- Inverclyde
infobox Scotland council area
Council= Inverclyde
Inbhir Chluaidh
SizeRank= 29th
Size= 160 km²
Water= ?
AdminHQ=Greenock
ISO= GB-IVC
ONS= 00QU
PopulationRank= 27th
PopulationDate=2004
Population= 82,432
PopulationDensity=515 / km²
CouncilDetails= Inverclyde Council
http://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/
Control=
MPs=
MSPs=Duncan McNeil Trish Godman , Labour
Inverclyde (Gaelic: "Inbhir Chluaidh", pronounced|iɲɪɾʲˈxɫ̪uəj) is one of 32 council areas of
Scotland . It borders ontoRenfrewshire andNorth Ayrshire , and is otherwise surrounded by theFirth of Clyde . Inverclyde is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic Renfrewshire, the other two beingEast Renfrewshire and aRenfrewshire area with reduced boundaries. The older Renfrewshire still remains in the form of aregistration county andlieutenancy area covering Inverclyde.The area was a district in its own right, within
Strathclyde Region , from 1975 until 1996. Prior to 1975 was in the former county of Renfrewshire, comprising the burghs ofGreenock ,Port Glasgow andGourock , and the former fifth district of Renfrewshire. Its landward area is bordered by the Kelly, North and South Routen burns to the south west (separatingWemyss Bay andSkelmorlie ,North Ayrshire ), part of theRiver Gryfe and the Finlaystone Burn to the south-east.It is one of the smallest in terms of area (29th) and population (27th) out of the 32 Scottish unitary authorities.
The name derives from the extinct
barony of Inverclyde (1897 ) conferred upon Sir John Burns ofWemyss Bay and his heirs.Life expectancy
According to research by the
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy , Inverclyde residents enjoy the second-lowest life expectancy in the UK, with onlyGlasgow City having a shorter projected lifespan per resident. The average Inverclyde male lives for 70.3 years, with females living 78.1 years. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5097778.stm | work=BBC News | title='Lower life expectancy' in cities | date=20 June 2006 | accessdate=2006-07-08]Towns and villages
*
Gourock
*Greenock
*Inverkip
*Kilmacolm
*Port Glasgow
*Wemyss Bay Council
Until recently, Inverclyde was the only authority in the United Kingdom not have named electoral wards: whilst the local authority reserved its right to name wards, it failed to supply any to the
Local Government Boundary Commission . This was rectified in the 2006 review.Elections
Following the Council elections of 2007, the new composition of Inverclyde Council is:
*Labour - 9
*Scottish National Party - 5
*Liberal Democrats - 4
*Conservative - 1
*Other - 1The provost is Michael McCormick.
Recent history
The council gained national notoriety in 2005 following harsh criticism from the Accounts Commission regarding poor leadership and accountability. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4601297.stm | work=BBC News | title=Council urged to tackle failings | date=2 June 2005 | accessdate=2006-07-08 ] In November 2005 the council was given a 6 month deadline to reorganise and improve further, following the resignation of the council chief in September and organisational changes in the wake of the original report. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4481526.stm | work=BBC News | title=Council given deadline to improve | date=30 November 2005 | accessdate=2006-07-08 ]
Following this criticism the Chief Executive of Inverclyde Council Robert Cleary stepped down and a new chief executive John Mundell was appointed. The Position of Chief Executive commands a salary of £112,000 Per Annum. There was criticism over the pension benefits the outgoing chief executive received once leaving, he was given six figure severence pay and his pension will be approximately £50,000 per annum.
As of June 2006, changes were still ongoing: Inverclyde Council altered its directorship structure by adding new corporate director positions and removing senior manager positions. It was expected that the £90,000 p/a posts will mostly be filled by new applicants, although existing Council workers were able to apply. [cite web | url=http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/64628.html | work=The Herald | title=Inverclyde starts big changes at the top | date=23 June 2006 | accessdate=2006-07-08 ] There was some criticism with regards to the merging of council services; for instance, Education and Social Work merged and now share the same director. This was frowned upon as at the time the Director responsible for the two merged departments had an educational qualification, not a social work one.
The 2007 council elections took place at the same time as the Scottish Parliament elections. The Liberal Democrats lost nine seats; Labour gained two, but fell short of a majority. The SNP and Conservatives both entered the council with five and one seats respectively, while an independent candidate also won a place.
Places of interest
*Cornalees Bridge Centre [http://www.clydemuirshiel.co.uk]
*Custom House Quay and Museum [http://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/portal/index.php?module=article&view=55&MMN_position=41:36:39]
*Gourock Outdoor Pool [http://www.inverclydeleisure.com/html/pools.asp]
*Loch Thom
*Lunderston Bay [http://www.clydemuirshiel.co.uk]
*McLean Museum and Art Gallery [http://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/Museum_Gallery/index.php]
*Newark Castle [http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk]
*Waterfront Leisure Complex [http://www.inverclydeleisure.com/html/water.asp]
*Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Photographs of Inverclyde
* [http://www.portglasgow.info Port Glasgow]
* [http://www.inverclydeviews.co.uk Greenock]
* [http://www.inverclydeviews.co.uk Gourock]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/67594333@N00/sets/72157594410805028/ Inverclyde Waterfront (Port Glasgow]External links
* [http://www.inverclyde.gov.uk Inverclyde Council website]
* [http://www.InverclydeTouristGroup.co.uk Inverclyde Tourist Group]Notes and references
ee also
*
List of places in Inverclyde
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