corporation of the City of Glasgow (Glasgow Corporation or City Corporation). It retained this title until local government re-organisation in 1975, when it became City of Glasgow District Council. In 1996 Glasgow District Council became Glasgow City Council.

The title Lord Provost of Glasgow, used now for the civic leader of the city council, has history dating from the 15th century.

Glasgow Corporation Transport, was under the control of the Glasgow Corporation, and ran the local buses and Glasgow Trams, until creation of the Strathclyde region in 1975.

During the period of two tier local government, 1975 to 1996, the Glasgow District Council was responsible for refuse collection, museums, libraries and housing, while Strathclyde Regional Council had responsibilities for policing, fire service, water, education, social work and transport.

The city council established in 1996 took on the powers and responsibilities previously divided between councils of the Glasgow City district and the Strathclyde region.

The council area borders onto East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire.

Council structure

The council is ceremonially headed by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, who is elected to convene the council and perform associated tasks as a general civil leader. The current incumbent is Sadie Docherty.

The council's executive branch is headed by a Leader of the Council, who is the leader of the largest political grouping, currently the Labour Party.

Elections

The council consists of 79 councillors elected for a four-year term from 21 wards. These wards were introduced for the 2007 election and each returns three or four members by the single transferable vote system of election. This system was introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004,^[2] as a means of ensuring a reasonably proportionately representative outcome.

The most recent full council election took place on Thursday 3 May 2012. Labour retained overal majority control (45), with increased numbers for Scottish National Party (27), Greens (5) with the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Glasgow First returning one councillor each. No Scottish Socialist Party, Solidarity or independent councillors were returned.

Since 2007 The Solidarity Councillor Ruth Black has since defected to the Labour Party in late 2007 after praising the Leadership of Steven Purcell.^[3] While Alex Dingwall and Colin Deens have both defected from the SNP, becoming a Liberal Democrat and Independent respectively.

John Mason, elected in the Baillieston ward as an SNP councillor resigned following election to the House of Commons on 25 July 2008^[4] with the SNP winning the resultant by-election in September.^[5] However, Mason failed to retain his seat in House of Commons after Margaret Curran, in a landslide victory, won the seat for the Scottish Labour Party in the 2010 General Election.^[6] The third council by-election in four months and the second in Ballieston multi-member ward will be precipitated by the death of sitting Labour councillor Douglas Hay.^[7] The resulting by-election was won by the Labour candidate, Andy Muir

On the same day of the European Elections 2009, a by-election was held for Ward 14, Anniesland and Drumchapel. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting councillor, Bill Kidd^[8](SNP). The resulting by-election was won by Labour candidate, Anne McTaggart.^[9]

In February and March 2012, a series of Labour councillors resigned from the party, and formed the new political party Glasgow First.^[10] 1 defected from Labour to the SNP. This resulted in a minority of Labour councillors on the council for the first time in 31 years.

Current multi-member ward system

A multi-member ward system was introduced for the 2007 council election:

Ward	Representation	Map
1. Linn (4 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Lib Dem
2. Newlands/Auldburn (3 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP
3. Greater Pollok (4 members)	3 Lab; 1 SNP
4. Craigton (4 members)	2 Lab; 2 SNP
5. Govan (4 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Glasgow First
6. Pollokshields (3 members)	1 Lab; 1 Con; 1 SNP
7. Langside (3 members)	1 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Green
8. Southside Central (4 members)	2 Lab; 2 SNP;
9. Calton (3 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP
10. Anderston/City (4 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Green
11. Hillhead (4 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Green
12. Partick West (4 members)	2 SNP; 1 LAB; 1 Green
13. Garscadden/Scotstounhill (4 members)	3 Lab; 1 SNP
14. Drumchapel/Anniesland (4 members)	3 Lab; 1 SNP
15. Maryhill/Kelvin (4 members)	2 Lab; 2 SNP
16. Canal(4 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Green
17. Springburn (3 members)	2 Lab; 1 SNP
18. East Centre (4 members)	3 Lab; 1 SNP
19. Shettleston (4 members)	3 Lab; 1 SNP
20. Baillieston (4 members)	2 Lab; 2 SNP
21. North East (4 members)	3 Lab; 1 SNP

Previous single-member ward system

Prior to the 2007 election, there were 79 councillors elected from 79 single-member wards by the plurality (first past the post) system of election. The result from this system was 69 of the 79 councillors representing the Labour Party although that party gained only around half the votes cast in the previous general election to the council, and the Scottish National Party was represented by just four councillors despite gaining some 20% of the votes. There were also three Liberal Democrat councillors, one Conservative councillor, one Scottish Socialist Party councillor and one independent councillor. These old wards has been first used in the general election to the council in 1999:

Ward	Ward	Ward
Drumry Summerhill Blairdardie Knightswood Park Knightswood South Yoker Anniesland Jordanhill Kelvindale Scotstoun	Victoria Park Hayburn Hyndland Hillhead Partick Kelvingrove Anderston Woodlands North Kelvin Wyndford	Maryhill Summerston Milton Ashfield Firhill Keppochhill Merchant City Royston Cowlairs Springburn
Wallacewell Milnbank Dennistoun Calton Bridgeton/ Dalmarnock Parkhead Carntyne Robroyston Gartcraig Queenslie Greenfield Barlanark Shettleston Tollcross Park Braidfauld Mount Vernon Baillieston Garrowhill
Garthamlock Easterhouse Drumoyne Govan Ibrox Kingston Mosspark North Cardonald Penilee Cardonald	Pollok Crookston Nitshill Darnley Carnwadric Maxwell Park Pollokshields East Hutchesontown Govanhill Strathbungo	Battlefield Langside Pollokshaws Newlands Cathcart Mount Florida Toryglen Kings Park Castlemilk Carmunnock Glenwood

Scottish Parliament

The Glasgow electoral region of the Scottish Parliament covers Glasgow City and the Cambuslang and Rutherglen area of South Lanarkshire. It includes nine constituencies, each electing one of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituency members. Also, the region elects seven of the parliament's 56 additional members. The system of election is designed to produce a form of proportional representation and both kinds of member are known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).

Until the United Kingdom general election, 2005, the first past the post seats were the same for the Scottish Parliament as for the United Kingdom Parliament (apart from Orkney and Shetland, which formed separate constituencies at Holyrood, but not Westminster). In 2005, the number of MPs was cut to 59, with new constituencies being formed, while the existing number of constituencies and MSPs was retained for Holyrood.

First past the post constituencies

The nine Scottish Parliament constituencies in the Glasgow electoral region and current MSPs are:

Additional members

The current additional member MSPs for the Glasgow electoral region are:

Parliament of the United Kingdom

For elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Glasgow City is now divided between seven constituencies. All seven are entirely within the Glasgow City council area, with boundaries first used in the 2005 general election, and each elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the plurality (first past the post) system of election.

Prior to the 2005 UK general election, Glasgow City was divided between Westminster constituencies with the same names and boundaries as now existing Holyrood constituencies.

The seven Westminster constituencies created in 2005 and current MPs are:

Footnotes

v t e The City of Glasgow History Timeline of Glasgow history Politics City Chambers Lord Provost Red Clydeside Battle of George Square Scottish Parliament electoral region Glasgow's miles better Geography Climate Demographics Subdivisions Glasgow city centre Greater Glasgow Urban Area River Clyde Culture Architecture Art Festivals Glasgow Fair Glasgow patter Media Music venues Parks Famous Glaswegians Transport Glasgow Central station Queen Street station Glasgow Airport Prestwick Airport Subway Clyde Tunnel Kingston Bridge Trams (until 1962) Trolleybuses (until 1967) Education Schools University of Strathclyde Glasgow Caledonian University University of Glasgow Glasgow Medical School Glasgow School of Art College of Nautical Studies Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Religion Archbishop of Glasgow (Roman Catholic) Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway (Episcopalian) Churches Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Central Mosque Presbytery of Glasgow (Church of Scotland) Saint Mungo Sectarianism Sport Celtic F.C. Rangers F.C. Partick Thistle F.C. Clyde F.C. Queen's Park F.C. Glasgow Warriors West of Scotland Cricket Club Hampden Park Hamilton Crescent Scottish Football Museum 2014 Commonwealth Games bid Old Firm Glasgow Rocks Attractions Ashton Lane Buchanan Street Burrell Collection Celtic Park Clyde Auditorium Concert Hall Gallery of Modern Art Glasgow Green Holmwood House Ibrox Stadium Museum of Transport Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Pollok House Glasgow Science Centre Willow Tearooms Glasgow International Hilton Hotel List of tallest buildings and structures in Glasgow Health Gartnavel General Hospital Glasgow effect Glasgow Royal Infirmary Stobhill Hospital Western Infirmary Category