CONTROVERSIAL proposals to cut the number of councillors in Argyll and Bute and impose a major revision of ward boundaries have been scrapped.

Scottish ministers decided not to accept the recommendation of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland to reduce the number of Argyll and Bute councillors from 36 to 33.

Existing ward boundaries will also remain unchanged.

The Commission's proposals – which would have taken effect at the next local government elections, in May 2017 – would have reduced the number of councillors in the Helensburgh and Lomond area from ten to nine, with the Helensburgh Central ward losing one of its four representatives.

They would also have meant a slight revision to the boundary between Helensburgh Central and Helensburgh and Lomond South.

A previous proposal which would have greatly increased the size of the Lomond North ward, taking in the whole of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, from Rhu and Luss to rural Cowal and Strachur, was dropped when the Commission made its final recommendations to ministers in May.

Those original proposals attracted 292 responses from members of the public, among them four petitions containing more than five hundred signatures.

Ministers accepted most of the Commission's final recommendations for change across Scotland, overruling them in only three 'mainland' council areas.

The Scottish Government's parliamentary business manager, Joe Fitzpatrick MSP, said: “In a small number of cases - Argyll and Bute, Dundee City and Scottish Borders - we have listened to local representations and left boundaries as they currently stand, to ensure that strong historic ties in particular areas and communities are maintained.

“Significant concerns were raised about aspects of the Commission’s proposals for those areas, in particular that they would not reflect local communities.

“While the Commission did try to address these in its final recommendations, it was clear from the responses to those recommendations that many of those concerns remained. We therefore decided that the better course would be to keep the status quo for those areas.”

The impact of the Commission's recommendations would have been huge in some other areas of Argyll and Bute: the proposed new Mid Argyll ward, for example, would have stretched from Lochgilphead to the north end of Loch Awe, but excluded Ardrishaig, while the island of Bute was set to lose its own dedicated councillors, with elected members for the island having also to cover a large swathe of rural Cowal.

Argyll and Bute Council leader Dick Walsh said the ministers' decision was good news for local democracy.

“There was a real concern that any changes would make it difficult for communities to be represented due to the challenges posed by travel and the lack of regular public transport links," he said.

“I am pleased that these representations have been listened to by ministers.

“Ensuring there are no changes to Argyll and Bute’s boundaries or number of elected members and the proposed Islands Bill will secure proper representation for our communities in the future.”