Renfrewshire Council

Renfrewshire

Coat of arms

Council logo

Leadership

Provost

Lorraine Cameron,
SNP
since 18 May 2017

Leader

Iain Nicolson,
SNP
since 18 May 2017[1]

Chief Executive

Alan Russell
since November 2021[2]

Structure
Seats| 43 councillors

Political groups

Administration (20)
SNP (20)
Other parties (23)
Labour (13)
Independent (4)
Conservative (3)
Reform UK (2)
Liberal Democrat (1)
Elections

Voting system

| Single transferable vote

Last election

| 6 May 2022

Next election

| 6 May 2027
Meeting place
Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN
Website
www.renfrewshire.gov.uk

Renfrewshire Council is the local authority for Renfrewshire, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It consists of 43 councillors who elect from among their number a provost to serve as the council's convener and ceremonial head and a leader of the council who is typically the head of the largest political group. The council is based at Renfrewshire House in Paisley.

The council meets collectively as a full council and carries out a number of functions. Its Scheme of Delegated Functions sets out where the council has agreed to allow powers to be exercised by a committee (referred to as a "board" in Renfrewshire Council), a sub-committee, an officer of the council or a joint committee with one or more other councils. The council continues to reserve a number of functions that can only be carried out by the council acting as a whole. The council's staff is headed by a chief executive who is responsible to the elected council.[3]

Renfrewshire Council acts as the lead authority for Scotland Excel, a collaborative procurement vehicle established in 2008 to support the local authorities of Scotland.[4]

## Political control

[edit]

The council has been under no overall control since 2017. Following the 2022 election an SNP minority administration took control of the council with support from independent councillor Andy Doig on a confidence and supply basis.[5]

The first election to Renfrewshire Council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been as follows:[6]

Party in control | Years

|

| Labour | 1996–2007
| No overall control | 2007–2012
| Labour | 2012–2017
| No overall control | 2017–present

### Leadership

[edit]

The leaders of the council since 1996 have been:[7]

Councillor | Party | From | To

|
|
|

Hugh Henry |  | Labour | 1 Apr 1996 | 1999
Jim Harkins[8] |  | Labour | 1999 | May 2007
Derek Mackay |  | SNP | 17 May 2007 | May 2011
Brian Lawson |  | SNP | 26 May 2011 | May 2012
Mark MacMillan |  | Labour | 17 May 2012 | May 2017
Iain Nicolson |  | SNP | 18 May 2017 |

### Council composition

[edit]

Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to 7th March 2025, the composition of the council was:[9][10]

Party  | Councillors

|

| SNP | 20
| Labour | 13
| Independent | 4
| Conservative | 3
| Reform UK | 2
| Liberal Democrats | 1
Total  | 43

The next election is due in 2027.

## Premises

[edit]

The council is based at Renfrewshire House on Cotton Street in Paisley, which was built between 1969 and 1973 as the "County and Municipal Buildings", being a joint facility for the old Renfrewshire County Council and Paisley Town Council.[11][12][13] After the reforms of 1975 the building was shared between Renfrew District Council and Strathclyde Regional Council. Following the creation of Renfrewshire Council in 1996 the building was renamed Renfrewshire House.[14]

## Elections

[edit]

Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[6]

Year | Seats | SNP | Labour | Conservative | Liberal Democrats | Independent / Other | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  |
1995 | 40 | 13 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
1999 | 40 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[15]
2003 | 40 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
2007 | 40 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[16]
2012 | 40 | 15 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2017 | 43 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 2 | New ward boundaries.[17]
2022 | 43 | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |

### Electoral wards

[edit]

Main article: Wards of Renfrewshire

Map of Renfrewshire's 12 wards, using 2017 boundaries

For the purposes of elections to Renfrewshire Council, the Renfrewshire area is divided geographically into a number of wards which then elect either three or four councillors each by the single transferable vote system.[18] The electoral system of local councils in Scotland is governed by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, which first introduced proportional representation to councils in Scotland.

These electoral wards, following a 2017 review and first used in the 2017 Renfrewshire Council election are as follows:[19][20]

Ward number  | Ward Name  | Location  | Seats  | Population

(2020)

|
|
|
|

1  | Renfrew North and Braehead |  | 4  | 17,827
2  | Renfrew South and Gallowhill |  | 3  | 12,232
3  | Paisley Northeast and Ralston |  | 3  | 12,810
4  | Paisley Northwest |  | 4  | 17,018
5  | Paisley East and Central |  | 3  | 12,218
6  | Paisley Southeast |  | 3  | 12,925
7  | Paisley Southwest |  | 4  | 16,505
8  | Johnstone South and Elderslie |  | 4  | 15,860
9  | Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch |  | 4  | 14,740
10  | Houston, Crosslee and Linwood |  | 4  | 19,152
11  | Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank |  | 3  | 10,040
12  | Erskine and Inchinnan |  | 4  | 18,063

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Council minutes, 18 May 2017". Renfrewshire Council. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
2. ^ "Alan Russell - Renfrewshire Council's new Chief Executive". Mill Magazine. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
3. ^ "Scheme of Delegated Functions". Renfrewshire Council. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
4. ^ "About us". Scotland Excel. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
5. ^ "2022 LOCAL ELECTIONS:Renfrewshire Council". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
6. ^ a b "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
7. ^ "Council minutes". Renfrewshire Council. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
8. ^ "Council round-up: Renfrewshire". Glasgow Times. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
9. ^ "Second Renfrewshire Tory councillor defects to Reform UK". 6 March 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025 - via www.dailyrecord.co.uk.
10. ^ "Renfrewshire". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
11. ^ "Paisley, Cotton Street, County and Municipal Buildings". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
12. ^ Glasgow Area Telephone Directory, October 1971, p. 709, Renfrewshire County Council, County Buildings, Cotton Street, Paisley
13. ^ "Renfrew County Council, Paisley Town Council and Police Station building". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
14. ^ "Contact us". Renfrewshire Council. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
15. ^ "The Renfrewshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/3249, retrieved 8 February 2023
16. ^ Scottish Parliament. The Renfrewshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
17. ^ Scottish Parliament. The Renfrewshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2016 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
18. ^ "Electoral wards".
19. ^ "United Kingdom: Scotland | Council Areas and Electoral Wards". City Population. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
20. ^ Council Area | Renfrewshire, Scottish Government Statistics. Retrieved 22 April 2022

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List by area, population, density

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Council elections in Renfrewshire

Renfrewshire Council|

* 1995
* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2012
* 2017
* 2022

Strathclyde Regional Council|

* 1974
* 1978
* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
* Abolished

Renfrew District Council|

* 1974
* 1977
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* Abolished

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