| Administrative History | The landward area of each county in Scotland was divided into districts by the county council in 1930 in accordance with the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, section 25. Each district consisted of one or more of the county's electoral divisions. A district council was established in each district, comprising of the county councillors who served the electoral divisions in the district, and a number of directly-elected district councillors.
District councils inherited the functions of the parish councils and district councils abolished in 1930, which related principally to the administration of burial grounds but also roads and public assistance. In addition, each county council had the power to delegate other functions to district councils.
Banff County Council resolved to divide the county into the following six districts:
1. Banff (covering the parishes of Banff, Alvah, Boyndie and Gamrie)
2. Cullen (covering the parishes of Cullen, Fordyce and Deskford)
3. Buckie (covering the parish of Rathven)
4. Aberchirder (covering the parishes of Marnoch, Forglen, Inverkeithny and Ordiquhill)
5. Keith (covering the parishes of Keith, Grange, Rothiemay, Boharm and Botriphnie)
6. Dufftown (covering the parishes of Mortlach, Cabrach, Aberlour, Inveravon and Kirkmichael)
Joint Committees of Town and District Councils were also established by the County Council in 1930 for each District Council area under Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, section 14, to administer public assistance on behalf of the County Council. Administration of burial grounds in parishes which were partly landward and partly burghal were added to the remit of Joint Committees on 2 September 1930.
In September 1948 the six administrative areas were reduced to three for the new responsibilites given under recent legislation:
- Buckie (parishes of Rathven, Deskford, Cullen, Fordyce)
- Banff (parishes of Banff, Alvah, Boyndie, Gamrie, Marnoch, Forglen, Inverkeithny, Ordiquhill)
- Keith (parishes of Keith, Grange, Rothiemay, Boham, Botriphnie, Mortlach, Cabrach, Aberlour, Inveravon and Kirkmichael)
Each was presided over by a Chief Area Officer (BCC minutes, 3/9/48). Each Area Officer acted as Clerk to the two District Councils and the two Joint Committees in his area (BCC minutes, 29/10/48).
District councils were abolished under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1972, and their records were inherited by the district councils established in 1975. Thus the records of Aberchirder and Banff district councils were transferred to Banff and Buchan District Council in 1975, and, on its abolition in 1996, to Aberdeenshire Council. |