Argyll and Bute Postcodes — Scotland (SCT)

Argyll and Bute

It is one of Scotland's 32 unitary authority council areas and a lieutenancy area. Jane Margaret MacLeod is the current Lord-Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute (14 July 2020). Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival mansion and estate in Lochgilphead, serves as the council headquarters. Councillor Robin Currie, who represents Kintyre and the Islands, is the current Council leader.

Description

The Argyll and Bute Council Area is the second largest in Scotland. Highland, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, and West Dunbartonshire are all neighboring council areas. Loch Lomond marks one of its borders.

The current council area originated in 1996 when it was separated from the Strathclyde region, a two-tier local government region consisting of nineteen districts established in 1975.

The existing Argyll and Bute district was combined with one ward from the Dumbarton district to form Argyll and Bute. Helensburgh and the surrounding territory that made up what was then known as the Dumbarton ward of "Helensburgh and Lomond" (now known simply as "Helensburgh") were located to the west of Loch Lomond, to the north of the Firth of Clyde, and to the mostly east of Loch Long.

Scottish county divisions can also be used to describe the council area. Most of Argyll is included in the council area (with the exception of the Morvern area, north of Mull, which is part of the Highland council area), as well as the Isle of Bute and a portion of Dunbartonshire (the Helensburgh and Lomond ward).

The Council for Argyll and Bute

The council is made up of 36 elected representatives who were selected using the single transferable vote system (introduced in 2007) and the first-past-the-post method (used prior to 2007). After the election of 2017, the SNP gained the most votes and thus the most power. After the election, a coalition of Independents, Conservatives, and Liberal Democrats formed a government, making it the first time since the modern authority's inception that representatives of a political party held the majority of council seats.

Back in February of 2012, the council was accused of creating "spy" accounts on various social media platforms. Someone working for the council was found to have created "fake social media accounts to monitor what was being said about the council," leading to their suspension pending further investigation. According to the results of the council's own investigation, "no evidence of any form of spying or covert surveillance having been carried out by any employee within the council's communication team" was discovered.

Wards

For the 2007 election, 36 single-member wards were replaced by 11 multi-member wards. These wards had previously been adjusted up from 33 in the 1990s.

Transport

Railways

The West Highland Line, which connects Oban and Glasgow, runs through much of the eastern and northern Argyll and Bute. The route enters Argyll and Bute to the west of Dumbarton from the south and then heads north through Helensburgh Upper to the Gare Loch and Loch Long on the eastern coast. At Arrochar and Tarbet, the railway crosses inland to connect with the western shore of Loch Lomond. The line exits Argyll and Bute at the loch's northern end and enters the Stirling council area. Just to the west of Tyndrum, the West Highland Line resumes its journey westward to Oban, passing through Dalmally and Taynuilt on the way. ScotRail operates the vast majority of the line's services; as of the 2019 summer season, there are six trains per day to Oban, with four on Sundays. The daily Caledonian Sleeper operates in addition to ScotRail, though it does not serve the Oban line. 

The central railway station in Helensburgh is the western terminus of the North Clyde Line, which provides much more frequent service into Glasgow and beyond.

Roads

These are the major thoroughfares in Argyll and Bute:

• The A82, which is the primary connection between Glasgow and Fort William, follows the western shore of Loch Lomond.
• The A83, which branches off the A82 at Tarbet and travels west before turning south and passing through Inveraray and Lochgilphead en route to Campbeltown.
• The A85, which splits off from the A82 at Tyndrum (on the border between Argyll and Bute) and travels west through Dalmally to Oban.
• The A828 branches off the A85 at Connel and travels north through Appin before connecting with the A82 in Ballachulish.
• The A815, beginning at Glen Kinglas near Cairndow, passing through Strachur and Dunoon, and terminating at Toward, 40 miles later, at the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula.
• In Cowal, the A815 is the main thoroughfare.

The A886 branches off of the A815 at Strachur and travels through Glendaruel before arriving at Port Bannatyne to the north of Rothesay. This route features a ferry connection to the Isle of Bute at Colintraive - Rhubodach.