Royal Commission on Local Government in Scotland

Its recommendations led to a new system of regional and district councils, introduced in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

[2] These structures had mainly been introduced in the late 19th century, and were largely based on units that dated back to the Middle Ages.

Below the counties would be a second tier of councils (which were not named) formed by merging burghs and districts exercising powers over purely local services.

[4] In February 1966 the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, announced to the Commons that a royal commission would be appointed to review local administration in Scotland.

There was general agreement that there needed to be a reduction in the number of local authorities, and that a new two-tier structure should be formed.

This would be done by regional authorities choosing to establish "local committees" and by the creation of non-statutory community councils where there was demand.

Councillors were to receive payment for their services, as it was felt that local representatives often made considerable financial sacrifices, and there was no allowance for secretarial or administration costs.

[12] Following the 1970 general election the Conservatives returned to power, and in February 1971 produced a white paper Reform of Local Government in Scotland (Cmnd.

[14] On 22 December 1971 the Secretary of State, Gordon Campbell, made a parliamentary statement outlining the government's response to the observations received.

The main points that had been raised were: The government accepted the formation of a Western Isles islands area, but rejected the creation of a Fife region.