Editing Scottish Borders (section)

==Governance==
{{Infobox legislature
| name               = Scottish Borders Council
| native_name        =
| transcription_name =
| legislature        =
| coa_pic            = Scottish Borders Council logo.svg
| coa_res            = 
| house_type         = 
| body               =
| houses             =
| leader1_type       = [[Convener]]
| leader1            = Watson McAteer
| party1             = <br>[[Independent politician|Independent]]
| election1          = 19 May 2022
| leader2_type       = [[Local government in Scotland#Leader of the Council|Leader]]
| leader2            = Euan Jardine
| party2             = <br>[[Scottish Conservatives|Conservative]]
| election2          = 19 May 2022<ref>{{cite web |title=Council minutes, 19 May 2022 |url=https://scottishborders.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=5739&Ver=4 |website=Scottish Borders Council | date=19 May 2022 |access-date=12 July 2023}}</ref>
| leader3_type       = [[Chief Executive]]
| leader3            = David Robertson
| party3             = <!--Non political role-->
| election3          = January 2023<ref>{{cite news |title=New chief executive appointed at Scottish Borders Council |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxrn1dd6e4no |access-date=12 July 2023 |work=BBC News |date=20 January 2023}}</ref>
| members            = 34 councillors
| house1             =
| house2             =
| structure1         = United_Kingdom_Scottish_Borders_Council_2024.svg
| structure1_res     = 250px
| political_groups1  =
;Administration (18)
:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Scottish Conservatives}}|border=darkgray}} [[Scottish Conservatives|Conservative]] (15)}}
:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Independent politician}}|border=darkgray}} [[Independent politician|Independent]] (3)}}
;Other parties (16)
:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Scottish National Party}}|border=darkgray}} [[Scottish National Party|SNP]] (8)}}
:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Independent politician}}|border=darkgray}} [[Independent politician|Independent]] (4)}}
:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Scottish Liberal Democrats}}|border=darkgray}} [[Scottish Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat]] (3)}}
:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Scottish Green Party}}|border=darkgray}} [[Scottish Green Party|Green]] (1)}}
| committees1        =
| committees2        =
| joint_committees   =
| voting_system1     = [[Single transferable vote]]
| voting_system2     =
| last_election1     = [[2022 Scottish Borders Council election|5 May 2022]]
| next_election1     = 6 May 2027
| session_room       = Scottish Borders Council Headquarters at Newtown St Boswells (geograph 4367455).jpg
| session_res        =
| meeting_place      = [[Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells|Council Headquarters]], Bowden Road, [[Newtown St Boswells]], [[Melrose, Scottish Borders|Melrose]], TD6{{nbsp}}0SA
| website            = {{URL|www.scotborders.gov.uk}}
| footnotes          =
}}

===Political control===
The council has been under [[no overall control]] since 1999. Since the [[2022 Scottish Borders Council election|2022 election]] the council has been run by an administration of the Conservatives and three of the independent councillors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Paul |title=New leader and convener of Scottish Borders Council appointed |url=https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/20151672.new-leader-convener-scottish-borders-council-appointed/ |access-date=12 July 2023 |work=Border Telegraph |date=19 May 2022}}</ref>

The first election to the Borders Regional 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:<ref name=compositions>{{cite web |title=Compositions calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/?page_id=3825 |website=The Elections Centre | date=4 March 2016 |access-date=6 November 2022}}</ref>

'''Borders Regional Council'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Party in control!!Years
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent politician}} || 1975–1978
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} || 1978–1982
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent politician}} || 1982–1994
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} || 1994–1996
|}

'''Scottish Borders Council'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Party in control!!Years
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent politician}} || 1996–1999
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} || 1999–present
|}

===Leadership===
The first [[leader of the council]] following the 1996 reforms was Drew Tulley, who had been the last leader of the former Ettrick and Lauderdale District Council.<ref name=Tulley/> The leaders since 1996 have been:<ref>{{cite web |title=Council minutes |url=https://scottishborders.moderngov.co.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1 |website=Scottish Borders Council |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! Councillor !! colspan=2|Party !! From !! To 
|-
| Drew Tulley<ref name=Tulley>{{cite news |last1=Janiak |first1=Kevin |title=Drew gave 'total commitment' |url=https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/politics/council/drew-gave-total-commitment-3052718 |access-date=15 December 2022 |work=Southern Reporter |date=30 November 2020}}</ref> || {{party name with colour|Independent politician}} || align=right|1996 || align=right|6 Mar 2002
|-
| John Ross Scott || {{party name with colour|Scottish Liberal Democrats}} || align=right|6 Mar 2002 || align=right|3 May 2003
|-
| David Parker || {{party name with colour|Independent politician}} || align=right|12 Mar 2003 || align=right|18 May 2017
|-
| Shona Haslam || {{party name with colour|Scottish Conservatives}} || align=right|18 May 2017 || align=right|25 Nov 2021
|-
| Mark Rowley || {{party name with colour|Scottish Conservatives}} || align=right|25 Nov 2021 || align=right|19 May 2022
|-
| Euan Jardine || {{party name with colour|Scottish Conservatives}} || align=right|19 May 2022 || align=right|
|}

===Premises===
Scottish Borders Council is based at the [[Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells|Council Headquarters]] in Newtown St Boswells. The building had been the headquarters of Roxburghshire County Council prior to 1975,<ref>{{cite web |title=Roxburgh County Offices, Newtown St Boswells |url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/350461/newtown-st-boswells-roxburgh-county-offices |website=Canmore |publisher=Historic Environment Scotland |access-date=13 December 2022}}</ref> and subsequently served as the served as the main office of the Borders Regional Council between 1975 and 1996.<ref>Scottish Borders Council, [https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/location Location], accessed 30 May 2023</ref>

===Elections===
{{see also|:Category:Wards of the Scottish Borders|:Category:Scottish Borders Council elections}}
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:<ref name=compositions/>

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
!rowspan=2|'''Year'''
!rowspan=2|'''Seats'''
!width="80"|'''[[Scottish Conservatives|Conservative]]'''
!width="80"|[[Scottish National Party|'''SNP''']]
!width="80"|[[Scottish Liberal Democrats|'''Liberal Democrats''']]
!width="80"|[[Scottish Greens|'''Green''']]
!width="80"|[[Scottish Labour|'''Labour''']]
!width="80"|[[Independent politician|'''Independent / Other''']]
!rowspan=2|'''Notes'''
|-
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Conservatives}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Liberal Democrats}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Greens}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Labour}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}; width: 3px;" |
|-
| [[1995 Scottish Borders Council election|1995]]
| 58
| 3
| 8
| 15
| 0
| 2
| 30
|align=left|
|-
| [[1999 Scottish Borders Council election|1999]]
| 34
| 1
| 4
| 14
| 0
| 1
| 14
|align=left|New ward boundaries<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Scottish Borders (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998|year=1998|number=3103|accessdate=15 December 2022}}</ref>
|-
| [[2003 Scottish Borders Council election|2003]]
| 34
| 11
| 1
| 8
| 0
| 0
| 14
|align=left|
|-
| [[2007 Scottish Borders Council election|2007]]
| 34
| 11
| 6
| 10
| 0
| 0
| 7
|align=left|New ward boundaries<ref>{{cite legislation Scotland|type=ssi|ssi=The Scottish Borders (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006|year=2006|number=533|accessdate=15 December 2022}}</ref>
|-
| [[2012 Scottish Borders Council election|2012]]
| 34
| 10
| 9
| 6
| 0
| 0
| 9
|align=left|SNP / Lib Dem / Independent coalition
|-
| [[2017 Scottish Borders Council election|2017]]
| 34
| 15
| 9
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 8
|align=left|Conservative / Independent coalition<ref>{{cite news |title=Conservatives and independents to run Scottish Borders Council |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-39856649 |access-date=15 December 2022 |work=BBC News |date=9 May 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[2022 Scottish Borders Council election|2022]]
| 34
| 14
| 9
| 3
| 1
| 0
| 7
|align=left|Conservative / Independent coalition<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-06 |title=Scottish election results 2022: First Green for Scottish Borders Council |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-61348883 |access-date=2022-05-07}}</ref>
|-
!
!
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Conservatives}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Liberal Democrats}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Greens}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Labour}}; width: 3px;" |
!style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}; width: 3px;" |
!
|}

====Constituencies====
There are two British Parliamentary constituencies in the Scottish Borders; [[Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (UK Parliament constituency)|Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk]] covers most of the region and is represented by [[John Lamont]] of the Conservatives. The western Tweeddale area is included in the [[Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (UK Parliament constituency)|Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale constituency]] and is represented by [[David Mundell]] of the Conservatives.

At Scottish Parliament level, there are also two seats. The eastern constituency is [[Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire]], which is currently represented by Conservative [[Rachael Hamilton]]. The western constituency is [[Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale]] and is represented by SNP [[Christine Grahame]].

===Wards===
[[File:Scottish Borders UK ward map (blank).svg|thumb|Map of the area's wards]]

The council area is divided into 11 wards that elect 34 councilors:

{| class="wikitable"
!Ward Number
!Ward Name
!Location
!Population<br>2022 Census
!Seats
|-
|1
|[[Tweeddale West (ward)|Tweeddale West]]
|[[File:Tweedale West.svg|100px]]
|10,407
|3
|-
|2
|[[Tweeddale East (ward)|Tweeddale East]]
|[[File:Tweedale East.svg|100px]]
|10,942
|3
|-
|3
|[[Galashiels and District (ward)|Galashiels and District]]
|[[File:Galashiels and District.svg|100px]]
|15,336
|4
|-
|4
|[[Selkirkshire (ward)|Selkirkshire]]
|[[File:Selkirkshire.svg|100px]]
|9,796
|3
|-
|5
|[[Leaderdale and Melrose (ward)|Leaderdale and Melrose]]
|[[File:Leaderdale and Melrose.svg|100px]]
|11,391
|3
|-
|6
|[[Mid Berwickshire (ward)|Mid Berwickshire]]
|[[File:Mid Berwickshire.svg|100px]]
|10,645
|3
|-
|7
|[[East Berwickshire (ward)|East Berwickshire]]
|[[File:East Berwickshire.svg|100px]]
|11,381
|3
|-
|8
|[[Kelso and District (ward)|Kelso and District]]
|[[File:Kelso and District.svg|100px]]
|10,212
|3
|-
|9
|[[Jedburgh and District (ward)|Jedburgh and District]]
|[[File:Jedburgh and District.svg|100px]]
|9,003
|3
|-
|10
|[[Hawick and Denholm (ward)|Hawick and Denholm]]
|[[File:Hawick and Denholm.svg|100px]]
|9,159
|3
|-
|11
|[[Hawick and Hermitage (ward)|Hawick and Hermitage]]
|[[File:Hawich and Hermitage.svg|100px]]
|8,551
|3
|-
|}