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Stirling

Sruighlea
Stirlin
Stirling in Scotland.svg
Coat of arms of Stirling
Coat of arms
Official logo of Stirling
Council logo
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country Scotland
Lieutenancy area Stirling and Falkirk
Admin HQ Stirling
Government
 • Body Stirling Council
Area
 • Total 844 sq mi (2,187 km2)
Area rank Ranked 9th
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 94,330
 • Rank Ranked 24th
 • Density 111.712/sq mi (43.132/km2)
ONS code S12000030
ISO 3166 code GB-STG

The Stirling council area (Scots: Stirlin; Scottish Gaelic: Sruighlea) is one of the 32 main local government areas in Scotland. It has a population of about 94,330 people (based on the 2017 estimate).

This area was created in 1975. It was first a smaller part of a larger region called Central. In 1996, the Central region was removed. Then, the Stirling Council took over all local government duties for the area.

The main office for the Stirling council area is in the city of Stirling. The council's headquarters are at a building called Old Viewforth.

The Stirling area shares its borders with several other council areas. To the east is Clackmannanshire. To the south is North Lanarkshire. Falkirk is to the southeast. To the north and northeast is Perth and Kinross. Argyll and Bute is to the north and northwest. Finally, both East and West Dunbartonshire are to Stirling's southwest.

Most of the people in the Stirling area live in its southeast part. This includes the city of Stirling itself. It also includes nearby lowland towns like Bridge of Allan and Dunblane to the north. Bannockburn is right to the south. There are also three former coal mining towns: Cowie, Fallin, and Plean. These are often called the "Eastern Villages."

The rest of the council area has fewer people. It is mostly a rural, highland area in the north and west. The southern part of this rural area is a flat plain near the River Forth. It is bordered by the Touch Hills and the Campsie Fells to the south. North of the glen are the Trossachs mountains. The northern half of the council area is generally very mountainous.

History of Stirling Council

The Stirling district was formed in 1975. This happened under a law that changed how local government worked in Scotland. The old counties and towns were replaced with new regions and districts. Stirling became one of three districts within the Central region.

When it was created in 1975, the Stirling district included parts of two older counties. These were Stirlingshire and Perthshire. The new district combined five areas from Stirlingshire and four from Perthshire.

From Perthshire:

From Stirlingshire:

  • Bridge of Allan Burgh
  • Central No. 1 District
  • Stirling Burgh
  • Western No. 1 District
  • Western No. 2 District

In 1996, local government changed again. The regions and districts created in 1975 were removed. They were replaced with single council areas. The Central Region was abolished. Each of its three districts, including Stirling, became its own council area. This is how the current Stirling Council was formed.

How Stirling Council Works

Stirling
Coat of arms or logo
Leadership
Douglas Dodds,
Conservative
Since 19 May 2022
Chris Kane,
Labour
Since 19 May 2022
Carol Beattie
Since 2018
Structure
Seats 23 councillors
United Kingdom Stirling Council 2024.svg
Political groups
Administration (8)
     Conservative (8)
Other parties (15)
     SNP (7)
     Labour (5)
     Independents (2)
     Greens (1)
Elections
Single transferable vote
Last election
6 May 2022
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Viewforth House Stirling.jpg
Old Viewforth, Pitt Terrace, Stirling, FK8 2ET


Council Leaders

The first leader of the Stirling Council was Corrie McChord. He had also been the last leader of the Central Regional Council. Here are the leaders since 1996:

Councillor Party From To
Corrie McChord Labour 1 Apr 1996 24 May 2007
Corrie McChord Labour 31 May 2007 12 Mar 2008
Graham Houston SNP 12 Mar 2008 17 May 2012
Corrie McChord Labour 17 May 2012 28 Feb 2013
Johanna Boyd Labour 28 Feb 2013 4 May 2017
Scott Farmer SNP 24 May 2017 19 May 2022
Chris Kane Labour 19 May 2022

Council Buildings

Stirling Council Head Quarters - geograph.org.uk - 131346
Old Viewforth: The 1937 part of the building behind the original house

The Stirling Council operates from Old Viewforth in Stirling. The oldest part of this building was a house built in 1855. Stirlingshire County Council bought it in 1931 to use as its main office. A large new section was added in 1937.

From 1975 to 1996, Viewforth was the main office for the Central Regional Council. During this time, the Stirling District Council used the Municipal Buildings. These buildings were finished in 1918. When the local government changed in 1996, Stirling Council took over Viewforth. A newer building from 1972, called New Viewforth, was taken down in 2014.

Council Elections

Since 2007, elections for the council have been held every five years. They use a system called single transferable vote. Here are the election results since 1995:

Year Seats SNP Conservative Labour Green Liberal Democrats Independent / Other Notes
1995 22 2 7 13 0 0 0
1999 22 2 9 11 0 0 0 New ward boundaries.
2003 22 0 10 12 0 0 0
2007 22 7 4 8 0 3 0 New ward boundaries.
2012 22 9 4 8 1 0 0
2017 23 9 9 4 1 0 0 New ward boundaries.
2022 23 8 7 6 1 0 1 Labour minority administration with Conservative support.

Who is on the Council Now?

After one change since the 2022 election, here is how the council is made up:

Party Councillors
Conservative 8
SNP 7
Labour 5
Independent 2
Green 1

Stirling Council Wards

Stirling UK ward map 2017 (blank)
Map of the area's wards (2017 configuration)

The Stirling council area is divided into smaller areas called "wards." Each ward elects a certain number of councillors. Here are the wards:

Ward
Number
Ward Name Location Seats
1 Trossachs and Teith Trossachs and Teith.svg 3
2 Forth and Endrick Fort and Endrick.svg 3
3 Dunblane and Bridge of Allan Dunblane and Bridge of Allan.svg 4
4 Stirling North Stirling North.svg 4
5 Stirling West Stirling West.svg 3
6 Stirling East Stirling East.svg 3
7 Bannockburn Bannockburn.svg 3

Communities in Stirling

The Stirling area has 42 community council areas. Each of these areas has its own community council as of 2023. These councils help local people have a say in their area.

Towns and Villages

Topo map Stirling Dunbartonshire
Topographic map of Stirling and East and West Dunbartonshire

The Stirling council area includes the city of Stirling. It also has many other towns, villages, and small groups of houses called hamlets. People also live in spread-out areas called dispersed settlements.

Here are the largest towns and villages by population:

Settlement Population (2020)
Stirling 37910
Dunblane 9310
Bannockburn 6720
Bridge of Allan 5320
Callander 3080
Fallin 2850
Cowie 2720
Doune 2200
Balfron 2140
Strathblane 2000

Main Towns

Villages

Hamlets

Dispersed Settlements

Interesting Places to Visit

The Stirling area has many cool places to explore!

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Stirling (concejo) para niños

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