Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Together with the

East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire ( sco, Aest Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975, it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of ...

and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire, which currently exists as a

registration county A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purpose ...

and lieutenancy area – located in the west central Lowlands. It borders the

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...

and Renfrewshire council areas, and is otherwise surrounded by the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

. Inverclyde was formerly one of nineteen

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s within

Strathclyde Region Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. ...

, from 1975 until 1996. Prior to 1975, Inverclyde was governed as part of the local government

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

of Renfrewshire, comprising the burghs of

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recen ...

and Gourock, and the former fifth district of the county. Its landward area is bordered by the Kelly, North and South Routen burns to the southwest (separating

Wemyss Bay Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have always ...

and

Skelmorlie Skelmorlie is a village in North Ayrshire in the south-west of Scotland. Although it is the northernmost settlement in the council area of North Ayrshire, it is contiguous with Wemyss Bay, which is in Inverclyde. The dividing line is the Kelly B ...

), part of the

River Gryfe The River Gryfe (or Gryffe) is a river and tributary of the River Cart, Black Cart Water, running through the Renfrewshire (historic), County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It gives its name to the surrounding Gryffe Valley, also known as St ...

and the Finlaystone Burn to the south-east. It is one of the smallest in terms of area () and population () out of the 32 Scottish unitary authorities. Along with the council areas clustered around

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

it is considered part of Greater Glasgow in some definitions, although it is physically separated from the city area by open countryside and does not share a border with the city. The name derives from the extinct

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Inverclyde Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the histo ...

(1897) conferred upon Sir John Burns of

and his heirs.

Council

Inverclyde District

Inverclyde was one of nineteen

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 ...

s in the Strathclyde

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 ...

, which existed between 1975 and 1996. The district was formed by the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975. The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...

from part of the

of Renfrewshire. The boundaries remain the same as those of the modern council area. The remaining parts of the

County of Renfrew Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It contains the local government council areas of Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, as w ...

(Renfrewshire) were divided between two other districts:

Eastwood Eastwood may refer to: Places ;in Australia *Eastwood, New South Wales **Eastwood railway station **Electoral district of Eastwood *Eastwood, South Australia ;in Canada * Eastwood, Ontario *Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood ;in the Ph ...

and

Renfrew District Renfrew District ( gd, Sgìre Rinn Friù) was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, which existed between 1975 and 1996.Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. Most of its area became the new Inverclyde council area, with the regions - such as Strathclyde - disappearing entirely.

Towns and villages

‡ Taken from Inverclyde Ward 1 figure, minus Kilmacolm settlement population.

Places of interest

* Ardgowan Estate *The Bogal Stone *

Cappielow Cappielow, also known as Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Greenock Morton, w ...

Castle Levan Castle Levan (also known as Levan Castle) is a fortified tower house in Levan area of Gourock, Inverclyde, Scotland. A building had been on the site from the 14th century, but the present structure was substantially enlarged after 1547 and forme ...

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is the collective name for areas of countryside set aside for conservation and recreation on the South Clyde estuary in Scotland. The park covers an area of of Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, stretchi ...

*Greenock Cut Visitor Centre *Custom House Quay and Museum *

Duchal House Duchal House is an 18th-century mansion and estate near Kilmacolm, Scotland. It is located in Inverclyde, in the former county of Renfrewshire. Duchal was acquired by the Porterfield family in the 16th century. The present house was built in 1710 ...

* Finlaystone House * Gourock Outdoor Pool *

Granny Kempock Stone The megalithic Kempock Stone, popularly known as Granny Kempock (perhaps because of its resemblance to an old woman), stands on a cliff behind Kempock Street, the main shopping street in Gourock, Scotland. The stone, or menhir, is grey mica schis ...

Loch Thom Loch Thom is a reservoir which since 1827 has provided a water supply to the town of Greenock in Inverclyde, Scotland. It is named after the civil engineer Robert Thom who designed the scheme which created the reservoir and delivered water v ...

Lunderston Bay Lunderston Bay is located on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde, by the A770 road approximately midway between the town of Gourock and the village of Inverkip. The bay measures approximately from north to south at its widest p ...

*McLean Museum and Art Gallery * Newark Castle *Waterfront Leisure Complex

National voting

In the 2014 independence referendum, the "No" vote won in Inverclyde by just 86 votes and a margin of 0.2%. By either measure, this was the narrowest result of any of the 32 council areas. In the

2016 EU Referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...

, Inverclyde posted a "Remain" vote of almost 64%.

Education

Inverclyde has twenty primary schools serving all areas of its settlements. These are: * Aileymill Primary School, Greenock (merger of Larkfield and Ravenscraig primaries) * All Saints Primary School, Greenock (merger of St. Kenneth's and St. Lawrence's primaries) * Ardgowan Primary School, Greenock * Gourock Primary School, Gourock * Inverkip Primary School, Inverkip * Kilmacolm Primary School, Kilmacolm/Port Glasgow * King's Oak Primary School, Greenock (merger of King's Glen and Oakfield primaries) * Lady Alice Primary School, Greenock * Moorfoot Primary School, Gourock * Newark Primary School, Port Glasgow (merger of Boglestone, Clune Park, Highholm and Slaemuir primaries) * St. Andrew's Primary School, Greenock (merger of Sacred Heart and St. Gabriel's primaries) * St. Francis' Primary School, Port Glasgow * St. John's Primary School, Port Glasgow * St. Joseph's Primary School, Greenock * St. Mary's Primary School, Greenock * St. Michael's Primary School, Port Glasgow * St. Ninian's Primary School, Gourock * St. Patrick's Primary School, Greenock * Wemyss Bay Primary School, Wemyss Bay * Whinhill Primary School, Greenock (merger of Highlanders' Academy and Overton primaries) These are connected to several Secondary schools which serve Inverclyde as follows: *

Clydeview Academy Clydeview Academy is a non-denominational secondary school situated in Gourock, Inverclyde. It was founded in 2011 and opened to pupils on 17 August 2011. The first head teacher of the school was William Todd. The school is a modern merger of tw ...

, serving the West End of Greenock and the town of Gourock *

Inverclyde Academy Inverclyde Academy is a secondary school in Greenock, Scotland that provides education to the majority of the Inverclyde area. The catchment area for the Academy stretches from the Inverclyde border at Wemyss Bay to Greenock's East End and Stro ...

, serving South and East Greenock as well as the villages of Inverkip and

* Notre Dame High School, serving

* Port Glasgow High School, serving

and

Kilmacolm Kilmacolm () is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area, and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, southeast of Greenock and aroun ...

* St Columba's High School, Gourock/Greenock, serving Gourock, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay *

St. Stephen's High School St. Stephen's High School () is an Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Episcopalian school, located in the Binondo, Manila, Binondo district of Manila. It is considered the first Christian Chinese school established in Luzon. The school offers ...

, serving Port Glasgow, Kilmacolm and the East End of Greenock *

Craigmarloch School Craigmarloch is a private residential area of the town of Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the last such area that the Cumbernauld Development Corporation (CDC) laid out and began to construct. The area is designed to be like a ...

which is an Additional Support Needs school for pupils aged 4–18 based at the new Port Glasgow Community Campus after the merging of Glenburn and Lilybank schools.

Demography

The average life expectancy for Inverclyde male residents (2013–2015) is 75.4 years, to rank 28th out of the 32 areas in Scotland. The average Inverclyde female lives for 80.4 years, to rank 26th out 32. There are large

health disparities Health equity arises from access to the social determinants of health, specifically from wealth, power and prestige. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these three determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequiti ...

between settlements in Inverclyde with many health indicators being above the Scottish average in certain areas, whilst considerably below in others. In 2019, the Inverclyde Council Area was rated as the most deprived in Scotland by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), with Greenock Town Centre the most deprived community. (The term "deprivation" refers not only to low income according to the BBC, but may also include "fewer resources and opportunities, for example in health and education".) After the announcement, Deputy leader Jim Clocherty said that he hoped that investment money would arrive soon, and that "no part of Scotland wants to be labelled as the 'most deprived'". A £3m investment was scheduled for Greenock Town Centre and there was also plan to create a new cruise visitor centre with other investment funds being expected.

References

External links

Inverclyde Council website
{{Authority control Council areas of Scotland Firth of Clyde