Central Region (''Roinn Meadhanach'' in
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
) was a
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
of Scotland from 1975 to 1996, one of twelve such bodies across the country. The Regional Council's HQ was at Viewforth in
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, which had been previously the HQ of
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.
It borders Perth ...
County Council. It is now divided into the
council areas
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" ( gd, comhairlean), which are all governed by single-tier authorities designated as "councils". They have the option under the Local Government (Ga ...
of
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire (; sco, Clackmannanshire; gd, Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn) is a historic county, council area, registration county and Lieutenancy area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling, Fife, and Perth & Kinross and the ...
,
Falkirk and
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, which had previously been districts within Central.
At the time of the
local government reorganization of 1975, there was discussion on where the new region should be based – the options being
Falkirk or Stirling, the latter of which was chosen as the county council had just finished construction of a new office building at
Viewforth in the town in 1972.
The
Dunblane massacre
The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, when Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 pupils and one teacher, and injured 15 others, before killing himself. It remains the deadlie ...
occurred within the last month of Central Regional Council's existence at one of its primary schools, in
Dunblane
Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...
. Responsibility for Dunblane Primary School was transferred to the new Stirling Council on the first day of its operations on 1 April 1996 when the Scottish Regional Councils disbanded under the reorganisation act of 1994. 10 days later, on 11 April 1996, the school gym where the massacre took place was demolished by the new council. The school was entirely refurbished in 1998.
Districts
There were three districts within Central region, these were:
*
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire (; sco, Clackmannanshire; gd, Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn) is a historic county, council area, registration county and Lieutenancy area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling, Fife, and Perth & Kinross and the ...
*
Falkirk
*
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
The
Central Scotland Police
Central Scotland Police was the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire (the former Central region). The headquarters of the force were at Randolphfield House in Stirling.
...
force, created in 1975 using the same boundaries as the region, was merged into
Police Scotland
Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
in 2013 with its territory forming one of the second-level
divisions from that point. At the same time, the
Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service
Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service was the statutory fire and rescue service for the area of Central Scotland, Scotland between 1975 and 2013. It was amalgamated into the single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in 2013.
History
Central ...
became part of the new
Scottish
Service.
![Central Regional Council Logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Central_Regional_Council_Logo.png)
There continues to be electoral, valuation, and health boards for the area; the latter is called
NHS Forth Valley
NHS Forth Valley is one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland. It provides healthcare services in the Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling area. NHS Forth Valley is headquartered in Castle Business Park, Stirling.
Hospitals
NHS Forth Valley ...
.
File:Stirling from Braehead - December 2004 - geograph.org.uk - 254316.jpg, View of Stirling
File:Falkirk Wheel at night (2) - geograph.org.uk - 2205737.jpg, The Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. It opened in 2002 as part o ...
File:Main Street, Clackmannan.JPG, Clackmannan
Clackmannan ( ; gd, Clach Mhanainn, perhaps meaning "Stone of Manau"), is a small town and civil parish set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated within the Forth Valley, Clackmannan is south-east of Alloa and south of Tillicoultry. ...
Main Street
References
External links
*
Regions of Scotland
Clackmannanshire
Falkirk (council area)
Stirling (council area)
1975 establishments in Scotland
1996 disestablishments in Scotland
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