Inverness (district)

57°28′39″N 4°13′30″W / 57.47743°N 4.22495°W / 57.47743; -4.22495

Inverness
District

History
 • Created16 May 1975
 • Abolished31 March 1996
 • Succeeded byHighland
 • HQInverness
Contained within
 • RegionHighland Region

Inverness District was a local government district, created in 1975 as one of eight districts within the Highland region in Scotland. It was named after its largest settlement of Inverness, where its council was based. The district also included a large rural area, including Loch Ness. The district was abolished in 1996 when Highland was made a single-tier council area. Since then, the Highland Council has had an area committee covering a similar area to the abolished district.

History

The district was created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which abolished Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts and replaced them with a two-tier system of regions and districts. The new district covered three former districts, all of which had been part of Inverness-shire:[1][2]

  • Aird district (which covered the rural areas generally west of Loch Ness)
  • Inverness burgh
  • Inverness district (which covered the rural areas generally east of Loch Ness)

Inverness District Council was a district-level authority, with regional-level functions provided by the Highland Regional Council, which was also based in Inverness.[1]

The districts and regions created in 1975 were abolished in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and replaced with single-tier council areas. The Highland region became one of the new council areas.[3]

The Highland Council has a number of area committees for debating local matters. One of the committees is called the City of Inverness Area Committee (Inverness having been granted city status in 2000, after the district's abolition), comprising the councillors who represent the wards which broadly correspond to the pre-1996 Inverness District.[4][5]

Political control

The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the district and its council formally came into being on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council was as follows:[6]

Party in control Years
Independent 1975–1988
No overall control 1988–1996

Premises

Inverness Town House: Council's headquarters

Inverness District Council met and had its main offices at Inverness Town House on the High Street in the centre of Inverness, which had been completed in 1882 for the old Inverness Town Council.[7][8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 26 August 2024
  2. ^ "Quarter-inch Administrative Areas Maps: Scotland, Sheet 4, 1969". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 39, retrieved 17 April 2023
  4. ^ "City of Inverness Area Committee". The Highland Council. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  7. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street, Town House (LB35260)". Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  8. ^ Municipal Year Book. Municipal Journal. 1976. p. 1051.
  9. ^ "No. 23945". The Edinburgh Gazette. 1 March 1996. p. 516.