Local government areas of Scotland
Encyclopedia
Local government areas covering the whole of Scotland
were first defined by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
. As currently defined, they are a result, for the most part, of the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994.
The 1889 Act created a country-wide system of local government
based on pre-existing counties
and burgh
s. Prior to this act burghs had their own elected local government councils but counties did not.
The county and burgh system was abolished by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
and replaced by a system of regions and districts and unitary islands council areas
.
The 1994 Act abolished the regions and districts and replaced them with new unitary council areas. The islands council areas have remained in use until the present day.
, burghs and parishes.
and Cromartyshire
were combined to form Ross and Cromarty
; the Lower, Middle and Upper Wards of the County of Lanark
, which formed separate counties for some purposes, were merged; and Orkney and Zetland
were divided into distinct counties. A boundary commission was appointed, and between 1891 and 1892 many anomalies in county boundaries were rectified.
In 1890 each of thirty-three counties was given a county council
, partly elected, and partly co-opted by the town councils of burghs in the county. In effect the county council only exercised full powers in the "landward" areas of the county, outside of burgh boundaries.
The district committee was composed of the county councillors elected for the area along with one representative from the parochial board of each parish in the district. Burgh councils could transfer the maintenance of the highways and bridges of the town to the county council, whereupon a representative of the burgh was appointed to the committee. In counties with fewer than six parishes, the county council was not obliged to form districts.
was, by virtue of various charters, a "county and city" and entirely outside the jurisdiction of Midlothian
County Council. In 1893 Glasgow
became a county of a city by private act of parliament
Dundee
followed in 1894 and Aberdeen
in 1899.
, and, outside burghs, had gradually acquired various public health duties. In 1894 they were replaced with elected parish councils.
and each of the local government counties. In the case of the counties, they were to include "every burgh situated therein". The education authorities were elected under proportional representation
, and unlike the county councils, all members were directly elected.
s and small burgh
s. Large burghs were to gain considerable powers from the county councils. Small burghs, conversely, were to cede most of their duties to the county councils.
The original bill was altered in the course of passage through parliament. In response to protests that the abolition of both parish councils and district committees left a gap in the system, the landward part of each county was to be divided into districts, governed by councils consisting partly of the county councillors for the area and partly of elected district councillors. The final act also provided for the combination of a number of neighbouring small burghs, and paired Kinross-shire
and Perthshire
and Nairnshire and Moray
into "combined counties". The individual counties and county councils continued to exist in these areas, but a joint county council became the principal local authority.
Following the changes, which came into effect in 1930, the following were the local government areas into which Scotland was divided:
This system was restated in the consolidating Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947
. The number of small burghs increased and the number of districts declined over the time period. Neither the 1929 or 1947 legislation contained a procedure by which a small burgh could become a large burgh on reaching sufficient population. Accordingly, only one new large burgh was formed at East Kilbride
, which required the passing of a local act of parliament in 1967.
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
created a system of nine two-tier regions and three unitary islands council areas
, and this system completely replaced local government counties
and burghs in 1975.
Each two-tier region had a regional council and of a number of district subdivisions, each with its own district council. The number of districts in each region varied from three to 19.
The 1973 Act was based closely on proposals in the Wheatley Report
, produced by a Royal Commission
into Scottish local government in 1969. The new regions and districts were generally very different from the counties and districts which they replaced.
Two of the new islands council areas had the boundaries of former counties. The third consisted of an area formerly divided between two counties.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
were first defined by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
The Local Government Act 1889 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the Act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland...
. As currently defined, they are a result, for the most part, of the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994.
The 1889 Act created a country-wide system of local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
based on pre-existing counties
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
and burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
s. Prior to this act burghs had their own elected local government councils but counties did not.
The county and burgh system was abolished by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
and replaced by a system of regions and districts and unitary islands council areas
Islands council areas of Scotland
Between 1975 and 1996 there were three islands council areas of Scotland:* Orkney* Shetland* Western IslesThe islands council areas were the only unitary councils created under the Local Government Act 1973, which came into force in 1975...
.
The 1994 Act abolished the regions and districts and replaced them with new unitary council areas. The islands council areas have remained in use until the present day.
1889 to 1930
Over this period local government in Scotland was based on three units: countiesCounties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
, burghs and parishes.
Counties
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 reformed the administration of counties and also made alterations to their number and boundaries: Ross-shireRoss-shire
Ross-shire is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross...
and Cromartyshire
Cromartyshire
Cromartyshire was a county in the Highlands of Scotland, consisting of a main portion between Sutherland and Ross-shire and a series of exclaves within Ross-shire. Ross-shire and Cromartyshire were combined as the single county of Ross and Cromarty by the Local Government Act 1889, and this...
were combined to form Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
; the Lower, Middle and Upper Wards of the County of Lanark
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, which formed separate counties for some purposes, were merged; and Orkney and Zetland
Zetland
Zetland can refer to:Places* Zetland, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia* Zetland, an archaic spelling of ShetlandOther* Marquess of Zetland* Zetland Lifeboat* A type of Zony that's a cross between a male zebra and a female Shetland pony...
were divided into distinct counties. A boundary commission was appointed, and between 1891 and 1892 many anomalies in county boundaries were rectified.
In 1890 each of thirty-three counties was given a county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
, partly elected, and partly co-opted by the town councils of burghs in the county. In effect the county council only exercised full powers in the "landward" areas of the county, outside of burgh boundaries.
Districts
County councils were required to divide their county into districts, each of which was under the supervision of a district committee with powers and duties independent of the county council in regard to highways and public health.The district committee was composed of the county councillors elected for the area along with one representative from the parochial board of each parish in the district. Burgh councils could transfer the maintenance of the highways and bridges of the town to the county council, whereupon a representative of the burgh was appointed to the committee. In counties with fewer than six parishes, the county council was not obliged to form districts.
Burghs
Burghs were a form of town government dating back to the twelfth century. Originally created by charter, and mainly concerned with trading privileges, they had been reformed earlier in the nineteenth century. Legislation enacted in 1833 allowed the inhabitants of existing burghs to adopt a "police system" allowing for the paving, lighting, cleansing, watching, supplying with water, and improving of the town. A further act of 1850 could be adopted by any place with a population of 700 which thereupon became a "police burgh". Those burghs which had not adopted a police system were abolished in 1893. Burghs were largely autonomous, and when county councils were established they had a limited jurisiction within burgh boundaries.Counties of cities
The royal burgh of EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
was, by virtue of various charters, a "county and city" and entirely outside the jurisdiction of Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
County Council. In 1893 Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
became a county of a city by private act of parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
followed in 1894 and Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in 1899.
Parishes
The lowest tier of local government was the parish. Parochial boards had been established in 1845 for the administration of poor lawPoor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
, and, outside burghs, had gradually acquired various public health duties. In 1894 they were replaced with elected parish councils.
Education areas
In 1919 Scotland was divided into education areas. These consisted of the four counties of cities, the burgh of LeithLeith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
and each of the local government counties. In the case of the counties, they were to include "every burgh situated therein". The education authorities were elected under proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, and unlike the county councils, all members were directly elected.
1930 to 1975
By 1928 Scotland had 1,298 different local authorities, many of them overlapping. In November the Scottish Office issued a bill to reform local government: this sought to abolish 1,064 of the various bodies, leaving only 33 county councils and 201 burgh councils. Burghs (other than the counties of cities) were to be divided into two classes: large burghLarge burgh
In 1930, the Scottish burghs were split into two types, large burghs and small burghs. The councils of large burghs had more responsibilities and power than those of small burghs....
s and small burgh
Small burgh
Small burghs were units of local government in Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1929 in 1930.The Act reclassified existing burghs into two classes, large and small burghs. While large burghs became largely independent of the county councils of the county in which they lay, small burghs...
s. Large burghs were to gain considerable powers from the county councils. Small burghs, conversely, were to cede most of their duties to the county councils.
The original bill was altered in the course of passage through parliament. In response to protests that the abolition of both parish councils and district committees left a gap in the system, the landward part of each county was to be divided into districts, governed by councils consisting partly of the county councillors for the area and partly of elected district councillors. The final act also provided for the combination of a number of neighbouring small burghs, and paired Kinross-shire
Kinross-shire
Kinross-shire or the County of Kinross is a registration county, electoral ward and historic county in the Perth and Kinross council area in the east central Lowlands of Scotland...
and Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
and Nairnshire and Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
into "combined counties". The individual counties and county councils continued to exist in these areas, but a joint county council became the principal local authority.
Following the changes, which came into effect in 1930, the following were the local government areas into which Scotland was divided:
- The four counties of cities
- 29 counties
- 2 combined counties
- Large burghs (those with a population of 20,000 or more, plus ArbroathArbroathArbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
) - Small burghs
- Landward districts
This system was restated in the consolidating Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947
The Local Government Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on 1 October 1947....
. The number of small burghs increased and the number of districts declined over the time period. Neither the 1929 or 1947 legislation contained a procedure by which a small burgh could become a large burgh on reaching sufficient population. Accordingly, only one new large burgh was formed at East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
, which required the passing of a local act of parliament in 1967.
1973 to 1996
- Main article: Local government areas of Scotland 1973 to 1996
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
created a system of nine two-tier regions and three unitary islands council areas
Islands council areas of Scotland
Between 1975 and 1996 there were three islands council areas of Scotland:* Orkney* Shetland* Western IslesThe islands council areas were the only unitary councils created under the Local Government Act 1973, which came into force in 1975...
, and this system completely replaced local government counties
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
and burghs in 1975.
Each two-tier region had a regional council and of a number of district subdivisions, each with its own district council. The number of districts in each region varied from three to 19.
The 1973 Act was based closely on proposals in the Wheatley Report
Wheatley Report
The Wheatley Report is the name generally given to the report published in September 1969 by the Royal Commission on Local Government in Scotland, or Wheatley Commission, under the chairmanship of Lord Wheatley...
, produced by a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into Scottish local government in 1969. The new regions and districts were generally very different from the counties and districts which they replaced.
Two of the new islands council areas had the boundaries of former counties. The third consisted of an area formerly divided between two counties.