§ Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for the alteration of electoral boundaries for local elections in Scotland; what is the estimated cost of these proposals; and how many objections he has received to these proposals.
§ Mr. William RossNone until the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland reports to me on the initial reviews it is required to carry out as soon as practicable under Section 20 of and Schedule 5 to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The annual cost of the Commission, which is charged with the duty of reviewing local authority boundaries as well as electoral boundaries, is estimated to be around £90,000, but the extra cost to local authorities of their involvement in this continuing function is not readily identifiable and will vary according to the relative complexity of the review in each area and the extent to which they are able to use existing staff and other resources. In addition to representations from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities for postponement of the reviews I received seven individual representations.