For the constituencies, see Banff and Buchan (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Banff and Buchan (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Banff and Buchan was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament between 1999 and 2011 when it was substantially succeeded by Banffshire and Buchan Coast. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...

 or Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency)

Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency)

Banff and Buchan is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the north-east of Scotland within the Aberdeenshire council area...

.

Banff and Buchan is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.
It has a population of 35,742 (2001 Census). Fishing and agriculture are important industries, together with associated processing and service activity.

The area is relatively self-contained, and in recent years has seen a small decline in population. It does, however, have tourism assets in its coastline, coastal villages and visitor attractions. Economic dependency, peripherality, and the future of the Common Fisheries/Agricultural Policies, are key issues. The Buchan Local Action Plan will address some of these concerns. The Area qualifies for European Union Objective 2 structural funding.

This region manifests prehistory by the ancient monument at Longman Hill

Longman Hill

Longman Hill is a prehistoric monument in northern Aberdeenshire, Scotland near Banff Bay. Due to the low lying coastal plain characteristics, the elevation of Longman Hill affords a long distance view as far as the Moray Firth....

, a large long barrow

Long barrow

A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...

 somewhat to the southeast of Macduff, as well as Cairn Lee

Cairn Lee

Cairn Lee is a prehistoric monument in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Cairn Lee and proximate Longman Hill are the oldest prehistoric features in the local area.-References:...

 somewhat to the west of Longman Hill.

Banff and Buchan district

Banff and Buchan was formerly a local government district in the Grampian

Grampian

Grampian was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the unitary council areas of:*Moray*Aberdeenshire*City of AberdeenThe region had five districts:*Aberdeen*Banff and Buchan...

 region

Regions and districts of Scotland

The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....

, created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....

. It combined, from the former county of Banff, a Banff

Banff, Aberdeenshire

Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Banff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron...

 area (including the burgh

Burgh

A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...

 of Banff), the burghs of Aberchirder

Aberchirder

Aberchirder , known locally as Foggieloan or Foggie, is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated on the A97 road six miles west of Turriff.- History :...

, Macduff

Macduff, Aberdeenshire

Macduff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Macduff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Banff across the estuary of the River Deveron...

 and Portsoy

Portsoy

Portsoy is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly in the county of Banffshire. The original name of the town was Pert Soaidh, which translates as 'The wooded place of the warriors...

, and Aberchirder

Aberchirder

Aberchirder , known locally as Foggieloan or Foggie, is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated on the A97 road six miles west of Turriff.- History :...

 and Fordyce

Fordyce, Aberdeenshire

Fordyce is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that is slightly inland from the point where the Burn of Fordyce meets the sea between Cullen and Portsoy...

 areas, and, from the former county of Aberdeen, the burghs of Fraserburgh

Fraserburgh

Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around north of Aberdeen, and north of Peterhead...

, Peterhead

Peterhead

Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....

, Rosehearty

Rosehearty

Rosehearty , Rizarty in the local dialect, is located on the Moray Firth coast, four miles west of the town Fraserburgh, in the historical county of Aberdeenshire in Scotland....

 and Turriff

Turriff

Turriff is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It is approximately above sea level, and has a population of 5,708.Turriff is known locally as Turra in the Doric dialect of Scots...

, and Deer Turriff and Cruden areas. (The rest of the county of Banff became part of the Moray

Moray

Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...

 district of the region).

In 1996, the Banff and Buchan district was merged into the Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...

 unitary council area, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994.

Parliamentary constituencies

The name is also used for the Banff and Buchan (Westminster)

Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency)

Banff and Buchan is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the north-east of Scotland within the Aberdeenshire council area...

 constituency

United Kingdom constituencies

In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...

 of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

 (at Westminster

Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...

), and for the Banff and Buchan (Holyrood)

Banff and Buchan (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Banff and Buchan was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament between 1999 and 2011 when it was substantially succeeded by Banffshire and Buchan Coast. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...

 constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

 (at Holyrood

Scottish Parliament Building

The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...

). The boundaries of the two constituencies have differed since 2005.

The Banff and Buchan area is known as a strongly pro Scottish independence

Scottish independence

Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....

. Both constituencies have Scottish National Party

Scottish National Party

The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....

 representation. The Westminster constituency is represented by Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Eilidh Whiteford

Eilidh Whiteford

Eilidh Whiteford is the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Banff and Buchan....

 and the Holyrood constituency is represented by Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Stewart Stevenson

Stewart Stevenson

Stewart Stevenson is a Scottish politician who became a member of the Scottish Parliament in 2001....

.