Midlothian Council | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Council logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Grace Vickers since 26 June 2018[2] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 18 councillors[3] |
Results of the 2022 election:  | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Midlothian House, 40–46 Buccleuch Street, Dalkeith, EH22 1DN | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Midlothian Council is the local authority for Midlothian, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, covering an area immediately south of the city of Edinburgh. The council is based in Dalkeith. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, eighteen councillors have been elected from six wards.
History
[edit]Midlothian District Council was created in 1975 as one of four districts within the Lothian region. The Midlothian district took its name from the historic county of Midlothian, which had covered a larger area.[4] The Lothian region was abolished in 1996, when the four districts in the region, including Midlothian, became unitary council areas.[5]
Political control
[edit]The council has been under no overall control since 2012. Since the 2022 election it has been run by a Scottish National Party minority administration.[6]
The first election to the Midlothian District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the reforms which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:[7]
Midlothian District Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1975–1977 | |
| No overall control | 1977–1980 | |
| Labour | 1980–1996 | |
Midlothian Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1996–2007 | |
| No overall control | 2007–2008 | |
| Labour | 2008–2012 | |
| No overall control | 2012–present | |
Leadership
[edit]Midlothian Council operates a cabinet-based decision making model working collaboratively with the Council and Performance Review Committee. Each cabinet member has a portfolio of responsibilities. The leaders of the council since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Montgomery[8] | Labour | 2003 | 2007 | |
| Derek Milligan[9][10] | Labour | 2007 | May 2012 | |
| Lisa Beattie[11][12] | SNP | 22 May 2012 | 25 Jun 2012 | |
| Bob Constable[13][14] | SNP | 3 Jul 2012 | 18 Nov 2013 | |
| Owen Thompson[14][15] | SNP | 19 Nov 2013 | 22 Jun 2015 | |
| Cath Johnstone[15][16] | SNP | 23 Jun 2015 | May 2017 | |
| Derek Milligan[17][18] | Labour | 23 May 2017 | May 2022 | |
| Kelly Parry[1] | SNP | 24 May 2022 | ||
Composition
[edit]Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes up to August 2025, the composition of the council was:[19]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| SNP | 8 | |
| Labour | 6 | |
| Conservative | 3 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | |
The next election is due in 2027.[19]
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:[7]
| Year | Seats | SNP | Labour | Conservative | Green | Liberal Democrats | Independent / Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Labour majority |
| 1999 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[20] Labour majority |
| 2003 | 18 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Labour majority |
| 2007 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[21] |
| 2012 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | SNP coalition |
| 2017 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[22] Labour minority |
| 2022 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | SNP minority |
Premises
[edit]The council is based at Midlothian House at 40–46 Buccleuch Street in Dalkeith. The building was purpose-built for the district council in 1991 at a cost of £6 million.[23]
Wards
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The council is composed of 6 wards, each electing 3 councillors.[24]
| Ward number |
Ward name | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penicuik | 3 |
| 2 | Bonnyrigg | 3 |
| 3 | Dalkeith | 3 |
| 4 | Midlothian West | 3 |
| 5 | Midlothian East | 3 |
| 6 | Midlothian South | 3 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bowen, Phil (24 May 2022). "Midlothian's new Provost and Council Leader elected". Midlothian View.
- ^ "New chief executive revealed at Midlothian Council". Scottish Housing News. 26 June 2018.
- ^ "Midlothian Council > Councillors". midlothian.cmis.uk.com.
- ^ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 24 December 2022
- ^ "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 39, retrieved 16 December 2022
- ^ Morrison, Hamish (24 May 2022). "Midlothian Council: SNP take control after 'Better Together' deal". The National. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Midlothian" in search box to see specific results.)
- ^ "Tributes to Midlothian Council Provost who died this morning". Edinburgh Evening News. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "Council appointments". Midlothian Council. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ "Changes on the cards as day of drama leaves power in the balance". The Scotsman. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ "Council minutes, 22 May 2012". Midlothian Council. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ Swanson, Ian (27 June 2012). "Midlothian Council leader Beattie quits after just five weeks". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "Council minutes, 3 July 2012". Midlothian Council. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Council minutes, 19 November 2013". Midlothian Council. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Council minutes, 23 June 2015". Midlothian Council. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ Hannan, Martin (27 April 2017). "Going Local: Change is afoot in Midlothian, an area that used to be a Labour heartland". The National. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ "Council minutes, 23 May 2017". Midlothian Council. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ "SNP take most seats in Midlothian". Midlothian View. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Midlothian". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ^ "The Midlothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/3072, retrieved 25 December 2022
- ^ Scottish Parliament. The Midothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
- ^ Scottish Parliament. The Midothian (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2016 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
- ^ "Remember when". Edinburgh Evening News. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "General election 2019 Midlothian County Constituency: Midlothian Wards" (PDF). Midlothian Council. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
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