Local government areas of Scotland (1975–1996)
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The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the
The 1973 Act created a system of nine two-tier regions and three
Background
The reorganisation of local government in Scotland was a matter of political debate from the mid-1960s. In June 1963 the
The
The first elections to the new district and regional councils were held on 7 May 1974, with the councillors sitting as "shadow authorities" until 16 May 1975 when they came into their powers.[9]
Structure
Regions
Regions had a two-tier system of local government, with each region divided into districts, varying from 3 to 19 in number.
The top tier of local government was the regional council. Services provided at the regional level were those needing greater finance or resources, or best exercised over a wide area. These included police, fire services, consumer protection, education and transport.[1]
Each district had an elected district council. In the case of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, the districts had city status, although this did not confer any additional powers. District councils had responsibility for local services including local planning, housing, libraries and licensing.[1]
Islands areas
The islands areas were unitary local government areas, exercising the powers of both a regional and district council.
Regions and islands areas
Scotland was subdivided into regions and islands areas as follows:
No. on map |
Region or islands area | Headquarters[10] | Area (hectares)[10] |
Population (1994) estimate[10] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Strathclyde (region) | Glasgow | 1,350,283 | 2,286,800 |
2 | Dumfries and Galloway (region) | Dumfries | 639,561 | 147,900 |
3 | Borders (region) | Newtown St Boswells | 471,253 | 105,300 |
4 | Lothian (region) | Edinburgh | 171,595 | 750,600 |
5 | Central (region) | Stirling | 263,455 | 272,900 |
6 | Fife (region) | Glenrothes | 131,201 | 351,200 |
7 | Tayside (region) | Dundee | 749,650 | 395,200 |
8 | Grampian (region) | Aberdeen | 869,772 | 528,100 |
9 | Highland (region) | Inverness | 2,539,759 | 206,900 |
10 | Western Isles (islands area) | Stornoway | 289,798 | 29,600 |
Not shown | Shetland (islands area) | Lerwick | 143,268 | 22,522 |
Not shown | Orkney (islands area) | Kirkwall | 97,581 | 19,600 |
Districts
Region | Districts | Headquarters[10] | Population estimate 1994[10] |
---|---|---|---|
Borders | Berwickshire
|
Duns | 19,350 |
Ettrick and Lauderdale
|
Galashiels | 35,000 | |
Roxburgh
|
Hawick | 35,350 | |
Tweeddale
|
Peebles | 15,375 | |
Central | Clackmannan
|
Alloa | 47,643 |
Falkirk
|
Falkirk | 142,800 | |
Stirling
|
Stirling | 81,630 | |
Dumfries and Galloway | Annandale and Eskdale
|
Annan | 37,130 |
Nithsdale
|
Dumfries | 57,220 | |
Stewartry
|
Kirkcudbright | 23,690 | |
Wigtown (originally named Merrick)[1] |
Stranraer | 30,077 | |
Fife | Dunfermline | Dunfermline | 129,830 |
Kirkcaldy | Kirkcaldy | 148,450 | |
North East Fife | Cupar | 69,930 | |
Grampian | Aberdeen, City of
|
Aberdeen | 213,000 |
Banff and Buchan
|
Banff | 88,020 | |
Gordon | Inverurie | 77,080 | |
Kincardine and Deeside
|
Stonehaven | 54,990 | |
Moray
|
Elgin | 83,616 | |
Highland | Badenoch and Strathspey
|
Kingussie | 10,399 |
Caithness
|
Wick | 26,710 | |
Inverness
|
Inverness | 62,245 | |
Lochaber
|
Fort William | 19,195 | |
Nairn
|
Nairn | 10,600 | |
Ross and Cromarty
|
Dingwall | 49,184 | |
Skye and Lochalsh
|
Portree | 11,870 | |
Sutherland
|
Golspie | 13,190 | |
Lothian | East Lothian
|
Haddington | 85,140 |
Edinburgh, City of
|
Edinburgh | 418,914 | |
Midlothian
|
Dalkeith | 79,910 | |
West Lothian
|
Bathgate | 146,430 | |
Strathclyde | Argyll and Bute
(originally Argyll)[11] |
Lochgilphead | 63,350 |
Bearsden and Milngavie
|
Bearsden | 41,000 | |
Clydebank | Clydebank | 47,500 | |
Clydesdale (originally named Lanark: renamed 1980)[1] |
Lanark | 58,290 | |
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (originally named Cumbernauld)[1] |
Cumbernauld | 63,930 | |
Cumnock and Doon Valley
|
Cumnock | 42,954 | |
Cunninghame
|
Irvine | 139,020 | |
Dumbarton | Dumbarton | 77,222 | |
East Kilbride | East Kilbride | 82,777 | |
Eastwood
|
Giffnock | 60,600 | |
Glasgow, City of | Glasgow | 681,470 | |
Hamilton | Hamilton | 105,202 | |
Inverclyde
|
Greenock | 90,103 | |
Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Kilmarnock | 79,861 | |
Kyle and Carrick | Ayr | 112,658 | |
Monklands | Coatbridge | 102,379 | |
Motherwell | Motherwell | 143,730 | |
Renfrew | Paisley | 201,000 | |
Strathkelvin
(originally named Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch)[1] |
Kirkintilloch | 85,191 | |
Tayside | Angus
|
Forfar | 96,500 |
Dundee, City of
|
Dundee | 171,520 | |
Perth and Kinross
|
Perth | 129,070 |
Abolition
The 1994 Act created 29 new unitary local government areas, which completely replaced the regions and districts on 1 April 1996. The islands council areas continued in use and, therefore,
See also
- List of burghs in Scotland
- Counties of Scotland
- Lieutenancy areas of Scotland
- Subdivisions of Scotland
- List of places in Scotland
- Local government in the United Kingdom
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d e f g Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, c.65
- ^ "Fewer, Bigger Scots County Councils. Two-Tier Plan In White Paper". The Times. 28 June 1963. p. 10.
- ^ a b "Scottish White Paper "Unacceptable"". The Times. 17 September 1963. p. 15.
- ^ "South-East Plan Attacked". The Times. 6 April 1964. p. 6.
- ^ "Tasks set for new planners of local government Members of royal commissions named". The Times. 25 May 1966. p. 14.
- ^ "Pay for Scottish councillors urged". The Times. 26 September 1969. p. 4.
- ^ "Local Government Reform in Scotland". Hansard 1803-20005. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 23 March 1971. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
- ^ "Local Government Reform". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 22 December 1971. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
- ^ "Mixed Labour fortine in Scottish poll". The Times. 9 May 1974. p. 1.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85021-247-1.
- ^ According to minutes of district council meetings on 21 May and 27 August 1974 the name of the Argyll district was scheduled to change to Argyll and Bute on 1 September 1974, in accordance with the terms of section 23 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.