Clackmannanshire Siorrachd Chlach Mhanann (Scottish Gaelic) | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Clackmannanshire shown withinScotland | |
| Coordinates:56°10′N3°45′W / 56.167°N 3.750°W /56.167; -3.750 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Unitary authority | 1 April 1996 |
| Administrative HQ | Kilncraigs,Alloa |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council |
| • Body | Clackmannanshire Council |
| • Control | No overall control |
| • MPs | 2 MPs |
| • MSPs | Keith Brown (SNP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 61 sq mi (159 km2) |
| • Rank | 30th |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 52,110 |
| • Rank | 29th |
| • Density | 850/sq mi (327/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-CLK |
| GSS code | S12000005 |
| Website | www |
Clackmannanshire (/klækˈmænənˌʃɪər,-ʃər/ ⓘ;Scots:Clackmannanshire;Scottish Gaelic:Siorrachd Chlach Mhanann), or theCounty of Clackmannan, is ahistoric county,council area,registration county andlieutenancy area inScotland, bordering the council areas ofStirling,Fife, andPerth and Kinross. To the south, it is separated fromFalkirk by theFirth of Forth. In terms of historic counties it bordersPerthshire,Stirlingshire andFife.
The name consists of elements from three languages. The first element is fromScottish Gaelic:Clach meaning "Stone". Mannan is a derivative of theBrythonic name of theManaw, the Iron Age tribe who inhabited the area. The final element is the English word shire. As Britain's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed "The Wee County". When written, Clackmannanshire is commonly abbreviated toClacks.
Clackmannanshire takes its name from the original county town ofClackmannan, which is named after a stone anciently associated with the pre-Christian deity Manau or Mannan.[3][4] The stone now rests on a larger stone beside the surviving tower ofClackmannan Tolbooth and the Mercat Cross at the top of Main street, Clackmannan.[5]
Clackmannanshire became known for the weaving mills powered by theHillfoots burns. Other industries included brewing, glass manufacture, mining and ship building. Now capitalising on its central position and transport links, Clackmannanshire attracts service industries and tourism.
The motto of Clackmannanshire is "Look Aboot Ye" (Circumspice inLatin). In 2007 a re-branding exercise led to the area adopting the slogan "More Than You Imagine".[6]
Clackmannanshire's origins as ashire (the area controlled by asheriff) are unclear; it had certainly become a shire by 1305, with some suggestion that it may have already existed in the early 1200s.[7]
The county town was originally Clackmannan, where thetolbooth was built in 1592 to serve as the sheriff court for the county.Commissioners of Supply were established in 1667 to act as the main administrative body for the shire. In 1822 the sheriff court and meeting place of the commissioners was moved from Clackmannan toAlloa, which had grown to become the more significant town.[8]County Buildings was built in 1865 at the corner of Mar Street and Drysdale Street in Alloa to serve as the courthouse and meeting place for the commissioners.[9][10]
Elected county councils were established in 1890 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1889, taking most of the functions of the commissioners (which were eventually abolished in 1930). Clackmannanshire County Council held its first meeting on 22 May 1890 at the County Buildings in Alloa, which would serve as the county council's headquarters until its abolition in 1975.[11]
The 1889 act also led to a review of boundaries, with severalexclaves being transferred to a county they actually bordered, and parishes which straddled more than one county being adjusted such that each parish was entirely in a single county. These changes saw Clackmannanshire cedeCambuskenneth toStirlingshire, whilst it gainedAlva from Stirlingshire and parts of Alloa parish which had been inPerthshire.[12]
Clackmannanshire County Council was abolished in 1975 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which replaced Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts with a two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tierdistricts. Clackmannanshire became part of theCentral region and a Clackmannan district was created covering the pre-1975 county plus the parish ofMuckhart, which had been in Perthshire prior to 1975.[13]
Further local government reforms in 1996 under theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the regions and districts created in 1975 abolished and replaced withcouncil areas providing all local government services. Clackmannan district became one of the new council areas, taking on the functions of the abolished Central Regional Council.[14] The 1994 act originally named the new council area "Clackmannan", but the shadow authority elected in 1995 requested a change of name to "Clackmannanshire", which was agreed by the government before the new council area came into force on 1 April 1996.[15]
Clackmannanshire Council Comhairle Siorrachd Chlach Mhanann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leadership | |
Ellen Forson, SNP since 12 Apr 2018 | |
Nikki Bridle since July 2018[17] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 18 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Kilncraigs, Greenside Street,Alloa, FK10 1EB | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The council has been underno overall control since 2007. It has been run by aScottish National Partyminority administration since 2017.[18]
The first election to Clackmannan District 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. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the change to council areas which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control since 1975 has been as follows:[19]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1975–1977 | |
| SNP | 1977–1980 | |
| Labour | 1980–1996 | |
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1996–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2000 | |
| SNP | 2000–2003 | |
| Labour | 2003–2007 | |
| No overall control | 2007–present | |
The role ofconvener is largely ceremonial in Clackmannanshire. They chair full council meetings and act as the council's civic figurehead. Political leadership is provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teresa McNally[20][21][22] | Labour | 1 Apr 1996 | Feb 1998 | |
| Jim Watson[22][23] | Labour | Feb 1998 | May 1999 | |
| Keith Brown[23][24] | SNP | May 1999 | 2003 | |
| Margaret Paterson[25][26] | Labour | 2003 | May 2007 | |
| Janet Cadenhead[27][28] | Labour | 24 May 2007 | 23 Sep 2010 | |
| Sam Ovens[29][30][31] | Labour | 23 Sep 2010 | 6 Jan 2012 | |
| Gary Womersley[30][32][33] | SNP | 6 Jan 2012 | 3 Nov 2014 | |
| Les Sharp[32][34][35] | SNP | 3 Nov 2014 | 12 May 2016 | |
| Bobby McGill[36][37] | Labour | 2 Jun 2016 | 21 Feb 2017 | |
| Graham Watt[38][39] | Labour | 23 Feb 2017 | 23 Feb 2017 | |
| Les Sharp[40][18][41] | SNP | 9 Mar 2017 | Apr 2018 | |
| Ellen Forson[41] | SNP | 12 Apr 2018 | ||
Following the2022 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in December 2022, the composition of the council was:[42]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| SNP | 8 | |
| Labour | 5 | |
| Conservative | 3 | |
| Green | 1 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | |
The next election is due in 2027.[43]
Since 2014, the council has been based at Kilncraigs, on Greenside Street in Alloa.
After the 1975 local government reorganisation, the old meeting place of Clackmannanshire County Council at the County Buildings reverted to being solely a courthouse, and the old county council's offices in converted houses along nearby Marshill passed to the Central Regional Council. Clackmannan District Council acquired a modern office building called The Whins on Whins Road to serve as its headquarters, and also took over the former Alloa Town Council building at Greenfield House on Mar Place.[44]
Greenfield House had been built as a house in 1894 and had been bought by the old town council in 1952, with its gardens becoming a public park. In 1987 Greenfield House was extended, allowing it to become the district council's headquarters, with The Whins subsequently being turned into the Alloa Business Centre. Greenfield House then served as the council's headquarters until 2014.[45][46][47]
In 2014 the council moved to Kilncraigs, which had been built in 1904 as the offices, factory and warehouse ofJohn Paton, Son and Co, manufacturers of knitting yarn. After the factory closed the whole building had been converted to offices in 2004.[48][49]
Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under thesingle transferable vote system, introduced by theLocal Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[19]
| Year | Seats | SNP | Labour | Conservative | Green | Liberal Democrats | Independent / Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[50] |
| 2003 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | New ward boundaries.[51] |
| 2012 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[52] |
| 2022 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Since 2007, the council area has been divided into five multi-memberwards:
| Ward number | Location | Ward name | Settlements | Seats | Population (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Clackmannanshire West | Menstrie, Glenochil,Tullibody,Cambus | 4 | 12,606[53] |
| 2 |  | Clackmannanshire North | Alva,Tillicoultry,Coalsnaughton | 4 | 10,731[54] |
| 3 |  | Clackmannanshire Central | Sauchie,Fishcross,Alloa[a] | 3 | 7,936[55] |
| 4 |  | Clackmannanshire South | Alloa[b] | 4 | 11,618[56] |
| 5 |  | Clackmannanshire East | Clackmannan,Dollar,Muckhart,Kennet,Forestmill,Solsgirth,Alloa[c] | 3 | 8,649[57] |
| Total | 18 | 51,540 |
The council area is divided into ninecommunity council areas, eight of which havecommunity councils as at 2023, being those marked with an asterisk below.[58]
Since 2006, Clackmannanshire has been twinned withVendargues, in southernFrance, and withEspartinas, inAndalusia,Spain.[59]
Clackmannanshire's coat of arms isblazoned:
Or, a saltire gules; upon a chief vert, between two gauntlets proper, a pale argent charged with a pallet sable.
The red saltire on gold is taken from the arms of theClan Bruce. According to legend,Robert Bruce mislaid his gauntlets while visiting the county, and upon asking where he could find them was told to "look aboot ye" (hence the motto). The greenchief represents the county's agriculture, while the black and whitepale is taken from the arms of theClan Erskine whose chief theEarl of Mar lives atAlloa Tower.Sir Thomas Bruce 1st Baron of Clackmannan was a member of the House of Bruce and received lands in Clackmannan from his cousinRobert II.
In the2014 Scottish independence referendum, Clackmannanshire was the first council area to declare its result. Though some predictions had seen the area as being favourable towards the "Yes" side, the "No" vote took 53.8% of the area's vote. This was seen as an early sign that Scotland would vote against independence.[60]
In the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, Clackmannanshire voted by 58% to remain.[61]
The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 50,401 residents aged three and over, 18,802 (37.3%) considered themselves able to speak or read the Scots language.[62] This puts Clackmannanshire as the council area with the ninth highest proficiency in Scots.
The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 50,402 residents aged three and over, 520 (1%) considered themselves able to speak or readGaelic.[63]
In terms of population, Clackmannanshire is thesmallest council area in mainland Scotland. Its population was 52,110 in 2024,[2] around half of whom live in the main town and administrative centre,Alloa.
TheOchil Hills dominate the northern third of the county, whereBen Cleuch, Clackmannanshire's highest point, can be found. The northernmost salient of the county lies along the Upper Glendevon Reservoir.Strathdevon is immediately to the south of the steep escarpment formed by theOchil Fault, along which theHillfoots Villages are located. Strathdevon mostly comprises a lowland plain a few hundred metres either side of theRiver Devon, which joins theForth nearCambus. There is also theBlack Devon river that flows past the town ofClackmannan to join the Forth near Alloa. This confluence once had a small pier, forportage to Dunmore pier on the south shore, andanchorage of smaller sailing ships, while others of greater tonnage could be accepted at Dunmore pier on the opposite banks of the Forth. Roughly in the centre of the county lies the Gartmorn Dam County Park, and there are small patches of forest in the south-east of the county. Two unnamed peninsulas are formed bymeanders in the river Forth along Clackmannanshire's southern boundary; the easternmost of these has two small islands -Tullibody Inch andAlloa Inch - either side of it.
The main industries areagriculture,brewing, and formerlycoal mining. In 2006, permission was given for a waterfront development of the Docks area of Alloa, which has been in decline since the 1960s.[citation needed] There is a largeglass works at Alloa.[64]
Alloa railway station reopened in May 2008; prior to this the county had no active railway stations. A newrailway line was completed which connectedKincardine and Stirling, and thus reconnecting Alloa to the national rail network for the first time since 1968, was opened to the public. Scheduled passenger services operate only between Alloa and Stirling and onwards to Glasgow and Edinburgh; the line to Kincardine is normally used by freight trains only but some special excursion trains are run by charter operators. An opening ceremony was held on Thursday 15 May 2008, with the first fully functioning passenger service commencing in the new summer timetable on 19 May 2008.[65][66] The service provides an hourly connection between Alloa, Stirling and Glasgow Queen Street.
TheClackmannanshire Bridge, a new road crossing of the Forth intended to ease congestion and pressure on the olderKincardine Bridge, opened in 2008 (technically the span of the new bridge is not within the county, instead falling just outside it and administratively divided betweenFalkirk andFife).
Major roads in the area are theA91 betweenBannockburn andSt Andrews which is the main thoroughfare through theHillfoots Villages, theA907 betweenStirling andDunfermline which passes through Alloa and Clackmannan, theA908 connecting Alloa and Tillicountry, and theA977 (fed by theA876) betweenKincardine andKinross which runs east of Clackmannan.
| Settlement | Population (2020)[67] |
|---|---|
| Alloa | 14,440 |
| Tullibody | 8,490 |
| Sauchie | 6,310 |
| Alva | 4,630 |
| Tillicoultry | 4,620 |
| Clackmannan | 3,260 |
| Menstrie | 2,870 |
| Dollar | 2,840 |
| Coalsnaughton | 1,290 |
| Glenochil | 750 |
Local government areas ofScotland, in use 1975 to 1996 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Borders |  | |
| Central | ||
| Dumfries and Galloway | ||
| Fife | ||
| Grampian | ||
| Highland | ||
| Lothian | ||
| Strathclyde | ||
| Tayside | ||
| Island areas1 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
