Scottish Borders | |
|---|---|
 Scottish Borders shown withinScotland | |
| Coordinates:55°21′36″N2°29′24″W / 55.36000°N 2.49000°W /55.36000; -2.49000 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Lieutenancy areas | |
| Unitary authority | 1 April 1996 |
| Administrative HQ | Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council |
| • Body | Scottish Borders Council |
| • Control | No overall control |
| • MPs | 2 MPs |
| • MSPs | 2 MSPs |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,827 sq mi (4,732 km2) |
| • Rank | 6th |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
• Total | 116,820 |
| • Rank | 17th |
| • Density | 60/sq mi (25/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-SCB |
| GSS code | S12000026 |
| Website | scotborders |
TheScottish Borders is one of 32council areas of Scotland.[3] It is bordered byWest Lothian,Edinburgh,Midlothian, andEast Lothian to the north, theNorth Sea to the east,Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west,South Lanarkshire to the west, and the Englishceremonial counties ofCumbria andNorthumberland to the south. The largest settlement isGalashiels, and the administrative centre isNewtown St Boswells.
The term "Scottish Borders" is also used for the areas of southern Scotland and northern England that bound theAnglo-Scottish border, namely Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Northumberland, and Cumbria. The council area occupies approximately the same area as thehistoric shires ofBerwickshire,Peeblesshire,Roxburghshire, andSelkirkshire.
The termBorders sometimes has a wider use, referring to all of thecounties adjoining the English border, also includingDumfriesshire andKirkcudbrightshire, as well asNorthumberland,Cumberland andWestmorland in England.
Roxburghshire andBerwickshire historically bore the brunt of the conflicts with England, both during declared wars such as theWars of Scottish Independence, and armed raids which took place in the times of theBorder Reivers. During this period, at the western end of the border there was a strip of country, called the "Debatable Land", because the possession of it was a constant source of contention between England and Scotland until its boundaries were adjusted in 1552.[4] Thus, across the region are to be seen the ruins of many castles, abbeys and even towns. The only other important conflict belongs to theCovenanters' time, when themarquess of Montrose was defeated at theBattle of Philiphaugh in 1645. Partly for defence and partly to overawe thefreebooters andmoss-troopers who were a perpetual threat until they were suppressed later in the 17th century, castles were erected at various points on both sides of the border.[5]
From early on, the two sovereigns agreed on the duty to regulate the borders. TheScottish Marches system was set up, under the control of three wardens from each side, who generally kept the peace through several centuries until being replaced by theMiddle Shires underJames VI/I.[5]
Prior to 1975 the area that is now Scottish Borders was administered as the four separatecounties ofBerwickshire,Peeblesshire,Roxburghshire, andSelkirkshire, plus part ofMidlothian. An elected county council was established for each county in 1890 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1889. The county councils were abolished in 1975 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure oflocal government comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. A region called Borders was created covering the area. The region contained four districts, called Berwickshire,Ettrick and Lauderdale,Roxburgh, andTweeddale.[6]
Further local government reform in 1996 under theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the area's four districts and the regional council abolished, with a newunitary authority created covering the same area as the former Borders Region.[7] The 1994 Act called the new council area "The Borders", but the shadow council elected in 1995 to oversee the transition changed the name to "Scottish Borders" prior to the changes coming into effect in 1996.[8]
The Scottish Borders are in the eastern part of theSouthern Uplands.[9] The region is hilly and largely rural, with theRiver Tweed flowing west to east through it. The highest hill in the region isBroad Law in theManor Hills. In the east of the region, the area that borders the River Tweed is flat and is known as 'The Merse'.[10] The Tweed and its tributaries drain the entire region with the river flowing into theNorth Sea atBerwick-upon-Tweed inNorthumberland, and formingthe border with England for the last twenty miles or so of its length.
The termCentral Borders refers to the area in which the majority of the main towns and villages ofGalashiels,Selkirk,Hawick,Jedburgh,Earlston,Kelso,Newtown St Boswells,St Boswells,Peebles,Melrose andTweedbank are located.
Two of Scotland's 40national scenic areas (defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure their protection from inappropriate development)[11] lie within the region:[12]
At the census held on 27 March 2011, the population of the region was 113,870 (final total), an increase of 6.66% from the 106,764 enumerated at the previous (2001) census. The Census of 20 March 2022 produced a population of 116,821.
Although there is evidence of someScottish Gaelic in the origins of place names such asInnerleithen ("confluence of theLeithen"),Kilbucho andLongformacus, which contain identifiablyGoidelic rather thanBrythonicCeltic elements and are an indication of at least a Gaelic-speaking elite in the area, the main languages in the area since the 5th century appear to have beenBrythonic (in the west) andOld English (in the east), the latter of which developed into its modern forms ofEnglish andScots.
Border ballads occupied a distinctive place in literature. Many of them were rescued from oblivion byWalter Scott, who gathered materials for hisMinstrelsy of the Scottish Border, which appeared in 1802 and 1803. Border traditions and folklore, and the picturesque incidents of which the country was so often the scene, appealed strongly toJames Hogg ("the Ettrick Shepherd"),John Wilson, writing as "Christopher North", andJohn Mackay Wilson, whoseTales of the Borders, published in 1835, enjoyed popular favour throughout the 1800s.[5]
Until September 2015, the region had no working railway stations. Although the area was well connected to theVictorianrailway system, the branch lines that supplied it were closed in the decades following theSecond World War. A bill was passed by theScottish Parliament to extend theWaverley Line, which aimed to re-introduce a commuter service fromEdinburgh toStow,Galashiels andTweedbank. This section of the route re-opened on 6 September 2015, under theBorders Railway branding. The other railway route running through the region is theEast Coast Main Line, withEdinburgh Waverley,Dunbar andBerwick being the nearest stations on that line, all of which are outwith the Borders. Since 2022, after much discussion a railway station was re-opened atReston which is within the region and servesEyemouth. To the west,Carlisle,Carstairs andLockerbie are the nearest stations on theWest Coast Main Line.
The area is served by buses which connect the main population centres. Express bus services link the main towns with rail stations at Edinburgh and Carlisle.
The region also has no commercial airports; the nearest areEdinburgh andNewcastle, both of which are international airports.
The main roads to and from the region are:
In terms of television, the area is covered byBBC Scotland broadcasting fromGlasgow andITV Border which broadcast fromGateshead. Television signals are received from theSelkirk TV transmitter.[15]
Radio stations are provided byBBC Radio Scotland which broadcast the local opt-out from its studios inSelkirk.[16] The commercial radio station,Radio Borders broadcasts fromEdinburgh but still broadcast local news bulletins to the area as well as toBerwick-upon Tweed inNorthumberland.
The area is served by the main local newspapers:Southern Reporter[17] andThe Border Telegraph.[18]
Scottish Borders Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leadership | |
David Robertson since January 2023[20] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 34 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
| Council Headquarters, Bowden Road,Newtown St Boswells,Melrose, TD6 0SA | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The council has been underno overall control since 1999. Since the2022 election the council has been run by an administration of the Conservatives and three of the independent councillors.[21]
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:[22]
Borders Regional Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1975–1978 | |
| No overall control | 1978–1982 | |
| Independent | 1982–1994 | |
| No overall control | 1994–1996 | |
Scottish Borders Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1996–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–present | |
The firstleader of the council following the 1996 reforms was Drew Tulley, who had been the last leader of the former Ettrick and Lauderdale District Council.[23] The leaders since 1996 have been:[24]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Tulley[23] | Independent | 1996 | 6 Mar 2002 | |
| John Ross Scott | Liberal Democrats | 6 Mar 2002 | 3 May 2003 | |
| David Parker | Independent | 12 Mar 2003 | 18 May 2017 | |
| Shona Haslam | Conservative | 18 May 2017 | 25 Nov 2021 | |
| Mark Rowley | Conservative | 25 Nov 2021 | 19 May 2022 | |
| Euan Jardine | Conservative | 19 May 2022 | ||
Scottish Borders Council is based at theCouncil Headquarters in Newtown St Boswells. The building had been the headquarters of Roxburghshire County Council prior to 1975,[25] and subsequently served as the served as the main office of the Borders Regional Council between 1975 and 1996.[26]
Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under thesingle transferable vote system, introduced by theLocal Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[22]
| Year | Seats | Conservative | SNP | Liberal Democrats | Green | Labour | Independent / Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 58 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 30 | |
| 1999 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 14 | New ward boundaries[27] |
| 2003 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| 2007 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | New ward boundaries[28] |
| 2012 | 34 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | SNP / Lib Dem / Independent coalition |
| 2017 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Conservative / Independent coalition[29] |
| 2022 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | Conservative / Independent coalition[30] |
There are two British Parliamentary constituencies in the Scottish Borders;Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk covers most of the region and is represented byJohn Lamont of the Conservatives. The western Tweeddale area is included in theDumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale constituency and is represented byDavid Mundell of the Conservatives.
At Scottish Parliament level, there are also two seats. The eastern constituency isEttrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, which is currently represented by ConservativeRachael Hamilton. The western constituency isMidlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale and is represented by SNPChristine Grahame.
.svg)
The council area is divided into 11 wards that elect 34 councilors:
| Ward Number | Ward Name | Location | Population 2022 Census | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tweeddale West |  | 10,407 | 3 |
| 2 | Tweeddale East |  | 10,942 | 3 |
| 3 | Galashiels and District |  | 15,336 | 4 |
| 4 | Selkirkshire |  | 9,796 | 3 |
| 5 | Leaderdale and Melrose |  | 11,391 | 3 |
| 6 | Mid Berwickshire |  | 10,645 | 3 |
| 7 | East Berwickshire |  | 11,381 | 3 |
| 8 | Kelso and District |  | 10,212 | 3 |
| 9 | Jedburgh and District |  | 9,003 | 3 |
| 10 | Hawick and Denholm |  | 9,159 | 3 |
| 11 | Hawick and Hermitage |  | 8,551 | 3 |
Largest settlements by population:
| Settlement | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 2011[31] | 2020[32] | |
| Galashiels | 14,994 | 15,490[a] |
| Hawick | 14,294 | 13,620[b] |
| Peebles | 8,376 | 9,000 |
| Kelso | 5,639 | 6,870 |
| Selkirk | 5,784 | 4,540 |
| Jedburgh | 4,030 | 3,860 |
| Eyemouth | 3,546 | 3,580 |
| Innerleithen | 3,031 | 3,180 |
| Duns | 2,753 | 2,820 |
| Melrose | 2,307 | 2,500 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Borders, The".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 245–246.
Local government areas ofScotland, in use 1975 to 1996 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Borders |  | |
| Central | ||
| Dumfries and Galloway | ||
| Fife | ||
| Grampian | ||
| Highland | ||
| Lothian | ||
| Strathclyde | ||
| Tayside | ||
| Island areas1 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
