Editing Outer Hebrides (section)

== Politics and local government ==
{{main|Comhairle nan Eilean Siar}}
[[File:Sir Edward Scott Junior Secondary School - geograph.org.uk - 1390447.jpg|thumb|left|Sir Edward Scott Secondary School, [[Tarbert, Harris|Tarbert, Isle of Harris]]]]
The local authority is [[Comhairle nan Eilean Siar]], based at the Council Offices in Stornoway. The council is often known locally simply as "the {{lang|gd|Comhairle}}" or ''{{lang|gd|a' Chomhairle}}''.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2008 |url=http://www.w-isles.gov.uk/education/consultations/documents/DaliburghFutureStrategyConsultation.pdf |title=Review of Educational Provision and the Comhairle's Future Strategy for the Schools Estate: Daliburgh School, Isle of South Uist |publisher=Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Department of Education |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5r6JOztWl?url=http://www.w-isles.gov.uk/education/consultations/documents/DaliburghFutureStrategyConsultation.pdf |archive-date=9 July 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=1 June 2010}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
After the Scottish crown claimed control of the islands, they were included in [[Inverness-shire]]. In 1661 Inverness-shire was split, with the northern parts becoming a new county called [[Ross-shire]].<ref name="rps_1661_1_197">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Keith |title=Act anent the shire of Ross |website=The Records of the Parliament of Scotland to 1707 |url=http://www.rps.ac.uk/trans/1661/1/197 |publisher=University of St Andrews |access-date=30 August 2024}}</ref> The interests of landowners influenced the boundary of the new county. [[Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth]], owned extensive lands in [[Ross, Scotland|Ross]] on the mainland and also owned the [[Isle of Lewis]]. Lewis was therefore included in Ross-shire, whereas the rest of the Outer Hebrides stayed in Inverness-shire (including [[Harris, Outer Hebrides|Harris]], despite it being part of the same island as Lewis).<ref name=Kennedy2014>{{cite book|last=Kennedy|first=Allan D.|title=Governing Gaeldom: The Scottish Highlands and the Restoration State, 1660-1688|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UjJnAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA155|access-date=30 August 2024 |date=2014|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004269255|pages=155–156}}</ref> In 1889, Ross-shire merged with [[Cromartyshire]] to form a new county called [[Ross and Cromarty]].<ref>Keay and Keay (1994) pp. 542, 821</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quarter-inch Administrative Areas Maps: Scotland Sheet 2, 1968 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/222075446 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=3 October 2024}}</ref>

Local government was reformed in 1975 under the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973]], which replaced Scotland's counties, [[burgh]]s and [[landward district]]s. In most of Scotland a two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts was used, but a single-tier structure of island areas was used for [[Orkney]], [[Shetland]] and the Outer Hebrides, the latter being named the Western Isles.<ref name=1973act>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973|year=1973|chapter=65|accessdate=17 April 2023}}</ref> Further local government reform in 1996 introduced single-tier council areas across all of Scotland. The councils of the three island areas created in 1975, including the Western Isles, continued to provide the same services after 1996, but their areas were redesignated as council areas.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994|year=1994|chapter=39|accessdate=17 April 2023}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080516164424/http://www.ourscotland.co.uk/alphabeticindex/areas.htm "Areas of Scotland"] ourscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2010.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091026033033/http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/content/index.php?action=view&id=3 "Place-names of Scotland"] scotlandsplaces.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2010.</ref>

As part of the 1975 reforms the area was also made a [[Lieutenancy areas of Scotland|lieutenancy area]], represented by the [[Lord Lieutenant of the Western Isles]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=19660|page=617|date=2 May 1975|city=e}}</ref><ref name=1975order>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Lord-Lieutenants Order 1975|year=1975|number=428|access-date=1 September 2024}}</ref>

In 1998, following the [[Local Government (Gaelic Names) (Scotland) Act 1997]], the Western Isles Council formally changed the English language version of the council area's name from Western Isles to ''Na h-Eileanan an Iar'' (Gaelic for 'the Western Isles'), and the name of the council to ''Comhairle nan Eilean Siar'' ('Council of the Western Isles'), to be used in both English and Gaelic contexts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical information from 1973 onwards |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ordnancesurvey.co.uk%2Fdocuments%2Fboundary-legislation-changes-from-1973.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |website=Boundary-Line support |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=29 August 2024}}</ref>

===Wider politics===
The name for the British Parliament constituency covering this area is {{lang|gd|[[Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)|Na h-Eileanan an Iar]]}}, the seat being held by [[Torcuil Crichton]] MP since 2024, while the Scottish Parliament constituency for the area is {{lang|gd|[[Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Na h-Eileanan an Iar]]}}, the incumbent being [[Alasdair Allan]] MSP.

During the [[2014 Scottish independence referendum]] the area voted against independence by a margin of 53.42% (10,544) to 46.58% (9,195) in favour on a turnout of 86.2%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/events/scotland-decides/results |title=Scotland Decides: SCOTLAND VOTES NO: Should Scotland be an independent country?|publisher=BBC |date=2014-09-19 |access-date=2017-03-31}}</ref>

In 2022, as part of the [[Levelling up policy of the Boris Johnson government#White paper|Levelling Up White Paper]], an "Island Forum" was proposed, which would allow local policymakers and residents in the Outer Hebrides to work alongside their counterparts in [[Shetland]], [[Orkney]], [[Anglesey]] and the [[Isle of Wight]] on common issues, such as broadband connectivity, and provide a platform for them to communicate directly with the government on the challenges island communities face in terms of levelling up.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2022/02/03/new-islands-forum-should-not-just-be-box-ticking-exercise/|title=New islands forum should not be 'box ticking exercise'|last=Cope|first=Chris|date=3 February 2021|work=[[The Shetland News]]|accessdate=17 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/11-february/news/uk/gove-announces-levelling-up-forum-for-islands|title=Gove announces Levelling-up forum for islands|last=Paveley|first=Rebecca|date=11 February 2021|work=[[Church Times]]|accessdate=17 February 2022}}</ref>