Dundee City Council - 04/03/2002

At a MEETING of DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL held at Dundee on 4th March, 2002.

 

Present:-

 

COUNCILLORS

 

Lord Provost John R LETFORD

Andrew DAWSON

C D P FARQUHAR

George de GERNIER

Willie W SAWERS

Fraser MACPHERSON

Helen WRIGHT

Allan PETRIE

Jim BARRIE

Betty WARD

George REGAN

Julia M STURROCK

Jill SHIMI

Bruce D MACKIE

Neil GLEN

Neil I C POWRIE

Roderick A J WALLACE

Elizabeth F FORDYCE

Ian BORTHWICK

Kenneth J N GUILD

Fiona M GRANT

Robin PRESSWOOD

Derek J SCOTT

David BOWES

Richard BEATTIE

John CORRIGAN

Mervyn J ROLFE

 

Dave BEATTIE

 

 

Lord Provost John R. LETFORD, Convener, in the Chair.

 

I FIFTH PERIODICAL REVIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES IN SCOTLAND

 

There was submitted Report No. 197-2002 by the Director of Corporate Planning intimating that the Boundary Commission for Scotland had a statutory obligation under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 to keep under review the parliamentary constituencies in Scotland and conduct a general review between 8 and 12 years from the date of the report on its last general review. As the last review was reported in 1994 the next report would be made between December 2002 and December 2006.

 

There was submitted a paper (appended to the above report) from the Boundary Commission for Scotland on the background processes and procedures of the review and a notice of the proposals by the Boundary Commission for the area comprising Dundee City Council and Angus Council.

 

Councillor Sturrock seconded by the Lord Provost moved

 

"Dundee City Council welcomes the retention of two Westminster Parliamentary seats for Dundee but disagrees with some aspects of the proposals made by the Boundary Commission for Scotland. The Council recommends that:

 

1the Dundee West Constituency should include the East Carse Ward (Perth & Kinross Council) (electorate 2,665) but should exclude the Fairmuir and Stobswell wards (Dundee City Council) (total electorate 7,533) which would create a new total electorate of 62,883 instead of the Boundary Commission total of 67,751.

 

2the Dundee East Constituency should include the Fairmuir and Stobswell wards (Dundee City Council) (total electorate 7,533) and exclude Carnoustie West, Carnoustie Central and Carnoustie East wards (Angus Council) (total electorate 8,841) which would create a new total electorate of 63,751 instead of the Boundary Commission total of 65,059.

 

These proposals are based on the identity of the communities concerned as well as their economic and social structure and meet the quota requirements of the Boundary Commission for Scotland."

 

As an amendment Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Mackie moved

 

"We support the Commission's proposal to allocate 59 parliamentary constituencies to Scotland in line with the requirement in the Scotland Act to use the quota of 69,934 electors for Scottish constituencies.

 

We believe the decision of the Commission to base constituencies on the boundaries of unitary authority to be logical and support the combination of Dundee and Angus.

 

As far as the two Dundee constituencies are concerned, we fail to understand why one Angus Ward is included with Dundee West. We believe all the local ties of the Sidlaw West Ward are with Sidlaw East and we would therefore include Sidlaw West in Dundee East, together with the other Angus Wards not included within the Angus constituency. We believe it is necessary to better reflect the inclusion of these Angus Wards in the name of the constituency which we would rename Dundee East and Carnoustie.

 

We fully support the proposed Angus constituency within the Angus authority.

 

Listed below are details of our own proposals.

 

Dundee City and Angus

 

Dundee West Burgh Constituency

 

The following wards in Dundee City Council Area

Numbered 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,19,20,21,22,23,26,27,28,29 64,572

 

Dundee East and Carnoustie County Constituency

 

The following electoral wards in Dundee City Council Area

Numbered 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,24,25

 

The following electoral wards in Angus Council Area

Numbered 16,17,18,19,20,21,22 68,238

 

Angus County Constituency

 

As per Commission proposals 64,591"

 

On a division, there voted for the motion - Lord Provost Letford, Councillors de Gernier, Wright, Ward, Shimi, Presswood, Regan, Farquhar, Sturrock, Glen, Grant, Rolfe, Barrie, Richard Beattie, Dawson, Sawers, Petrie, Guild, Corrigan, Dave Beattie, Fordyce, Bowes and Macpherson (23); and for the amendment - Councillors Powrie, Mackie, Wallace, Scott and Borthwick (5) - whereupon the motion was declared carried.

 

 

 

 

LORD PROVOST JOHN R LETFORD, Convener