the present council area was created in 1996, when it was carved out of the strathclyde region, which was a two-tier local government region of 19 districts, created in 1975. argyll and bute merged the existing argyll and bute district and one ward of the dumbarton district. the dumbarton ward, called 'helensburgh and lomond', included the burgh of helensburgh and consisted of an area to the west of loch lomond, north of the firth of clyde and mostly east of loch long.