The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo 5 c. 25) reorganised

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-loc ...

in Scotland from 1930, introducing joint

county councils A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

, large and small

burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Bur ...

s and district councils. The Act also abolished the Scottish

poor law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of he ...

system with institutions passing to the local authorities. The Act was drafted by Walter Elliot, the Unionist (

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

) politician who became later (1936)

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...

Parish councils and poor law

The parish councils that had been introduced by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1894 were dissolved. Their responsibilities regarding poor law passed to the county council, other powers passing to the new district councils. Another major effect of the Act was the ending of the

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of he ...

system, which had largely been administered by the parish councils. Their responsibilities in this area – now known as "Public Assistance" – passed to the county councils, large burghs and counties of cities.

Abolition of Commissioners of Supply

Commissioners of Supply Commissioners of Supply were local administrative bodies in Scotland from 1667 to 1930. Originally established in each sheriffdom to collect tax, they later took on much of the responsibility for the local government of the counties of Scotland. ...

had been established for each county in 1667, but had lost most of their powers to the county councils formed in 1890 under the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 50) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland. In this it foll ...

. The commissioners' remaining powers were to form part of a standing joint committee which acted as the police authority for the county. The 1929 Act dissolved the standing committees and the commissioners ceased to exist. The county and city education authorities that had been formed in 1919 were also abolished, with their functions and powers passing to the counties and counties of cities.

Changes to burghs

The county councils created in 1890 had not had authority over some

burghs A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Bur ...

. Those burghs whose population had been 7,000 or more in the 1881 census and which either ran their own police force or were royal burghs which returned or contributed towards a

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

had been independent from the county councils.

Large burghs and small burghs

The 1929 Act brought all burghs under the control of a county council, except for the four burghs which were counties of cities (being

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, and

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 popu ...

). The burghs were categorised as either being a " large burgh" (generally those with a population of 20,000 or more) or a "

small burgh Small burghs were units of local government in Scotland created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 in 1930. The Act reclassified existing burghs into two classes, large and small burghs. While large burghs became largely independent of t ...

". The large burghs retained substantial powers of self-government. The small burghs ceded many of their powers to the county council. Councillors were directly elected for the landward part of each county (the area outside any burghs), whilst councillors for the burghs were co-opted by the town councils. A councillor co-opted for a burgh was not allowed to vote on matters relating to functions that the county council did not provide in that burgh. The Act did not contain a list of large and small burghs. They were eventually listed in the schedule to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947.

United burghs

The Act united a number of adjacent burghs under a single town council (listed in Schedule 2): * Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester * Elie, Liberty & Williamsburgh and Earlsferry *

Bonnyrigg Bonnyrigg ( sco, Bonnyrigg) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, eight miles (13 kilometres) southeast of Edinburgh city centre. The town had a population of 14,663 in the 2001 census which rose to 15,677 in the 2011 census, both figures based o ...

and

Lasswade Lasswade is a village and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River North Esk, nine miles (14.5 kilometres) south of Edinburgh city centre, contiguous with Bonnyrigg and between Dalkeith to the east and Loanhead to the west. Melville ...

* Blairgowrie and Rattray *

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011 ...

and Dysart Where any of the merging towns was a royal burgh this status was to be continued in the united burgh. The four royal burghs that were counties of cities were largely unaffected by the Act, except that they assumed responsibility for public assistance and education.

Changes to county councils

For most local government purposes the counties of

Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are c ...

and

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, and of

Nairn Nairn (; gd, Inbhir Narann) is a town and royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness, at the point where the River Nairn enters the Moray Firth. It is the tradit ...

and

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland (council area), ...

were to be combined. The counties were to continue to exist, with individual county councils being elected, but they were to form a joint county council. The joint council was, however, permitted to delegate functions to either of the individual county councils. With the redistribution of powers between counties, large burghs and small burghs, the method of electing the county council was changed. The council was to be partly directly elected and partly chosen by the town councils of large burghs. Each large burgh was to nominate one (or more depending on population) members of the town council to the county council. The rest of the county was divided into electoral divisions (consisting of landward parishes) and small burghs, each returning single members. The first elections to the reconstituted county councils took place in November and December 1929.

District councils

The reconstituted county councils were obliged to submit a district council scheme to the

by 1 February 1930, dividing the landward part of the county into districts.Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, S.25(1) The original bill had not included district councils, with the county council assuming all powers outside burghs. The intermediate level of administration was introduced following

backbench In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of th ...

pressure. Each district was to consist of one or more electoral divisions used for electing county councillors. The scheme specified the number of elected councillors. The county councillors elected for the division were to be ''ex officio'' members of the district council. The first elections of district councillors took place on 8 April 1930. It was not required for districts to be formed in Kinross-shire and Nairnshire unless the joint county council so directed. In the event, a district council was formed for the landward part of Nairnshire, but Kinross-shire county council performed the functions of a district council.

Services provided by the councils

Following the reorganisations of 1929 and 1930 the different tiers of Scottish local government were responsible for the following major services: ‡ Outside large burghs † Where the burgh had a population of 50,000 or more, or had a separate police force in existence.Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, S.3(3)

References

Bibliography

* Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo.5 c.25) * Michael Lynch, '' Scotland: A New History'',

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Victor ...

1993, pp. 435 and 436. {{UK legislation 1929 in law History of local government in Scotland Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning Scotland United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1929 1929 in Scotland Scottish Poor Laws