The district was created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government across mainland Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Cumbernauld and Kilsyth was one of nineteen districts created within the region of Strathclyde. The district covered parts of four former districts from the historic countiesofDunbartonshire and Stirlingshire, all of which were abolished at the same time:[3]
Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld District (Croy and Dullatur electoral division and part of Twechar and Waterside electoral division within designated area of Cumbernauld New Town)
Central No.2 district (Kilsyth West electoral division and Banton polling district from Kilsyth East electoral division)
The 1973 Act gave the new district the name "Cumbernauld". The shadow council elected in 1974 to oversee the transition to the new system requested a change of name to "Cumbernauld and Kilsyth", which was approved by the government before the new district came into being.[4]
The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 was as follows:[6]
The council established its headquarters at a new building called Council Offices on Bron Way in the centre of Cumbernauld.[7][8] Since the council's abolition in 1996 the building has been known as Bron Chambers and used as additional offices of North Lanarkshire Council.[9]
