Who runs elections in Highland?
The UK Parliamentary (General) Election is held to elect representatives to UK Parliament. These representatives are called Members of Parliament (MPs).
The next UK Parliamentary General election must take place on or before Wednesday 15 August 2029.
For the Parliamentary election, the country is split into constituencies and each constituency elects one representative. Different candidates stand for election in each constituency across the country, so each constituency has its own ballot paper with its own choice of candidates on.
Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, the Prime Minister has the power to request the Sovereign call an election at any time during the five-year length of a parliamentary session. If the Prime Minister chooses not to do this, then parliament is automatically dissolved five years after the day it first met and a General Election must be held 25 working days after dissolution.
The 2024 parliament first met on 9 July 2024, meaning that if an election is not called, parliament will be automatically dissolved on 9 July 2029, and the latest an election could be held is 15 August 2029.
Returning Officer for Highland constituencies
The Chief Executive of The Highland Council is the Returning Officer for the following UK Parliamentary constituencies:
Constituencies managed by other councils
Due to boundary changes, parts of the Highland Council area now fall under constituencies managed by other local authorities:
- Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber – managed by Argyll and Bute Council
- Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey – managed by Moray Council