Wheatley Commission: 1971

[afleitch]

I have managed to get a hold of the original recommendations for the regional and district councils in Scotland (which coincidentally disbanded 10 years ago tommorrow) and they show some interesting proposals. I will make a map and play around with possible constituencies as a result (which would have been implemented in time for 1983)

I can also get hold of the England and Wales report, so I will try to do those at a later date

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I've got a lot of stuff on the pre-Heath massacre boundaries so I might do something similer...

[afleitch]

I find myself agreeing more with Wheatley than what came later. Glasgiow is the size it really should be, Argyll coupled with the Highlands and so on

[afleitch]

First up, southern Scotland

Dark lines are regional boundaries, thin lines are district boundaries.




SOUTH EAST REGION
--------------------------
Kirkcaldy DC
Dunfermline DC
Edinburgh CC
West Lothian DC
Mid and East Lothian DC
Borders DC.

Note that Fife is divided and the southern areas are part of this region. Grangemouth is now in Central and the Borders is a DC not a Region in it's own right

CENTRAL REGION
---------------------
Falkirk Grangemouth DC
Stirling Clackmannan DC

Similar to the eventual region but if you look carefully it extends further into Tayside and Lothian but looses more land to the area around Dumbarton and the Glasgow periphery.

WEST REGION
-----------------

Dumbarton DC
Glasgow CC
Kirkintilloch Cumbernauld DC (probably renamed Kilsyth)
Coatbridge Airdrie DC (probably renamed Monklands)
Motherwell DC
Hamilton East Kilbride DC
Lanark DC (probably renamed Clydesdale)
Paisley DC (probably renamed Renfrew)
Greenock Cowal and Bute DC (!)
North Ayrshire DC
South Ayrshire DC

Less councils here, no Eastwood, no Strathkelvin etc. Glasgow is much bigger. But Greenock Cowall and Bute DC would not have survived. Greenock would have been combined with Renfrew and Cowal with Dumbarton. Otherwise a fair arrangement that would have kept Argyll out of the region.

SOUTHWEST REGION
--------------------------

Dumfries Kirkudbright DC
Wigtown DC

EDIT: map change

[Democratic Hawk]

Andrew,

Your maps are always ace. I look forward to seeing them

Dave

[afleitch]

Part II

While at first it look similar, there are a few far reaching differences.



NORTH EAST REGION
--------------------------

Moray-Banff DC
Banff-Buchan DC
Dee-Don and North Kincardine DC
Aberdeen CC

The southern part of what we now call Moray (which was then in Banff) has been lost to another region. Aberdeen is similar in shape, but extended further south.

EAST REGION
----------------

Angus and South Kincardine DC
Perth and Kinross DC
Dundee CC
North Fife DC

Angus now has a chunk of Kincardine including Laurencekirk and Inverbervie. Dundee suprisingly crosses the Tay (the Tay Bridge would be the justification for that) taking in Newport and Tayport. North Fife (St Andrews, Cupar, Auchtermuchty and all) is also part of this region, with industrial Fife in the South East.