The guiding principles of Renfrewshire Council are social inclusion, sustainable development and modernising government 
Voting
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When you become 18 you will have the right to vote. Being a resident in Renfrewshire and in Scotland you will have the opportunity to have your say on the local councillors, Members of the Scottish parliament (MSPs) based in Edinburgh, Members of parliament (MPs) based in London for central government and Members of the European parliament (MEPs) for the European parliament.
With all these different people to vote for, understanding what each one does could be puzzling!
In Renfrewshire there are 40 councillors elected to represent Renfrewshire. As well as this we have three constituency MSPs and seven regional MSPs for the West of Scotland region who sit in the Scottish parliament.
For central government we have two MPs and for the European parliament we have seven MEPs representing us. Below you can find details about what each government or parliament does and its responsibilities, you can also view more information using the link 'Who Can Vote' on the right hand side of this page listed under Related Content.
- Local government - for example Renfrewshire Council, has responsibility for services including housing, education, social work...
- Scottish parliament - has responsibility for economic development, local government, health...
- Central government - is responsible for legislation, defence, employment, implementing government policies...
- European parliament - promotes social and economic progress among its members, foreign and security issues...
- At the local level, Renfrewshire is divided into 11 wards, each of which elects a number of councillors as follows:
| Ward No. | Ward Name | Electorate | Elected Members |
| 1 | Renfrew North | 8998 | 3 |
| 2 | Renfrew South and Gallowhill | 10314 | 3 |
| 3 | Paisley East and Ralston | 12784 | 4 |
| 4 | Paisley North West | 12548 | 4 |
| 5 | Paisley South | 13418 | 4 |
| 6 | Paisley South West | 11937 | 4 |
| 7 | Johnstone South, Elderslie and Howwood | 12588 | 4 |
| 8 | Johnstone North, KIlbarchan and Lochwinnoch | 10081 | 3 |
| 9 | Houston, Crosslee and Linwood | 11888 | 4 |
| 10 | Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank | 8968 | 3 |
| 11 | Erskine and Inchinnan | 12991 | 4 |
- For Scottish parliamentary elections, Renfrewshire is covered by the three constituencies of Paisley North, Paisley South and West Renfrewshire. A single MSP is elected directly for each constituency using a first past the post system. In addition, the Council area lies within the larger west of Scotland region which elects a further seven MSPs using a form of proportional representation.
These elections are combined so on the day, you will be able to cast your votes for local councillor and MSPs in one single visit to your polling station.
In effect, this means when you visit the polling station you will receive two ballot papers. One will be for your local councillors, where you have to show your choice by marking the candidates in order of preference eg. 1,2,3 etc. and one containing the regional list of parties and individuals from which the seven regional MSPs will be elected alongside the candidates for your constituency MSP. Here you will need to make a cross against your preferred party on one side of the paper and a cross beside your preferred constituency candidate on the other side of the paper.
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For central government elections to the Westminster parliament, the Renfrewshire Council area is covered by the parliamentary constituencies of:
- Paisley and Renfrewshire North
- Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Each of these constituencies elects a single MP to represent their interests in the national parliament in Westminster.
Members of the European parliament (MEPs) are elected by proportional representation (PR). Instead of electing one person to one seat in each constituency, the UK is divided into regions, and several MEPs are elected from each region.
Scotland is treated as one region and returns seven MEPs out of a total of 78 for the UK.
The PR system uses closed regional lists, where political parties put forward candidates within each region (the regional list). Individual candidates may also stand. Voters cast their vote either for a party or an individual candidate.
Find out more..
At the Vote Scotland website you can find out if you're eligible to vote, how to register to vote and all the different ways you can cast your vote.
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