West Dunbartonshire(Scots:Wast Dunbairtonshire;Scottish Gaelic:Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann an Iar,pronounced[ˈʃirˠəxkɣumˈpɾʲɛht̪ən̪ˠəɲˈiəɾ]) is one of the 32local governmentcouncil areasofScotland.The area lies to the north-west of theGlasgow City council areaand contains many of Glasgow'scommuter townsand villages. West Dunbartonshire also bordersArgyll and Bute,East Dunbartonshire,RenfrewshireandStirling.
West Dunbartonshire
Wast Dunbairtonshire Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann an Iar | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms  Council logo | |
 | |
| Coordinates:55°59′24″N4°30′54″W/ 55.99000°N 4.51500°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Lieutenancy area | Dunbartonshire |
| Admin HQ | Dumbarton |
| Government | |
| • Body | West Dunbartonshire Council |
| •MPs | |
| •MSPs | |
| Area | |
• Total | 61 sq mi (159 km2) |
| • Rank | Ranked 31st |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 88,270 |
| • Rank | Ranked 26th |
| • Density | 1,400/sq mi (560/km2) |
| ONS code | S12000039 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-WDU |
The council area was formed in 1996 from the formerClydebank districtand the eastern part ofDumbarton district,which had both been part ofStrathclydeRegion.
West Dunbartonshire has three main urban areas:Clydebank,Dumbartonand theVale of Leven.The area also includes the intervening rural areas, including theKilpatrick Hillsand the south-eastern bank ofLoch Lomond.The council is based at16 Church Streetin Dumbarton, although Clydebank is the largest town.
History
editWest Dunbartonshire was created in 1996 under theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994,which abolished theregions and districtswhich had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitarycouncil areas.West Dunbartonshire covered the area of the abolishedClydebank districtand the eastern part ofDumbarton district.In a referendum in 1994 the largely rural western part of the old Dumbarton district, including the town ofHelensburgh,had voted to joinArgyll and Buterather than stay with Dumbarton.[1][2]
The 1994 act originally named the new district "Dumbarton and Clydebank", but the shadow authority elected in 1995 requested a change of name to "West Dunbartonshire", which was agreed by the government before the new council area came into force.[3][4]
Communities
editThe area is divided into 17community council areas,10 of which havecommunity councilsas at 2023 (being those with asterisks in the list below):[5]
- Alexandria*
- Balloch and Haldane
- Bonhill and Dalmonach*
- BowlingandMilton*
- ClydebankEast*
- DalmuirandMountblow
- DumbartonEast and Central*
- Dumbarton North
- Dumbarton West
- DuntocherandHardgate
- Faifley*
- Kilmaronock*
- LinnvaleandDrumry
- Old Kilpatrick*
- Parkhall, NorthKilbowieand Central*
- Renton
- Silvertonand Overtoun*
Governance
editWest Dunbartonshire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leadership | |
Martin Rooney, Labour since 18 May 2022 | |
Peter Hessett since 2022[7] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 22 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Burgh Hall,16 Church Street,Dumbarton,G821QL | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The council comprises 22 councillors elected from 6 wards.[8]
Political control
editThe first election was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of West Dunbartonshire Council since 1996 has been as follows:[9]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1996–2007 | |
| No overall control | 2007–2012 | |
| Labour | 2012–2017 | |
| No overall control | 2017–2022 | |
| Labour | 2022–2022 | |
| No overall control | 2022–2024 | |
| Labour | 2024–2024 | |
| No overall control | 2024-present | |
Leadership
editTheleaders of the councilsince 1996 have been:[10]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Campbell | Labour | 1 Apr 1996 | Jun 1997 | |
| Andy White | Labour | Jun 1997 | 20 Dec 2006 | |
| Martin Rooney | Labour | 20 Dec 2006 | 12 Mar 2007 | |
| Denis Agnew | Independent | 12 Mar 2007 | May 2007 | |
| Iain Robertson | SNP | 16 May 2007 | 26 May 2010 | |
| Ronnie McColl | SNP | 26 May 2010 | 3 May 2012 | |
| Martin Rooney | Labour | 16 May 2012 | May 2017 | |
| Jonathan McColl | SNP | 17 May 2017 | May 2022 | |
| Martin Rooney | Labour | 18 May 2022 | ||
Composition
editFollowing the2022 electionand subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to August 2024, the composition of the council was:[11][12][13][14]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 10 | |
| Scottish National Party | 7 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
| West Dunbartonshire Community Party | 1 | |
| Total | 22 | |
The next election is due in 2027.
Premises
editThe council is based at the formerBurgh Hallat 16 Church Street in Dumbarton. It also has an area office in the main shopping centre in Clydebank.[15]
When the council was created in 1996, it inherited several buildings from its predecessors, includingMunicipal Buildingsand Crosslet House fromDumbarton District Council,Clydebank Town Halland the nearby Council Offices on Rosebery Place fromClydebank District Council,and theCounty Buildings, DumbartonfromStrathclydeRegional Council.
The council gradually consolidated its offices, with Crosslet House being demolished in 2015,[16]the Rosebery Place offices being demolished in 2017,[17]and the County Buildings being demolished in 2019.[18]
In 2018 the council consolidated most of its offices to Burgh Hall, which had been vacant for some years. The front part of the 1866 building was retained and a modern office complex built to the rear.[19]The Municipal Buildings in Dumbarton are still used by the council as aregister office,whilst Clydebank Town Hall is now primarily an events venue.
Elections
editSince 2007 elections have been held every five years under thesingle transferable votesystem, introduced by theLocal Governance (Scotland) Act 2004.Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[9]
| Year | Seats | Labour | SNP | Conservative | Independent / Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | New ward boundaries.[20] |
| 2003 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 2[a] | |
| 2007 | 22 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 3[b] | New ward boundaries.[21] |
| 2012 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 4[c] | |
| 2017 | 22 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 2[d] | New ward boundaries.[22] |
| 2022 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 1[e] | [23] |
- ^1Scottish Socialist
- ^1 Scottish Socialist
- ^1 Scottish Socialist
- ^1West Dunbartonshire Community Party
- ^1 West Dunbartonshire Community Party
Wards
edit
Six multi-member wards were created for the 2007 election, replacing 22 single-member wards which had been in place since the creation of the council in 1995:[24]
| Ward number | Ward | Location | Largest settlement | Additional settlements | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lomond | 
|
Balloch | Gartocharn,Jamestown,Levenvale,Mill of Haldane | 3 |
| 2 | Leven | 
|
Alexandria | Bonhill,Dalmonach,Renton,Dumbarton(northern parts) | 4 |
| 3 | Dumbarton | 
|
Dumbarton | Milton,Bowling | 4 |
| 4 | Kilpatrick | 
|
Duntocher | Faifley,Hardgate | 3 |
| 5 | Clydebank Central | 
|
Clydebank | 4 | |
| 6 | Clydebank Waterfront | 
|
Clydebank | Old Kilpatrick | 4 |
Wider politics
editIndependence referendum
editOn 18 September 2014, West Dunbartonshire was one of the four council areas which had a majority "Yes" vote in theScottish Independence Referendumat 54% with an 87.9% turnout rate.[25]
Settlements
edit
Largest settlements by population:
| Settlement | Population (2022)[26] |
|---|---|
| Clydebank |
25,620 |
| Dumbarton |
20,480 |
| Bonhill |
9,060 |
| Alexandria |
6,710 |
| Duntocher |
6,680 |
| Balloch |
6,010 |
| Faifley |
4,740 |
| Old Kilpatrick |
4,470 |
| Renton |
2,350 |
| Bowling |
560 |
Main sights
edit- Erskine Bridge
- Dumbarton Castle
- Inchmurrin,the largest freshwater island in the British Isles
- Kilpatrick Hills
- Loch Lomond
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
- Overtoun Bridge
- River Leven
References
edit- ^"Was Argyll and Bute move right decision?".Helensburgh Advertiser.15 August 2014.Retrieved20 February2023.
- ^"Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994",legislation.gov.uk,The National Archives,1994 c. 39,retrieved21 February2023
- ^"Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994",legislation.gov.uk,The National Archives,1994 c. 39,retrieved17 February2023
- ^"Historical information from 1973 onwards".Boundary-Line support.Ordnance Survey.Retrieved17 February2023.
- ^"Active Community Councils".West Dunbartonshire Council.Retrieved21 February2023.
- ^"First female Provost of West Dunbartonshire has been elected".Clydebank Post.28 August 2024.Retrieved28 August2024.
- ^"West Dunbartonshire Council: Peter Hessett is new chief executive".Clydebank Post.1 June 2022.Retrieved21 February2023.
- ^"West Dunbartonshire Council May 2007 to present".Enline pic. Archived fromthe originalon 31 July 2007.Retrieved31 July2007.
- ^ab"Compositions calculator".The Elections Centre.Retrieved21 February2023.
- ^"Council minutes".West Dunbartonshire Council.Retrieved21 February2023.
- ^"West Dunbartonshire".Local Councils.Thorncliffe.Retrieved31 July2024.
- ^Grant, Tom (25 November 2022)."Craig Edward: Court accused councillor sits as Independent".Clydebank Post.Retrieved21 February2023.
- ^Walker, David (18 January 2023)."SNP councillor and sister of MP resigns from party over gender reform stance".Scottish Daily Express.Retrieved21 February2023.
- ^Clarke, Fraser (28 August 2024)."Two West Dunbartonshire councillors quit Labour group ahead of Provost decision".Daily Record (Scotland).Retrieved28 August2024.
- ^"Council Offices".West Dunbartonshire Council.Retrieved21 February2023.
- ^"Historic Crosslet House knocked down for £10million 'super' care home".Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter.16 September 2015.Retrieved1 August2022.
- ^"Former West Dunbartonshire Council offices".Alamy.Retrieved19 February2023.
- ^"Demolition of former Dumbarton council offices blamed for rat infestation".Daily Record.11 June 2019.Retrieved17 December2022.
- ^"West Dunbartonshire Council settles into flagship HQ".Urban Realm.31 July 2018.Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^"The West Dunbartonshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998",legislation.gov.uk,The National Archives,SI 1998/3075,retrieved21 February2023
- ^Scottish Parliament.The West Dunbartonshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006as made, fromlegislation.gov.uk.
- ^Scottish Parliament.The West Dunbartonshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2016as made, fromlegislation.gov.uk.
- ^"4 May 2017 Council Election Results".www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk.
- ^"United Kingdom: Scotland | Council Areas and Electoral Wards".City Population.30 June 2019.Retrieved28 March2021.
- ^"Indyref".BBC.Retrieved19 September2014.
- ^"Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland".National Records of Scotland.31 March 2022.Retrieved31 March2022.
