Strathclyde. In 1903, Neilston was within the Paisley Small Debt Court District and Poor Combination. From 1975 to 1996, Neilston was in the Renfrew District of Strathclyde until the two-tier regions and districts of Scotland were abolished. Since 1996 it has formed part of the unitary East Renfrewshire council area; East Renfrewshire Council is the local authority. Neilston remains part of Renfrewshire for purposes of registration and Lieutenancy. Neilston forms part of the multi member ward 1 of East Renfrewshire Council, namely Neilston, Uplawmoor and Newton Mearns North. Four Councillors are elected using the proportional Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. The current elected members are Charlie Gilbert (Conservative) Paul O'Kane (Labour) Elaine Green (Labour) and Tony Buchanan (SNP). Neilston is part of the county constituency of East Renfrewshire, electing one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Kirsten Oswald of the Scottish National Party was elected as MP for East Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency) in the 2019 general election. Before the constituency's creation in 2005, Neilston lay in the Eastwood constituency. For purposes of the Scottish Parliament, Neilston forms part of the Renfrewshire South Constituency, represented by Tom Arthur of the Scottish National Party. In addition to this Neilston is represented by seven regional MSPs from the West of Scotland electoral region. Geography At (55.784°, -4.423°) Neilston is in Scotland's Central Lowlands. The community is above sea level, southwest of Barrhead town centre, south of Paisley, west of Newton Mearns and southwest of Glasgow. The River Levern flows to the west of the town and under the iconic Crofthead Mill. The river itself has its source at nearby Long Loch. It flows eastwards through Neilston towards Barrhead, before flowing into the White Cart Water. The topography of the areas around Neilston are varied. To the east, the land is relatively flat, but to the south and west it is steeper, rising to heights of above the level of the River Clyde. The highest points in the surrounding areas are Neilston Pad and the Corkendale-law, at about above sea level, respectively. Neilston Pad is characterised by a craggy face on its eastern side. Between these hills is the valley of the River Levern. In this valley is the A736 to Barrhead. The soil in the eastern parts of Neilston is a dry loam, occasionally intermixed with gravel. The soil in the hills