Banff and Buchan

Map of Scotland showing the present-day committee area of Banff and Buchan

For the constituencies, see Banff and Buchan (Scottish Parliament constituency) or Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency).

Banff and Buchan is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. It has a population of 35,742 (2001 Census). Fishing and agriculture are important industries, together with associated processing and service activity.

Banff and Buchan was also the name of a district of Grampian Region between 1975 and 1996. The district covered a much larger area than the committee area, and included what are now the committee areas of Buchan, which, despite its name, is not part of the committee area of Banff and Buchan,^[1] and Formartine.

Banff and Buchan committee area

The area is relatively self-contained, and in recent years has seen a small decline in population. It does, however, have tourism assets in its coastline, coastal villages and visitor attractions. Economic dependency, peripherality, and the future of the Common Fisheries/Agricultural Policies, are key issues. The Buchan Local Action Plan will address some of these concerns. The Area qualifies for European Union Objective 2 structural funding.

This region manifests prehistory by the ancient monument at Longman Hill, a large long barrow^[2] somewhat to the southeast of Macduff, as well as Cairn Lee somewhat to the west of Longman Hill.

Banff and Buchan district

Banff and Buchan was formerly a local government district in the Grampian region, created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.^[3] It combined, from the former county of Banff, a Banff area (including the burgh of Banff), the burghs of Aberchirder, Macduff and Portsoy, and Aberchirder and Fordyce areas, and, from the former county of Aberdeen, the burghs of Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Rosehearty and Turriff, and Cruden and Deer Turriff areas. (The rest of the county of Banff became part of the Moray district of the region.)

In 1996, the Banff and Buchan district was merged into the Aberdeenshire unitary council area, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994. The former district was divided between the three committee areas of Banff and Buchan, Buchan (the area around Peterhead) and Formartine (the area around Ellon and Turriff).

Parliamentary constituencies

The name is also used for the Banff and Buchan (Westminster) constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster), and for the Banff and Buchan (Holyrood) constituency of the Scottish Parliament (at Holyrood). The boundaries of the two constituencies have differed since 2005.

Both constituencies have Scottish National Party representation. The Westminster constituency is represented by Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Eilidh Whiteford and the Holyrood constituency is represented by Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Stewart Stevenson.

See also

• Subdivisions of Scotland

References

Settlements and places of interest in Banff and Buchan, Aberdeenshire Primary settlements Aberchirder Banff Fraserburgh Gardenstown Inverallochy and Cairnbulg Macduff Portsoy Rosehearty Sandhaven Whitehills Other settlements Boyndie Broadsea Cornhill Cortes Crovie Fordyce King Edward Memsie Netherbrae New Aberdour New Byth Pennan Sandend Places of interest Duff House Findlater Castle Kinnaird Head Lighthouse Memsie Cairn

Areas and primary settlements in Aberdeenshire (see also: Aberdeen City) in Banff and Buchan Aberchirder Banff Fraserburgh Gardenstown Inverallochy and Cairnbulg Macduff Portsoy Rosehearty Sandhaven Whitehills in Buchan Boddam Crimond Cruden Bay Fetterangus Hatton Longside Maud Mintlaw New Deer New Pitsligo Peterhead St Combs St Fergus Strichen Stuartfield in Formartine Balmedie Cuminestown Ellon Fyvie Newburgh Oldmeldrum Pitmedden Potterton Rothienorman Tarves Turriff in Garioch Blackburn Insch Inverurie Kemnay Kintore Newmachar Westhill in Kincardine and Mearns Drumoak Fettercairn Gourdon Inverbervie Johnshaven Laurencekirk Newtonhill Portlethen St Cyrus Stonehaven in Marr Aboyne Alford Ballater Banchory Braemar Huntly Lumphanan Tarland Torphins