East Dunbartonshire (Scots: Aest Dunbartanshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatann an Ear, pronounced [ˈʃirˠəxk ɣum ˈpɾʲɛht̪ən̪ˠ əɲ ˈɛɾ]) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders Glasgow City Council Area to the south, North Lanarkshire to the east, Stirling to the north, and West Dunbartonshire to the west. East Dunbartonshire contains many of the affluent areas north of Glasgow, including Bearsden, Milngavie, Milton of Campsie, Balmore, and Torrance, as well as many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages. The council area covers parts of the historic counties of Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, and Stirlingshire.

The council area was formed in 1996, as a result of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, from the former Bearsden and Milngavie districts and most of the former Strathkelvin district, which had been part of the Strathclyde region.

East Dunbartonshire was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitary council areas. East Dunbartonshire covered the area of the abolished Bearsden and Milngavie and Strathkelvin districts (except the Chryston and Auchinloch area from the latter, which went to North Lanarkshire). Both former districts had been in the Strathclyde region.^[1]

Both of East Dunbartonshire's predecessor districts had been created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The Bearsden and Milngavie district had been created covering Milngavie, Bearsden and adjoining areas from Dunbartonshire. The Strathkelvin district had been created covering Kirkintilloch and adjoining areas from Dunbartonshire, Bishopbriggs and adjoining areas from Lanarkshire, and the parishes of Baldernock and Campsie from Stirlingshire.^[2]

East Dunbartonshire council area has low levels of deprivation, with relatively low unemployment and low levels of crime. The population is both declining and ageing.^[3]

In a 2007 Reader's Digest poll, East Dunbartonshire was voted the best place in Britain to raise a family.^[4] The area has generally performed well in the Halifax Quality of Life survey; in 2010 it was ranked third in Scotland,^[5] and it was the only Scottish area in the British Top 20 in 2008.^[6] A Legatum Prosperity Index published by the Legatum Institute in October 2016 showed East Dunbartonshire as the most prosperous council area in Scotland and the ninth most prosperous in the United Kingdom.

The area is divided into thirteen community council areas, twelve of which have community councils as at 2023 (being those with asterisks in the list below):^[7]

Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:^[8]

Bearsden

Bishopbriggs

Kirkintilloch

Milngavie

Lenzie

Lennoxtown

Milton of Campsie

Torrance

Twechar

Stirling

North Lanarkshire

Glasgow City council area

West
Dunb.

The largest settlements in East Dunbartonshire

Largest settlements by population:

• Campsie Fells
• West Highland Way
• Forth and Clyde Canal
• Antonine Wall
• Mugdock Country Park
• Milngavie water treatment works
• River Kelvin
• Lillie Art Gallery
• Auld Kirk Museum
• Huntershill Village
• The Fort Theatre
• The Turret Theatre
• The Gadloch

• Huntershill Village
• Thomas Muir
• Thomas Muir Cairn - Erected by John SL Watson and unveiled by East Dunbartonshire's Provost John Dempsey (1997)
• Scottish Political Martyrs Gate - Erected by John SL Watson and unveiled by East Dunbartonshire's Provost John Dempsey (1997)
• Miners of the world memorial hutch - created by John SL Watson and unveiled by leader of East Dunbartsonshire Council John Morrison (2003)
• Finger Post marking the Old Glasgow-Stirling postal road
• Huntershill Village Mile Stone
• Southwest view across Gadloch Towards the distant Red Road Flats.

There are 8 secondary schools and 33 primary schools in the area.^[20][21] The secondary schools are:

• Bearsden Academy, Bearsden
• Bishopbriggs Academy, Bishopbriggs
• Boclair Academy, Bearsden
• Douglas Academy, Milngavie
• Kirkintilloch High School, Kirkintilloch
• Lenzie Academy, Lenzie
• St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch
• Turnbull High School, Bishopbriggs