| Falkirk | |
| Native Name: | Scots: Fawkirk Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: An Eaglais Bhreac |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Council logo |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 150px |
| Seat Type: | Admin HQ |
| Seat: | Falkirk |
| Governing Body: | Falkirk Council |
| Leader Title: | Control |
| Leader Name: | SNP minority (council NOC) |
| Leader Title1: | MPs |
| Leader Name1: | |
| Subdivision Type: | Sovereign state |
| Subdivision Name: | United Kingdom |
| Subdivision Type2: | Council area |
| Subdivision Type3: | Lieutenancy area |
| Subdivision Name1: | Scotland |
| Subdivision Name3: | Stirling and Falkirk |
| Leader Title2: | MSPs |
| Leader Name2: | |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Rank: | Ranked |
| Population Rank: | Ranked |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Area Code Type: | ONS code |
| Area Code: | S12000014 |
| Iso Code: | GB-FAL |
Falkirk (; Scots: Fawkirk pronounced as /sco/; Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: An Eaglais Bhreac) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas of Scotland. It was formed on 1 April 1996 by way of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 from the exact boundaries of Falkirk District, one of three parts of the Central region created in 1975, which was abolished at that time. Prior to the 1975 reorganisation, the majority of the council area was part of the historic county of Stirlingshire, and a small part, namely Bo'ness and Blackness, was part of the former county of West Lothian.
The council area borders with North Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian, and, across the Firth of Forth to the northeast, Clackmannanshire and Fife. The largest town is Falkirk; other settlements, most of which surround Falkirk within of its centre, include Bo'ness, Bonnybridge, Denny, Grangemouth, Larbert, Polmont, Shieldhill, Camelon and Stenhousemuir.
The council is led by the SNP which won 12 seats in the 2022 Council Election. The incumbent leader of is councillor Cecil Meiklejohn; the provost is Robert Bissett and the deputy provost is David Balfour.
The town of Falkirk was made a burgh in 1600, and was then governed by a town council (also known as the corporation) until 1975.[1] Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts were abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and replaced with upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. A new Falkirk District was created as one of three districts within the Central Region. The new district was significantly larger than the old Falkirk burgh, covering the whole area of eight former districts and part of a ninth, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
From Stirlingshire:
From West Lothian:
The resulting area could also be defined in terms of parishes as:
Banknock polling district only
The new district and its neighbour Stirling were together made a new Stirling and Falkirk lieutenancy area. The last Lord Lieutenant of Stirlingshire became the first Lord Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk.[3]
Local government was reformed again in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitary council areas. Central Region was abolished and each of the area's three districts, including Falkirk, became council areas.[4]
Largest settlements by population:
| Falkirk | |
| Grangemouth | |
| Bo'ness | |
| Larbert | |
| Stenhousemuir | |
| Denny | |
| Bonnybridge | |
| Polmont | |
| Brightons | |
| Maddiston | |
| Falkirk | |
| Coa Pic: | Falkirk Council.svg |
| Coa Res: | 150px |
| Leader1 Type: | Provost |
| Leader1: | Robert Bissett |
| Party1: | Labour |
| Election1: | 25 May 2022[5] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Cecil Meiklejohn |
| Party2: | SNP |
| Election2: | 25 May 2017[6] |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Kenneth Lawrie |
| Election3: | August 2018[7] |
| Members: | 30 councillors |
| Structure1: | Falkirk_Council_2024.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Political Groups1: | SNP (11) Labour (9) Independents (6) Conservatives (4) |
| Voting System1: | Single transferable vote |
| Last Election1: | 5 May 2022 |
| Next Election1: | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting Place: | Falkirk |
The first election to Falkirk 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:[8]
Falkirk District Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–1977 | ||
| 1977–1980 | ||
| 1980–1992 | ||
| 1992–1996 | ||
Falkirk Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–1999 | ||
| 1999– | ||
The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:[9]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2001 | May 2007 | |||
| Linda Gow | 18 May 2007 | Jan 2010 | ||
| Craig Martin | 28 Jan 2010 | 4 May 2017 | ||
| Cecil Meiklejohn | 25 May 2017 | |||
From the district council's creation in 1975, it was based at the Municipal Buildings on West Bridge Street in Falkirk, which had been built for the former Falkirk Town Council and had been formally opened on 21 January 1966.[10] The building was part of a complex which also included a courthouse, a clinic, and an events venue and theatre called Falkirk Town Hall. Prior to 1966 the town council had been based at the old Municipal Buildings at 12–14 Newmarket Street in the town centre, which had been built in 1879.
After deciding the 1966 building was uneconomic to repair and maintain, the council vacated the Municipal Buildings in 2020 pending their demolition.[11] The attached Falkirk Town Hall closed in 2023.[12] Since 2020, the council's offices have been distributed across several buildings throughout the area.[13] [14] It was subsequently decided to build a new headquarters on the site of the former Callendar Square shopping centre in central Falkirk. Work began on the site in May 2024, and the new building is projected to be completed in 2027.[15]
Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[8]
| Year | Seats | SNP | Labour | Conservative | Independent / Other | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 8 | 23 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 32 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 6 | New ward boundaries.[16] | ||
| 32 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 7 | |||
| 32 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 3 | New ward boundaries.[17] | ||
| 32 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 30 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 2 | New ward boundaries.[18] | ||
| 30 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 4 | |||
For the purposes of elections to Falkirk Council, the area is divided geographically into a number of wards which then elect either three or four councillors each by the Single Transferable Vote system. The electoral system of local councils in Scotland is governed by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, an Act of the Scottish Parliament which first introduced proportional representation to councils. These electoral wards are as follows:[18]
| Ward number | Name | Location | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bo'ness and Blackness | 3 | |
| 2 | Grangemouth | 3 | |
| 3 | Denny and Banknock | 4 | |
| 4 | Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst | 4 | |
| 5 | Bonnybridge and Larbert | 3 | |
| 6 | Falkirk North | 4 | |
| 7 | Falkirk South | 3 | |
| 8 | Lower Braes | 3 | |
| 9 | Upper Braes | 3 | |
The area is divided into 23 community council areas, eleven of which have community councils as at 2023, being those with asterisks.[19]