South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire (Scots: Sooth Lanrikshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the City of Glasgow and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburbs,also containing many towns and villages. It also shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and West Lothian. It includes part of the historic county of Lanarkshire.
South Lanarkshire Sooth Lanrikshire Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas | |
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Coat of arms | |
Coordinates: 55°36′N 3°47′W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Lieutenancy area | Lanarkshire |
Admin HQ | Hamilton |
Government | |
• Body | South Lanarkshire Council Almada Street Hamilton South Lanarkshire ML3 0AA southlanarkshire.gov.uk |
• Control | SNP minority (council NOC) |
• MPs | |
• MSPs | |
Area | |
• Total | 684 sq mi (1,772 km2) |
Area rank | Ranked 11th |
Population (mid-2019 est.) | |
• Total | 319,020 |
• Rank | Ranked 5th |
• Density | 470/sq mi (180/km2) |
ONS code | S12000029 |
ISO 3166 code | GB-SLK |
Website | www |
South Lanarkshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council has its headquarters in Hamilton, has 16,000 employees, and a budget of almost £1bn. The large and varied geographical territory takes in rural and upland areas, market towns such as Lanark, Strathaven and Carluke, the urban burghs of Rutherglen, Cambuslang, and East Kilbride which was Scotland's first new town. The area was formed in 1996 from the areas of Clydesdale,[1] Hamilton and East Kilbride districts, and some outer areas of Glasgow district (Rutherglen/Fernhill, Cambuslang/Halfway and part of King's Park/Toryglen); all were previously within the Strathclyde region from 1975 but in historic Lanarkshire prior to that.[2][3][4][5]
Leadership
South Lanarkshire operates a cabinet style system, with key decisions being taken by the Executive Committee, under the leadership of the Council Leader,[6] and approved by the council, led by the provost.
The first leader of South Lanarkshire Council, selected from among the sitting councillors, was Tom McCabe who previously held the same office at Hamilton District.[7] When McCabe was elected as an MSP in 1999, the role went to his deputy Eddie McAvoy - brother of one of the region's MPs Tommy McAvoy - who held the post for the next 18 years until his retirement ahead of the 2017 election.[8][9] The new leader from 2017 was John Ross.[10]
The ambassadorial role of provost is also filled by one of the serving councillors.[11] Office holders include:
Political composition
Party | Councillors[20] | |
Scottish National Party | 24 | |
Labour | 17 | |
Conservative | 13 | |
Independent | 6 | |
Liberal Democrats | 3 | |
Elections
Wards
In the council's initial 12 years, individual wards (73 in 1995, adjusted down to 67 in 1999 and 2003) each electing one councillor using the First past the post method.[21][22]
Since the 2007 South Lanarkshire Council election, there are 20 council wards in South Lanarkshire,[23] each serving a population ranging from 12,000 to 19,000[24] and each ward represented on the council by 3 or 4 councillors elected using single transferable vote; in 2007 and 2012 this produced a total of 67 available seats, which was adjusted down to 64 in 2017 along with boundary adjustments, although the same number of wards overall.
- Clydesdale West
- Clydesdale North
- Clydesdale East
- Clydesdale South
- Avondale and Stonehouse
- East Kilbride South
- East Kilbride Central South
- East Kilbride Central North
- East Kilbride West
- East Kilbride East
- Rutherglen South
- Rutherglen Central and North
- Cambuslang West
- Cambuslang East
- Blantyre
- Bothwell and Uddingston
- Hamilton North and East
- Hamilton West and Earnock
- Hamilton South
- Larkhall
Council Headquarters
The Council Headquarters building, on Almada Street, Hamilton, was built as the Lanark County Buildings in 1963, and designed by Lanark council architect D G Bannerman,[25][26][27][28] replacing Hamilton Townhouse in the function. The 17 storey, 165 feet (50 m) tower is the largest in Hamilton, is Category A-listed, and is a highly visible landmark across this part of the Clyde Valley. The modernist design was influenced by the United Nations building in New York City. Glass curtain walls cover the north and south facades, with the narrow east and west sides being blank white walls. At the front of the building is the circular council chamber, and a plaza with water features. It is known by locals as the "County Buildings".
Towns and villages
Principal settlements (and populations)
- Blantyre – 16,900
- Cambuslang – 29,100
- Carluke – 13,320
- East Kilbride – 75,120
- Hamilton – 54,080
- Lanark – 9,050
- Larkhall – 14,740
- Rutherglen – 31,190
- Strathaven – 7,350
Other settlements
- Abington
- Ashgill
- Auchengray
- Auchenheath
- Auldhouse
- Biggar
- Blackwood
- Bothwell
- Braehead
- Braidwood
- Carmichael
- Carnwath
- Carstairs
- Chapelton
- Cleghorn
- Climpy
- Coalburn
- Cobbinshaw
- Coulter
- Crawford
- Crawfordjohn
- Crossford
- Dalserf
- Dolphinton
- Douglas
- Douglas Water
- Elsrickle
- Elvanfoot
- Forth
- Glassford
- Glespin
- Jackton
- Kilncadzow
- Kirkfieldbank
- Kirkmuirhill
- Law Village
- Leadhills
- Lesmahagow
- Newbigging
- Nerston
- Pettinain
- Quarter
- Quothquan
- Rigside
- Roberton
- Rosebank
- Sandford
- Stonehouse
- Symington
- Tarbrax
- Thankerton
- Thorntonhall
- Uddingston
- Unthank
- Waterfoot (Part Of)
- Wilsontown
- Wiston
- Woolfords
Places of interest
- Bothwell Castle
- Calderglen Country Park, East Kilbride
- Chatelherault Country Park, near Hamilton, including Cadzow Castle
- Clyde Valley
- Craignethan Castle
- David Livingstone Centre, Blantyre
- Dollan Aqua Centre, East Kilbride
- Falls of Clyde
- Hamilton Mausoleum
- James Hamilton Heritage Park, East Kilbride
- John Hastie Museum, Strathaven
- Lanark Loch
- Little Sparta, near Dunsyre near Lanark
- Low Parks Museum, Hamilton
- New Lanark, a World Heritage Site
- Rutherglen Town Hall and medieval church tower
- Sites of the Battle of Drumclog and the Battle of Bothwell Bridge
- Strathaven Castle
- Wilsontown Ironworks
Tertiary education
- South Lanarkshire College
- University of the West of Scotland (formerly Bell College, University Of Paisley)
See also
References
- Historical Timeline: 1975, The Lanark Website
- "New Local Government areas". Hansard. 22 October 1973. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- Irene Maver. "Modern Times: 1950s to The Present Day > Neighbourhoods". The Glasgow Story. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- "Scotland's Landscape: City of Glasgow". BBC. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- Rutherglen residents not interested in Glasgow return, Daily Record, 9 April 2017
- Council leader, South Lanarkshire Council
- Tributes to former Hamilton MSP Tom McCabe, who passed away this week aged 60, Daily Record, 23 April 2015
- South Lanarkshire Council leader Eddie McAvoy to stand down at next election, Daily Record, 30 June 2016
- Former Rutherglen council leader praised for leaving a "legacy" for South Lanarkshire children, Daily Record, 20 January 2020
- Row over Council Leader's 'F*** the Union' tweet rumbles on, Daily Record, 14 November 2019
- Provost, South Lanarkshire Council
- Chatelherault Country Park opened to the public 30 years ago today, Daily Record, 30 September 2017
- 20 Years Ago, East Kilbride News, 22 May 2019, via PressReader
- Ex-provost Mushtaq Ahmad appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, Daily Record, 24 November 2010
- Russell Clearie, Cambuslang Bowling Club
- A day in the life of Russell Clearie, Daily Record, 18 June 2008
- Carluke councillor Eileen Logan becomes new Provost of South Lanarkshire, Carluke Gazette, 23 May 2012
- New display unit highlights Bothwell's history, Daily Record, 26 November 2016
- Things get Biggar and better for SNP as it appoints provost, Carluke Gazette, 24 May 2017
- "Political composition of the council". South Lanarkshire Council. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- Formation electoral arrangements in 1995: South Lanarkshire council area, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
- Electoral Arrangements for Local Government Areas in Scotland: South Lanarkshire Council Area, 3rd Reviews of Electoral Arrangements Maps: Wards 1999 - 2007: Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
- "Local multi-member ward boundary maps". South Lanarkshire Council. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- "South Lanarkshire". City Population. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- South Lanarkshire Council Headquarters, Emporis
- Hamilton, Almada Street, Lanark County Buildings, Canmore (database)|Canmore]]
- South Lanarkshire Council HQ, Skyscraper News
- Queen Mother opens Hamilton's county buildings in 1964, Daily Record, 21 April 2014
- “Mid-2016 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland”, National Records of Scotland