Scotland
Local government
Local government in Scotland has been reorganised a number of times (1890, 1929, 1947, 1975, 1994). Currently there are 32 council areas (including three island areas). Police and fire services are still organised within eight areas corresponding to the pre-1994 regions, but as from 2013 there will be a national police service and a national fire service.
The map shows the pre-1994 regions and island areas, which are the most convenient to display at this scale.
LGBT issues
Scotland was excluded from the Sexual Offences Act 1967 which partially legalised homosexuality in England and Wales; decriminalisation happened with the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980. See age of consent for progess since then.
Since devolution, Scotland has on some issues been ahead of the rest of the United Kingdom. For instance Patrick Harvie MSP proposed civil partnerships originally for Scotland alone (but this was in the end achieved by UK-wide legislation). In mid-2012 there seemed a real possiblity that equal marriage would be achieved first in Scotland.
LGBT organisations
Scotland has long had its own LGBT organisations, separate from those in England or Wales, including:
External links
LGBT History Scotland: http://www.lgbthistoryscotland.org.uk/