Chris Ballance

(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)

Chris Ballance
Member of the Highland Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2022
In office 1 May 2003 –2 April 2007
Personal details
Born	(1952-07-07) 7 July 1952 (age 73) Worcester, England, UK
Political party	Scottish Greens

Chris Ballance (born on 7 July 1952) is a Scottish playwright and politician. He is a member of the Scottish Green Party and has been a councillor for the Aird and Loch Ness wards in the Highland Council since 2022. He was also a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South of Scotland region from 2003 to 2007.

Biography

Born in Worcester, England, he owned and managed a second-hand bookshop in Wigtown, won a Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1990, ^{[1] [2]} and wrote sketches for Radio Scotland.

Political career

He was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2003. He held a seat on the Parliament's Enterprise and Culture Committee and was the Green's Parliamentary business manager and speaker on nuclear issues, culture, and peace. ^[3] He stood again in the 2007 election but was not re-elected.

In August 2007 he was appointed to the Scottish Broadcasting Commission established by the Scottish Executive. ^[4]

Ballance stood as a Green candidate in the Aird and Loch Ness ward for the 2017 Highland Council election. ^[5] He stood again in 2022 and was elected as a councillor. ^[6]

Personal life

He is a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers).

Plays

• Water of Life (1989)
• Bread and Water (1997)
• Hope Deferred (1997)
• Viva La Diva (2001) ^[7]
• It's My Party (2007) ^[8]

References

1. "Holyrood drama takes to the stage". BBC News. 16 February 2007.
2. The Scotsman guide to Scottish politics by Matthew Spicer page 87 (2004 - ISBN   0748619240)
3. "Previous MSPs: Session 2 (2003-2007): Chris Ballance". Scottish Parliament . Retrieved 8 June 2016.
4. "Broadcasting commission members". BBC News . 13 August 2007.
5. "Chris Ballance". higp.scottishgreens.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
6. "Highland Council election results". highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
7. "Singing sensation Florence Foster Jenkins". CBC. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
8. "MSP's play on 'ruthless' quest for political power to tour". The Scotsman . Johnston Press. 17 February 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2015.

External links

• Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Chris Ballance