East Renfrewshire is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and also the name of the main town within it (although this does not form part of the council area). The council covers much of the southern and eastern parts of the historic county of Renfrewshire. It borders onto North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire and lies to the west of Glasgow across the River Clyde. There are seven towns within its boundaries that have their own community councils: Barrhead, Clarkston, Cleland, Halfway, Newton Mearns, Ralston and Uphall.