We were established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Since being passed, the Act has been amended by various pieces of legislation. Our duties and powers with respect to local government boundaries are detailed in Section 12 to 28 of the 1973 Act.
The 1973 Act specifies that Scottish Ministers may direct us on various matters. A Direction is currently in force for us not to undertake reviews under section 14(1) of the Act in the period to 31 July 2027.
Current boundaries
Each local authority area is divided into electoral wards. These wards were defined by Scottish Statutory Instruments in 2016 following our Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements.
Regulations
Our use of the electoral register is governed by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001.
Further information
Further details of legislation in the United Kingdom is available from www.legislation.gov.uk.