Elections to Banff and Buchan District Council were held on 7 May 1974, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
The election used the 10 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.
Banff and Buchan was a non-partisan district. Only a few members of political parties contested the election and all but three of the 18 seats were won by independents.
Background Prior to 1974, the area that was to become Banff and Buchan, was split between two counties – the County of Banff and the County of Aberdeen. Within that were five of the 11 burghs of the County of Banff (Aberchirder, Banff, Fraserburgh, Macduff and Portsoy) and two of the 10 burghs of the County of Aberdeen (Peterhead, Rosehearty and Turriff). These were all small burghs so the burgh council had limited powers which included some control over planning as well as local taxation, building control, housing, lighting and drainage with the rest of the local government responsibility falling to the county council.
Following the recommendations in the Wheatly Report, the old system of counties and burghs – which had resulted in a mishmash of local government areas in which some small burghs had larger populations but far fewer responsibilities than some large burghs and even counties – was to be replaced by a new system of regional and district councils. The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 implemented most of the recommendations in the Wheatly Report. The northeastern part of the County of Banff which included the five burghs was combined with the northern part of the County of Aberdeen and was placed into the Banff and Buchan district within the Grampian region.
Results
Source:
Ward results Macduff
Source:
King Edward-Gamrie
Source:
Banff-Hilton
Source:
Fordyce/Boyndie
Source:
Aberchirder
Source:
Turriff
Source:
Deer
Source:
Fyvie/Monquhitter
Source:
Meethill/Boddam
Source:
Clerkhill
Source:
Kirktown/Roanheads
Source:
Buchanhaven/Catto
Source:
Fraserburgh Saltoun
Source:
Fraserburgh South/Rathen
Source:
Fraserburgh/Broadsea
Source:
North Buchanorth
Source:
Longside/Cruden
Source:
Rattray/Strichen
Source:
Aftermath Banff and Buchan, like the other three districts in Grampian excluding the City of Aberdeen, was non-partisan and controlled by Independent candidates who won all 15 of the 18 seats. The Conservatives controlled the regional council which held its first election on the same day. Across Scotland, Labour won the most votes, the most seats and the most councils of any party.
References