Inverclyde’s Current Position. Inverclyde is located in West Central Scotland and is one of the most attractive places in Scotland to live and work, with 61 square miles stretching along the south bank of the River Xxxxx. The area offers spectacular views and scenery, a wide range of sporting and leisure opportunities, a vibrant housing market and well developed transport links to Glasgow and the rest of Scotland. Inverclyde is one of the smallest local authorities in Scotland with a population of 81,450. The area has experienced a dramatic reduction in its population. In the 1991 census the population of Inverclyde was 90,103. By 2024 it is anticipated that the area’s population could fall to 71,191, a drop of just over 20% from the 1991 levels. Depopulation is a key strategic issue facing the area and it cannot be divorced from the issues and challenges outlined in the Single Outcome Agreement. The main towns of Greenock, Port Glasgow and Gourock sit on the Firth of the Xxxxx. The towns provide a marked contrast to the small coastal settlement of Inverkip and Wemyss Bay which lie to the South West of the area and the picturesque villages of Kilmacolm and Quarriers Village which are located further inland, and offer a further dimension to the areas diversity, particularly in social, economic and physical terms. A strong sense of community identity exists within Inverclyde and to local neighbourhoods in particular. Local citizens are rightly proud of their area, and its history which is steeped in centuries of maritime and industrial endeavour. If the area is to realise its vision, its ambitions and achieve particular strategic outcomes, it must have a full appreciation and understanding of its current socio/economic position. This is essential before embarking on a programme of strategic change through not only the Community Plan, but also this Single Outcome Agreement.
