About South Lanarkshire

About South Lanarkshire

South Lanarkshire is the fifth largest council area in Scotland with a population of 320,000, a working age population of 203,000 and around 145,000 households. It is also home to many of the nation’s most notable talents, including Scottish poet Allan Ramsey, 19th century missionary and explorer David Livingstone, engineering pioneer Sir Robert McAlpine, and more recently, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Charlie Flynn.

With a growing population, a modern and efficient school estate, an educated and flexible workforce South Lanarkshire is the ideal location to invest.

As a key partner in the Glasgow City Region City Deal, a £1.13 billion initiative focused on investing in infrastructure and economic development assets, we are committed to supporting and developing our business base and key sectors.

Our vision is for South Lanarkshire as set out in our Economic Strategy is to have one of the strongest and most dynamic economies in Scotland, where businesses, communities, and residents achieve their full potential and prosper.

We will achieve this through three key interrelated themes:

  • Business - business development and growth
  • People - skills, learning and employability
  • Place - physical infrastructure and place

Business

South Lanarkshire has a diverse and competitive local business base, involving a range of sectors and including a balanced mix of multi-nationals, high growth companies, SMEs and start-ups, which are active in a wide range of markets – local, regional, national and international.

People

We recognise the nature and level of skills, and the educational achievements that people have, are crucial determinants of their prospects of getting and sustaining employment. South Lanarkshire’s economy has a labour supply which is well trained and qualified and that meets the needs of a modern economy.

Place

We have an attractive environment and an infrastructural base of a suitable quality and capacity to support the attraction and growth of companies. We continuously invest in developing these assets, including our roads, public transportation, housing, educational facilities, utilities, digital connectivity and business infrastructure, to ensure our future competitiveness is maintained and enhanced.

Cultural South Lanarkshire

Cultural opportunities abound in South Lanarkshire with a host of museums, historical sites (including the New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage Site) and entertainment venues on your doorstep. East Kilbride Arts Centre, Rutherglen Town Hall and Lanark Memorial Hall run a wide range of arts activities and music and performance programmes. South Lanarkshire also hosts events such as the Strathaven Balloon Festival and Beer Festivals in Hamilton, Biggar and Lanark and the famous Lanark Lanimer celebrations which date from the 12th century. Our central location also provides easy access for major music, drama and cultural events in Glasgow and to the world famous Edinburgh International Festival.

Quality of life

South Lanarkshire also offers an excellent quality of life at a very affordable cost. With a wide range of property types from modern new build developments to traditional Victorian sandstone flats and villas the average house price is 11% lower in South Lanarkshire than the average price in Scotland.

There are many parks and greenspaces in and around villages and towns across South Lanarkshire, including two country parks at Chatelherault near Hamilton and Calderglen in East Kilbride. These contribute to the green network that allows wildlife to thrive in an urban setting, and move between there and the wider countryside.

Choosing to live here offers one an idyllic country lifestyle to raise a family and nearby access to the major cities in Scotland for days out.

Sporting lifestyle

A better quality of life can also mean a healthier lifestyle in South Lanarkshire with no shortage of green spaces for walks and other sporting activity.

With a multitude of sporting venues and clubs in South Lanarkshire whatever your sporting interests from walking, cycling, swimming and golf to martial arts, equestrian pursuits and Highland games there are facilities, locations and events to suit all your needs.

Additional information