East Dunbartonshire

East Dunbartonshire (Scots: Aest Dunbartanshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatann an Ear, pronounced [ˈʃirˠəxk ɣum ˈpɾʲɛht̪ən̪ˠ əɲ ˈɛɾ]) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders Glasgow City Council Area to the south, North Lanarkshire to the east, Stirling to the north, and West Dunbartonshire to the west. East Dunbartonshire contains many of the affluent areas north of Glasgow, including Bearsden, Milngavie, Milton of Campsie, Balmore, and Torrance, as well as many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages. The council area covers parts of the historic counties of Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, and Stirlingshire.

This article is about the Council area of Scotland. For the UK Parliament constituency, see East Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency).

East Dunbartonshire
Aest Dunbartanshire
Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatann an Ear
Coat of arms of East Dunbartonshire
Coat of arms
Official logo of East Dunbartonshire
Council logo
Coordinates: 55°56′N 4°13′W
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Lieutenancy areaDunbartonshire
Admin HQKirkintilloch
Government
 • BodyEast Dunbartonshire Council
 • ControlScottish National Party minority (council NOC)
 • MPs
 • MSPs
Area
 • Total67.4 sq mi (174.5 km2)
 • RankRanked 27th
Population
 (2021)
 • Total108,900
 • RankRanked 21st
 • Density1,600/sq mi (620/km2)
ONS codeS12000045
ISO 3166 codeGB-EDU

The council area was formed in 1996, as a result of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, from the former Bearsden and Milngavie districts and most of the former Strathkelvin district, which had been part of the Strathclyde region.

History

East Dunbartonshire was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitary council areas. East Dunbartonshire covered the area of the abolished Bearsden and Milngavie and Strathkelvin districts (except the Chryston and Auchinloch area from the latter, which went to North Lanarkshire). Both former districts had been in the Strathclyde region.[1]

Both of East Dunbartonshire's predecessor districts had been created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The Bearsden and Milngavie district had been created covering Milngavie, Bearsden and adjoining areas from Dunbartonshire. The Strathkelvin district had been created covering Kirkintilloch and adjoining areas from Dunbartonshire, Bishopbriggs and adjoining areas from Lanarkshire, and the parishes of Baldernock and Campsie from Stirlingshire.[2]

Demographics

East Dunbartonshire council area has low levels of deprivation, with relatively low unemployment and low levels of crime. The population is both declining and ageing.[3]

In a 2007 Reader's Digest poll, East Dunbartonshire was voted the best place in Britain to raise a family.[4] The area has generally performed well in the Halifax Quality of Life survey; in 2010 it was ranked third in Scotland,[5] and it was the only Scottish area in the British Top 20 in 2008.[6] A Legatum Prosperity Index published by the Legatum Institute in October 2016 showed East Dunbartonshire as the most prosperous council area in Scotland and the ninth most prosperous in the United Kingdom.

Communities

The area is divided into thirteen community council areas, twelve of which have community councils as at 2023 (being those with asterisks in the list below):[7]

Governance
East Dunbartonshire
Logo
Leadership
Gillian Renwick,
SNP
since 19 May 2022
Gordan Low,
SNP
since 19 May 2022
Gerry Cornes
since January 2009
Structure
Seats22 councillors
8 / 22
5 / 22
4 / 22
2 / 22
3 / 22
Elections
Single transferable vote
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
12 Strathkelvin Place, Kirkintilloch, G66 1XT
Website
www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Political control

The first election to East Dunbartonshire Council 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 the council since 1996 has been as follows:[8]

Party in controlYears
Labour1996–1999
No overall control1999–

Leadership

The first leader of the council, Charles Kennedy, had been the last leader of the old Strathkelvin District Council. The leaders of East Dunbartonshire Council since 1996 have been:[9]

CouncillorPartyFromToNotes
Charles Kennedy Labour1 Apr 1996Oct 1999
Keith Moody Liberal DemocratsOct 1999May 2003
John Morrison Liberal Democrats8 May 20033 May 2007
Rhondda Geekie[10] Labour17 May 20074 May 2017
Gordan Low SNP23 May 201721 Dec 2017
Vaughan Moody Liberal Democrats20 Mar 2018May 2022Co-leaders
Andrew Polson Conservative
Gordan Low SNP19 May 2022

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2023, the composition of the council was:[11]

Party Councillors
SNP8
Liberal Democrats5
Labour4
Conservative2
Independent3
Total 22

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

Since 2012 the council has been based at 12 Strathkelvin Place in Kirkintilloch, which forms part of the Southbank Marina development adjoining the Forth and Clyde Canal. Prior to 2012 the council was based at Tom Johnston House at the junction of Lenzie Road and Civic Way in Kirkintilloch. Tom Johnston House had been built in 1985 as the headquarters for the old Strathkelvin District Council and was named after Tom Johnston (1881–1965), who was born in Kirkintilloch and had served as Secretary of State for Scotland during the Second World War.[12] Tom Johnston House was demolished in 2015.[13] The new council chamber at Strathkelvin Place is called Tom Johnston Chamber.[14]

Elections

Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[8]

Year Seats SNP Liberal Democrats Labour Conservative Independent / Other Notes
199526091520
1999241101030New ward boundaries.[15]
200324012930
20072483652[lower-alpha 1]New ward boundaries.[16]
20122483823[lower-alpha 2]
20172276261New ward boundaries.[17]
20222286431
  1. Both East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance
  2. Two being East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance

Wards
Map of the area's wards (2017 configuration)[18]

Since 2007, the council (as with all others in Scotland) has been elected using multi-member wards, each returning three councillors using a single transferable vote system of proportional representation. Initially this retained the number of councillors at 24 following on from the same number of single-member wards in previous elections, divided equally across eight wards. However, a national boundary and population review prior to the 2017 Scottish local elections led to the number of East Dunbartonshire wards being reduced to seven and the number of councillors being reduced to 22. These current wards are:[18]

# Ward Name Location Seats Population

(2020)

1 Milngavie 3 13,572
2 Bearsden North 3 14,943
3 Bearsden South 3 13,318
4 Bishopbriggs North and Campsie 4 19,323
5 Bishopbriggs South 3 15,868
6 Kirkintilloch East and North and Twechar 3 18,251
7 Lenzie and Kirkintilloch South 3 13,475

Settlements
The largest settlements in East Dunbartonshire

Largest settlements by population:

Settlement Population (mid-2020 est.)[19]
Bearsden

28,470

Bishopbriggs

23,680

Kirkintilloch

21,870

Milngavie

12,840

Lenzie

8,090

Lennoxtown

4,260

Milton of Campsie

3,910

Torrance

2,320

Twechar

1,340

Places of interest
  • Huntershill Village
    Huntershill Village
  • Thomas Muir
    Thomas Muir
  • Thomas Muir Cairn - Erected by John SL Watson and unveiled by East Dunbartonshire's Provost John Dempsey (1997)
    Thomas Muir Cairn - Erected by John SL Watson and unveiled by East Dunbartonshire's Provost John Dempsey (1997)
  • Scottish Political Martyrs Gate - Erected by John SL Watson and unveiled by East Dunbartonshire's Provost John Dempsey (1997)
    Scottish Political Martyrs Gate - Erected by John SL Watson and unveiled by East Dunbartonshire's Provost John Dempsey (1997)
  • Miners of the world memorial hutch - created by John SL Watson and unveiled by leader of East Dunbartsonshire Council John Morrison (2003)
    Miners of the world memorial hutch - created by John SL Watson and unveiled by leader of East Dunbartsonshire Council John Morrison (2003)
  • Finger Post marking the Old Glasgow-Stirling postal road
    Finger Post marking the Old Glasgow-Stirling postal road
  • Huntershill Village Mile Stone
    Huntershill Village Mile Stone
  • Southwest view across Gadloch Towards the distant Red Road Flats.
    Southwest view across Gadloch Towards the distant Red Road Flats.

Education

There are 8 secondary schools and 33 primary schools in the area.[20][21] The secondary schools are:

References
  1. "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 39, retrieved 15 February 2023
  2. "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 15 February 2023
  3. Controller of Audit to the Accounts Commission (May 2009). "The Audit of Best Value and Community Planning - East Dunbartonshire Council". Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  4. "Scots areas top happy family poll". BBC News. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  5. "BBC News - Aberdeenshire tops 'quality of life' list". BBC News. 27 December 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  6. "East Dunbartonshire is only Scottish area in UK top 20 for 'quality of life'". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  7. "Community Councils". East Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  8. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  9. "Council minutes". East Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  10. "New coalition moves to bring back weekly bin collections". The Herald. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
  11. Morrison, Hamish (1 November 2022). "Scottish Lib Dems 'suspend councillor Aileen Polson over electoral fraud charge'". The National. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  12. "Strathkelvin District Council: Public Notice - Closure of Council Chambers, Kirkintilloch, and removal to new Civic Headquarters, Lenzie Road, Kirkintilloch". Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser. 19 July 1985. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  13. "Bulldozers move in to demolish landmark". Glasgow World. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  14. "Council agenda, 15 December 2022" (PDF). East Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  15. "The East Dunbartonshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/3245, retrieved 15 February 2023
  16. Scottish Parliament. The East Dunbartonshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
  17. Scottish Parliament. The East Dunbartonshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2016 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
  18. Council Area | East Dunbartonshire, Scottish Government Statistics. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  19. "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  20. "Secondary Schools". East Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  21. "Primary Schools". East Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
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