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Clackmannanshire Council

Comhairle Siorrachd Chlach Mhanann
Coat of arms of Clackmannanshire
Coat of arms
Council logo
Clackmannanshire Council logo
Type
Type
History
Preceded byClackmannan District Council (1975-1996)
Leadership
Phil Fairlie,
SNP
since 25 May 2022[1]
Ellen Forson,
SNP
since 12 Apr 2018
Nikki Bridle
since July 2018[2]
Structure
Seats18 councillors
Political groups
Administration (8)
  SNP (8)
Other parties (10)
  Labour (5)
  Conservative (3)
  Green (1)
  Independent (1)
Elections
Single transferable vote
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Kilncraigs, Greenside Street, Alloa, FK10 1EB
Website
www.clacks.gov.uk

Clackmannanshire Council (Scottish Gaelic: Comhairle Siorrachd Chlach Mhanann) is the local government authority for the Clackmannanshire council area.

History

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Shire of Clackmannan (c. 1200-1889)

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Clackmannanshire's origins as a shire (the area controlled by a sheriff) are unclear; it had certainly become a shire by 1305, with some suggestion that it may have already existed in the early 1200s.[3]

The county town was originally Clackmannan, where the tolbooth 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 to Alloa, which had grown to become the more significant town.[4] 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.[5][6]

Clackmannanshire County Council (1890-1975)

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Clackmannanshire County Council was established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, officially taking office in May 1890. The county council took over the administrative duties previously held by the unelected Commissioners of Supply and the Justices of the peace. Headquartered in the county town of Alloa, the council initially oversaw basic regional infrastructure, including roads, public health, and sanitation. Over the course of the 20th century, its remit expanded significantly to include public education and the construction of social housing, remaining the area's primary governing body until its abolition in 1975

The 1889 act also led to a review of boundaries, with several exclaves 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 cede Cambuskenneth to Stirlingshire, whilst it gained Alva from Stirlingshire and parts of Alloa parish which had been in Perthshire.[7]

Clackmannan District Council (1975-1996)

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Following the major local government overhaul mandated by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the old county structure was dissolved in favour of a two-tier system, Clackmannanshire became Clackmannan District Council, within Central Regional Council. Clackmannan District council covered the pre-1975 county plus the parish of Muckhart, which had been in Perthshire prior to 1975.[8]

Under this two-tier framework, most powers, including, education, social work, police, and fire services, were reserved to the Central Regional Council in Stirling. Clackmannan District Council was left with only local responsibilities, such as housing management, planning applications, parks, and bin collection.

Clackmannanshire Council (1996-Present)

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Local government was reorganised again in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, abolishing the two-tier large regional and local district council system in favour of medium size unitary councils. Unitary councils provide all local government services. Clackmannan district became one of the new council areas, taking on the functions of the abolished Central Regional Council.[9] 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.[10]

Clackmannanshire, being the smallest mainland council, commonly known as the "Wee County" faced some financial struggles when transitioning to a unitary council. For example, in the early 2000s Clackmannanshire had to build three new schools. Due to a lack of central funding alternatives, they entered into a private finance initiative (PFI) deal, as the option at the time was taking a PFI deal, or receiving no funding at all, in which case they would fail to reach their statutory education requirements.[11] In 2025, the council was spending 52p of every £1 raised on the PFI interest.[12][13] It is expected that the loan payments will peak in 2029, and the contract will conclude in 2041.[14]

Governance

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Political control

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The council has been under no overall control since 2007. It has been run by a Scottish National Party minority administration since 2017.[15]

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:[16]

Clackmannan District Council
Party in controlYears
No overall control1975–1977
SNP1977–1980
Labour1980–1996
Clackmannanshire Council
Party in controlYears
Labour1996–1999
No overall control1999–2000
SNP2000–2003
Labour2003–2007
No overall control2007–present

Leadership

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The role of convener is largely ceremonial in Clackmannanshire. They chair full council meetings and act as the council's civic figurehead. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Teresa McNally[17][18][19]Labour1 Apr 1996Feb 1998
Jim Watson[19][20]LabourFeb 1998May 1999
Keith Brown[20][21]SNPMay 19992003
Margaret Paterson[22][23]Labour2003May 2007
Janet Cadenhead[24][25]Labour24 May 200723 Sep 2010
Sam Ovens[26][27][28]Labour23 Sep 20106 Jan 2012
Gary Womersley[27][29][30]SNP6 Jan 20123 Nov 2014
Les Sharp[29][31][32]SNP3 Nov 201412 May 2016
Bobby McGill[33][34]Labour2 Jun 201621 Feb 2017
Graham Watt[35][36]Labour23 Feb 201723 Feb 2017
Les Sharp[37][15][38]SNP9 Mar 2017Apr 2018
Ellen Forson[38]SNP12 Apr 2018

Composition

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Following the 2022 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in December 2022, the composition of the council was:[39]

Party Councillors
SNP8
Labour5
Conservative3
Green1
Independent1
Total 18

The next election is due in 2027.[40]

Premises

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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.[41]

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.[42][43][44]

In 2014 the council moved to Kilncraigs, which had been built in 1904 as the offices, factory and warehouse of John Paton, Son and Co, manufacturers of knitting yarn. After the factory closed the whole building had been converted to offices in 2004.[45][46]

Elections

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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:[16]

Year Seats SNP Labour Conservative Green Liberal Democrats Independent / Other Notes
199512381000
199918981000New ward boundaries.[47]
2003186101001
200718781011New ward boundaries.[48]
201218881001
201718855000New ward boundaries.[49]
202218953100

Wards

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Since 2007, the council area has been divided into five multi-member wards:

Ward
number		 Location Ward name Settlements Seats Population
(2019)
1 Clackmannanshire West Menstrie, Glenochil, Tullibody, Cambus 4 12,606[50]
2 Clackmannanshire North Alva, Tillicoultry, Coalsnaughton 4 10,731[51]
3 Clackmannanshire Central Sauchie, Fishcross, Alloa[a] 3 7,936[52]
4 Clackmannanshire South Alloa[b] 4 11,618[53]
5 Clackmannanshire East Clackmannan, Dollar, Muckhart, Kennet, Forestmill, Solsgirth, Alloa[c] 3 8,649[54]
Total 18 51,540

Communities

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The council area is divided into nine community council areas, eight of which have community councils as at 2023, being those marked with an asterisk below.[55]

  1. ↑ Clackmannanshire Central covers north-eastern parts of Alloa (Branshill, Fairfield, Hallpark, Whins, Woodlea).
  2. ↑ Clackmannanshire South covers most of Alloa other than north-eastern parts and the modern Alloa Park development in the south-east.
  3. ↑ Clackmannanshire East covers the Alloa Park development since 2017 – the addition of which was the only boundary change in a 2017 national review.

References

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  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 25 May 2022" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Nikki appointed as chief executive for Clacks". Alloa Advertiser. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Chalmers, George (1894). Caledonia (Volume 7). Paisley: Alexander Gardner. p. 89. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Clackmannan Tolbooth, Mercat Cross and Clackmannan Stone, Main Street, Clackmannan (Category A Listed Building LB1947)". Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Alloa Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court (LB20970)". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "County Office, Mar Street, Alloa". Canmore. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  7. ↑ Shennan, Hay (1892). Boundaries of counties and parishes in Scotland as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. Edinburgh: W. Green. p. 271. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 17 April 2023
  9. ↑ "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 39, retrieved 17 April 2023
  10. ↑ "Historical information on changes to electoral arrangements of Local authorities, Parliamentary areas and European Parliamentary boundaries". Boundary-Line Downloads. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 August 2025. (See downloadable boundary-legislation-changes-from-1973.xls spreadsheet.)
  11. ↑ "Schools: statutory guidance". GOV.UK. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Taxpayers to pay £600m repaying private firms for hospital and school construction". The Herald. 6 June 2026. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Verifying Device". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "In data - the full costs of Scotland's PFI schools". The Herald. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  15. 1 2 "SNP forms new Clackmannanshire Council administration". BBC News. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Clackmannan" in search box to see specific results.)
  17. ↑ Blackburn, Rachel (28 April 1995). "First meeting - after 666 years". Stirling Observer. p. 5. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "The changing face of Scotland". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 27 March 1996. p. 5. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Watson takes over Clacks leader reins". Stirling Observer. 27 February 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  20. 1 2 "Clacks swings to SNP". Stirling Observer. 14 May 1999. p. 11. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "People: Keith Brown". Scottish National Party (SNP). Archived from the original on 16 January 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
  22. ↑ "Clackmannanshire Council: the audit of Best Value and Community Planning". Audit Scotland. Accounts Commission. p. 3. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "Deputy Lieutenants". Lord Lieutenancy of Clackmannanshire. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  24. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2007". Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  25. ↑ "Clackmannanshire Council leader resigns from role". BBC News. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  26. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 September 2010" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  27. 1 2 "Council minutes, 6 January 2012" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  28. ↑ "SNP take control of Clackmannanshire Council". Alloa Advertiser. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  29. 1 2 "Council minutes, 23 October 2014" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  30. ↑ "Gary Womersley steps down from his role as council leader". Alloa Advertiser. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  31. ↑ "Council minutes, 12 May 2016" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  32. ↑ Burns, Ashleigh (13 May 2016). "The SNP tenders resignation as administration at Clackmannanshire Council during council meeting". Alloa Advertiser. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  33. ↑ "Council minutes, 2 June 2016" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  34. ↑ Smith, Iain (22 February 2017). "Clacks Council leader resigns over redundancies ahead of budget meeting". Alloa Advertiser. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  35. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 February 2017" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  36. ↑ Smith, Iain; Bakonyi, Rajmund (23 February 2017). "Labour resigns minutes after ousting their own leader". Alloa Advertiser. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  37. ↑ "Council minutes, 9 March 2017" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  38. 1 2 "Council minutes, 12 April 2018" (PDF). Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  39. ↑ Faulds, Chris (20 December 2022). "Alloa councillor to stand as independent after leaving SNP". Alloa Advertiser. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  40. ↑ "Clackmannanshire". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  41. ↑ 1984 Telephone Directory
  42. ↑ "Go-ahead for move to new HQ". Stirling Observer. 6 June 1986. p. 1. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  43. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Greenfield House (now District Council offices) (Category B Listed Building LB21010)". Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  44. ↑ Forsyth, Valerie (6 February 2019). "A walk in the past: The 1914 inferno at Greenfield House". Alloa Advertiser. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  45. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Greenside Street, Kilncraigs (Category A Listed Building LB20956)". Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  46. ↑ "Kilncraigs Building, Greenside Street, Alloa". Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  47. ↑ "The Clackmannanshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/3101, retrieved 20 April 2023
  48. ↑ Scottish Parliament. The Clackmannanshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
  49. ↑ Scottish Parliament. The Clackmannanshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2016 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
  50. ↑ Electoral Ward: Clackmannanshire West, Scottish Government Statistics
  51. ↑ Electoral Ward: Clackmannanshire North, Scottish Government Statistics
  52. ↑ Electoral Ward: Clackmannanshire Central, Scottish Government Statistics
  53. ↑ Electoral Ward: Clackmannanshire South, Scottish Government Statistics
  54. ↑ Electoral Ward: Clackmannanshire East, Scottish Government Statistics
  55. ↑ "Introduction to Community Councils". Clackmannanshire Council. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
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