Clackmannanshire

[klak-man-uhn]

Clackmannanshire, council area (1993 est. pop. 48,660), 60 sq mi (157 sq km), and former county, central Scotland. Under the Local Government Act of 1973, the county of Clackmannanshire (or Clackmannan) became (1975) part of the Central region. In the local government reorganization of 1996, the Central region was dissolved and the council area of Clackmannanshire was created.

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Clackmannanshire

Clackmannanshire (Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn in Gaelic; nicknamed "the wee county") and sometimes called Clacks is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area, bordering Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.

The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the former Clackmannan district of the Central region. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to include the county of Clackmannan and Muckhart area of the county of Perth.

According to the legislation of 1996, the council area was to have the name, Clackmannan, of the former district, but this was changed to Clackmannanshire, by the council using its own powers.

In terms of population, it is the smallest council area in mainland Scotland, with a population of 49,000, around half of whom live in the main town, Alloa, which is the administrative centre, having outgrown the town of Clackmannan in 1822.

The motto of Clackmannanshire was "Look Aboot Ye" (Circumspice in Latin), however this was dropped in 2007 as part of a re-branding exercise to "More Than You Imagine".

Council political composition

	Party	Councillors
	Labour	8
	Scottish National Party	7
	Conservative	1
	Liberal Democrat	1
	Independent	1

Geography

The Ochil Hills lie in the northern part of the area. It mostly comprises a lowland plain, forming the straths of the River Forth and of the River Devon, which joins the Forth near Cambus.

Economy

The main industries are agriculture, brewing, and formerly coal mining. In 2006, permission was given for a waterfront development of the Docks area of Alloa, which has been in decline since the 1960s.

Alloa railway station reopened in May 2008. A new railway line connecting Kincardine and Stirling, reconnecting Alloa to the national rail network for the first time since 1968 was opened to the public. Passenger services only operate towards Stirling, the line to Kincardine is for freight trains only. An opening ceremony was held on Thursday 15th May, with the first fully functioning passenger service commencing in the new summer timetable on 19th May 2008. The service provides an hourly connection between Alloa, Stirling and Glasgow Queen Street.

History

Between 1889 and 1975, the County of Clackmannan was a local government county, bordering on Perthshire, Stirlingshire and Fife. As Scotland's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed 'The Wee County'. It has local fame for its annual tap dancing festival - "click clack clackmannanshire". The roots of this date back to the 1980s when there was a local backlash to the national "DISCO" craze and it was decided at a town meeting to adopt tap dancing and "make it our own". A notable participant is Stuart Milne with wins in the "tap off" in 1990,1991 and 1993. In 2002 Clackmannanshire hosted the World and European Field Archery Championships 2002.