South Lanarkshire Council has begun preparations for next year's local government elections, which will bring in a new group of councillors to run the region. The current council, made up of 64 councillors representing 20 wards, will hold its final meeting next spring before the election campaign begins.
Timetable for the final meetings
A report going before the council's executive committee on August 19 explains the key steps needed to wind down the current council and get the new one up and running after the Scottish local government elections on May 6, 2027. The final meeting of the current council is scheduled for March 10, 2027, just before the official pre-election period begins.
After that date, day-to-day decisions that would normally go to committee will be handed to the chief executive to deal with until the new council is formally established. Jackie Taylor, the council's executive director of finance and corporate resources, states in the report: “In previous years in which local government elections have been held, the council's committees and forums have ceased to operate for a period of time ahead of the elections.”
Transition and induction plans
“One of the main reasons for raising this issue with committee at this early stage is to allow executive directors to plan the business they need to have considered by members prior to and including the last meeting of the council.” After the final meeting on March 10, 2027, the council's chief executive will be given authority to make routine decisions that would normally require committee approval, keeping things ticking over until the new council is up and running.
A full list of decisions taken during that period will then be presented to the first meeting of the new council for councillors to note. Once the election results are in, the new council must hold its first statutory meeting within 21 days, meaning newly-elected councillors could be sitting around the table as early as late May 2027.
Induction and training for new councillors
To help them settle in quickly, a full induction and training programme is being planned for the week after the election. New councillors will get sessions covering everything from how the council works and their responsibilities as an elected member, to IT training on laptops and smartphones, and information on the Strathclyde Pension Fund. The council's executive committee meets on Wednesday, August 19.
