The election used 12 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.[1]
As with other elections in the Highland region, no candidates were affiliated with any political parties and the 12 councillors elected were all independents. In total, five of the 12 wards were uncontested.
Background
Prior to 1974, Sutherland was one of 33 counties in Scotland. The area had been made a county following local government reforms in 1890 as a result of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. Within Sutherland was the Royal Burgh of Dornoch which had existed in its own right since 1628 and had its own elected council which was separate from Sutherland County Council. Dornoch, as a small burgh, had powers over local taxation and building control as well as housing, lighting and drainage within the burgh. The county council had powers and responsibilities over roads, education, police, public health, social services and electoral registration as well as the registration of births, marriages and deaths for the whole county.[2]
Following the recommendations in the Wheatly Report, the old system of counties and burghs – which had resulted in a mishmash of local government areas in which some small burghs had larger populations but far fewer responsibilities than some large burghs and even counties[2] – was to be replaced by a new system of regional and district councils. Sutherland became a district council within the Highland region while Dornoch Burgh Council was abolished.[3]
