Islands council areas of Scotland facts for kids
The islands council areas were three special areas in Scotland that handled their own local government. From 1975 to 1996, these areas were different from most other parts of Scotland. They were:
These island areas were the only ones in Great Britain to have a single level of local government during that time. This was set up by a law called the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which started in 1975. Most other places in Scotland had two levels of local government, called regions and districts. The islands were treated differently because they are far away from the mainland, making a two-level system difficult to manage.
Today, these island areas still exist. However, they no longer have a special status. They are now just three of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. This means they have the same powers and duties as all the other councils in Scotland.
Before 1975: How Things Were
Before 1975, the areas of Orkney and Shetland were already managed by their own local councils, similar to counties. These old county councils were removed in 1975.
The Western Isles area was a bit different. It was created by combining parts of two older county areas: Ross and Cromarty and Inverness-shire. So, the 1975 changes brought together different parts to form the new Western Isles council area.
