Area Councils
Each area established by the Act was to be governed by an elected council. The council's title was simply the name of the area followed by the word "Council": Argyll and Bute Council, Aberdeen City Council and so on. Each area was divided into wards with each ward returning a single councillor. The councillors were required to elect a convener, and could choose to elect a depute convener. In the four city areas (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow) the convener's title was to be Lord Provost. In the other council areas the convener was to be "known by such title as the council may determine", other than Lord Provost. In 1998 sixteen councils were using the title "provost", the remaining twelve having conveners.
Area councils were obliged to make a draft decentralisation scheme by 1 April 1997. The scheme could provide for:
- The holding of meetings of the council (or any committee or sub-committee) at particular places within the council area
- The establishment of committees for particular areas and the delegation to them of specified functions
- The location of council offices within the area
- The provision of facilities for accessing advice on council services at particular places within the council area
The plan was to include dates at which the various proposals were to be carried out. Having made the draft plan there was to be an eight-week period in which the area council was to consult with the relevant community councils and invite the public to make observations. The decentralisation scheme could then be adopted in original or modified form.
Read more about this topic: Local Government Etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Famous quotes containing the words area and/or councils:
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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