Central region was a
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
from 1975 to 1996, being one of twelve such regions across Scotland. The Regional Council's headquarters were at
Viewforth in
Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
, which had been previously the headquarters of
Stirlingshire County Council. Since 1996 the area has been divided into the
council areas of
Clackmannanshire,
Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
and
Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
, which had previously been districts within Central region.
History
Central region was created in 1975 under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government across mainland Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Central region covered the whole area of the
county of
Clackmannanshire, most of
Stirlingshire and parts of
Perthshire and
West Lothian, which were all abolished for local government purposes at the same time. Central region was divided into three districts, called
Clackmannan,
Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
, and
Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
.
The
Dunblane massacre occurred within the last month of Central Regional Council's existence at one of its primary schools, in
Dunblane. 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.
Central region was abolished in 1996 under the
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which replaced regions and districts with
unitary council areas. Each of Central's three districts became a separate council area, with Clackmannan district changing its name to Clackmannanshire with effect from 1 April 1996, being the day the new arrangements came in to effect.
The
Central Scotland Police force, created in 1975 using the same boundaries as the region, was merged into
Police Scotland 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 became part of the new
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
There continue to be electoral, valuation, and health boards for the area; the latter is called
NHS Forth Valley.
Political control
The first election to Central Regional Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 was as follows:
Premises

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
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
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.
File:Stirling from Braehead - December 2004 - geograph.org.uk - 254316.jpg, View of Stirling
File:FalkirkHighStreet.jpg, Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
High Street
File:Main Street, Clackmannan.JPG, Clackmannan Main Street
References
External links
*
Regions of Scotland
Clackmannanshire
Falkirk (council area)
Stirling (council area)
1975 establishments in Scotland
1996 disestablishments in Scotland
States and territories established in 1975
States and territories disestablished in 1996
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