Inverclyde

One of Scotland's 32 council areas, Inverclyde is responsible for local administration. Inverclyde, along with East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire, makes up the historic county of Renfrewshire, which is now a registration county and lieutenancy area in the west central Lowlands. It is bounded on three sides by the Firth of Clyde and the council areas of North Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.

Strathclyde Region had twenty-one districts in total, with Inverclyde being one of them from 1975 to 1996. Before 1975, the county of Renfrewshire, which included Greenock, Port Glasgow, and Gourock as well as the former fifth district of the county, oversaw Inverclyde. Landward, it is bounded by the River Gryfe and the Finlaystone Burn to the south-east, the Kelly, North, and South Routen burns to the southwest (which separate Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire), and the Finlaystone Burn to the south.

Of the 32 Scottish unitary authorities, it has the smallest land area and is home to the least number of people, ranking just 29th and 28th, respectively. Despite being separated from the city area by open countryside and not sharing a border with the city proper, this council area is included in some definitions of Greater Glasgow alongside the council areas clustered around Glasgow.

Sir John Burns of Wemyss Bay and his descendants were granted the now-defunct barony of Inverclyde in 1897, hence the origin of the name.

Demography

Life expectancy for men in Inverclyde (2013-2015) was 75.4%, making it the 28th best region in Scotland in this regard. The average lifespan of a woman in Inverclyde is 80.4, making it the 26th longest in the United Kingdom. Many health indicators in some parts of Inverclyde are significantly higher than the Scottish average, while in other parts they are significantly lower.

Greenock Town Centre was the most deprived community in Scotland in 2019, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). (According to the BBC, "deprivation" can mean "less resources and opportunities, for example in health and education" as well as low income.) Deputy leader Jim Clocherty said after the announcement that "no part of Scotland wants to be labelled as the'most deprived'" and that he hoped investment funds would be forthcoming. Greenock Town Centre was to receive an investment of £3 million, and a new cruise visitor center was also planned to be built with additional investment funds.

Local Government Area of Inverclyde

Between 1975 and 1996, the Strathclyde region of Scotland included twenty-one local government districts, one of which was Inverclyde. Part of the county of Renfrewshire was split off to create this district in 1973 thanks to the Local Government (Scotland) Act. The boundaries are the same as the current council district. Other areas of Renfrewshire's County of Renfrew were split between Eastwood and Renfrew District. Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 provided for the dissolution of Inverclyde District in 1996. Much of it was absorbed by the newly formed Inverclyde council area, while others, like Strathclyde, were dissolved entirely.