Local Government
In the 1953 account the Rev Bain noted (p259) that even though the community was locally represented on both the district and county councils, parishioners felt that they had no ‘say’, and therefore very little interest in politics. He added that to attract an audience to political meetings it was necessary for the organisers to provide 2½ hours of whist and tea to 10 or 15 minutes of political address.
By 2000 even this practice had been abandoned, although local councillors did attend occasional meetings in the village. Following regionalisation in 1974 the parishes of Saltoun, Bolton, and Humbie were encouraged to form a community council, which would be able to make representations to the local authority, and promote local activities. A core of members represented the parish from that time, and there was at no time much competition for membership; up to 2000 there had never been a contested election for the Humbie representatives on the community council.