Local government areas of Scotland (1975

The local government areas of Scotland are how Scotland is divided up for local services. These areas were changed a lot by two important laws: the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994.

The 1973 law created a new system in 1975. It set up nine large areas called regions and three special islands areas. This new system completely replaced the older ways Scotland was divided, like counties and burghs (towns with special rights). The new regions were very different from the old counties.

Why Scotland's Local Government Changed
How the System Worked
Regions and Islands Areas of Scotland (1975-1996)
Districts of Scotland (1975-1996)
The End of the Regions and Districts
See also

Why Scotland's Local Government Changed

For a long time, people in Scotland thought that the way local services were managed needed to be updated. In the mid-1960s, the government started looking into this.

Ideas for Change

In 1963, the Scottish Office (a government department) suggested a big change. They wanted to have fewer local councils, maybe only 10 to 15 instead of 33. They also wanted new "second-tier councils" where towns (burghs) would join with the countryside around them. The idea was to make local government more efficient. However, many groups, including the Scottish Labour Party, didn't agree with these plans, so they weren't put into action.

The Wheatley Report

Because the first ideas didn't work out, a special group called a royal commission was set up in 1966. This group was led by Lord Wheatley. Their job was to figure out the best way to organize local services for a long time to come.

The commission finished its report in 1969. It suggested a two-part system: 7 large regions and 37 smaller districts. The government liked this idea. After more discussions, they decided on 9 regions and 53 districts. The islands of Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles were given special status as "islands areas." This meant they would manage all their local services themselves.

New Councils Begin

The new system was officially created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The first elections for these new councils happened in May 1974. The elected councillors worked as "shadow authorities" for a year, getting ready. Then, on May 16, 1975, the new regions and districts officially took over.

How the System Worked

Regions: Big Decisions

The regions had a "two-tier" system. This means there were two levels of local government. The top level was the regional council. These councils were in charge of services that needed a lot of money or covered a large area.

Services provided by regional councils:

* Police * Fire services * Education * Public transport * Consumer protection

Districts: Local Services

Each region was divided into several districts. These districts had their own elected district councils. District councils handled services that were more local and specific to smaller areas.

Services provided by district councils:

* Local planning (deciding where buildings can go) * Housing * Libraries * Licensing (like for shops or taxis)

Some districts, like Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, were also cities. This gave them "city status," but it didn't give them extra powers.

Islands Areas: All in One

The three islands areas (Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles) were different. They were "unitary" areas. This means they had only one council that managed all local services, both the big ones (like regions) and the local ones (like districts).

Regions and Islands Areas of Scotland (1975-1996)

The regions and islands areas of Scotland from 1975 to 1996.

Here's a list of the regions and islands areas, along with their main towns and populations:

No. on map	Region or islands area	Headquarters	Population (1994) estimate
1	Strathclyde (region)	Glasgow	2,286,800
2	Dumfries and Galloway (region)	Dumfries	147,900
3	Borders (region)	Newtown St Boswells	105,300
4	Lothian (region)	Edinburgh	750,600
5	Central (region)	Stirling	272,900
6	Fife (region)	Glenrothes	351,200
7	Tayside (region)	Dundee	395,200
8	Grampian (region)	Aberdeen	528,100
9	Highland (region)	Inverness	206,900
10	Western Isles (islands area)	Stornoway	29,600
Not shown	Shetland (islands area)	Lerwick	22,522
Not shown	Orkney (islands area)	Kirkwall	19,600

Districts of Scotland (1975-1996)

The districts within the regions of Scotland from 1975 to 1996.

Each region was divided into smaller districts. Here are some examples of districts within each region:

Region	Districts	Headquarters	Population estimate 1994
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	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	Lochgilphead	63,350
	Bearsden and Milngavie	Bearsden	41,000
	Clydebank	Clydebank	47,500
	Clydesdale	Lanark	58,290
	Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	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	Kirkintilloch	85,191
Tayside	Angus	Forfar	96,500
	Dundee, City of	Dundee	171,520
	Perth and Kinross	Perth	129,070

The End of the Regions and Districts

The system of regions and districts lasted for about 21 years. In 1994, a new law, the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, changed things again. This law created 29 new "unitary" local government areas. These new areas replaced the regions and districts completely on April 1, 1996. The three islands areas continued as they were. Today, Scotland has 32 council areas.

Local government areas of Scotland (1975–1996) facts for kids

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