Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions
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The Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) has 73 constituencies, each electing one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) system of election, and eight additional member regions, each electing seven additional member MSPs. Each constituency is a sub-division of a region, the additional members system is designed to produce proportional representation for each region, and the total number of MSPs elected to the parliament is 129. For references to lists of MSPs, see Member of the Scottish Parliament.
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[edit] Boundaries
Until the United Kingdom general election of 2005 the first past the post constituencies were the same as for the House of Commons (United Kingdom Parliament, Westminster) (apart from Orkney and Shetland, which were separate constituencies at Holyrood, but not at Westminster). The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 enabled a new set of House of Commons constituencies to be formed in Scotland in 2005[1], reducing their number and, therefore, the number of Scottish Members of Parliament (MPs) to 59, without change to the Holyrood constituencies and the number of MSPs. For lists of Westminster constituencies, see Scottish Westminster constituencies.
The boundaries of Westminster constituencies, as they existed until 2005, had not been subject to full-scale review since the period, 1975 to 1996, of local government regions and districts. Many Holyrood constituencies, retaining those boundaries as they do, now straddle boundaries between council areas created in 1996. Newer Westminster constituencies also straddle council area boundaries but, in Westminster representation, there is a clear sense of council areas being grouped into larger areas: the East Ayrshire council area, North Ayrshire council area and South Ayrshire council area, for example, are treated as a single Ayrshire area.
Various council areas are divided between two Holyrood electoral regions. One council area, the South Lanarkshire council area, is divided between three different electoral regions.
The Arbuthnott Commission, in its final report, January 2006, recommended that, in future, council area boundaries and Holyrood and Westminster constituency boundaries should all be reviewed together. In June 2007 the Boundary commissions announced that the constituency and regional boundaries would be reviewed, the final report will be submitted to the Secretary of State in 2010.[2]
[edit] Constituencies (First past the post seats)
| Constituency | Additional members region |
|---|---|
| A | |
| Aberdeen Central | North East Scotland |
| Aberdeen North | North East Scotland |
| Aberdeen South | North East Scotland |
| Airdrie and Shotts | Central Scotland |
| Angus | North East Scotland |
| Argyll and Bute | Highlands and Islands |
| Ayr | South of Scotland |
| B | |
| Banff and Buchan | North East Scotland |
| C | |
| Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | Highlands and Islands |
| Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | South of Scotland |
| Central Fife | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| Clydesdale | South of Scotland |
| Clydebank and Milngavie | West of Scotland |
| Coatbridge and Chryston | Central Scotland |
| Cumbernauld and Kilsyth | Central Scotland |
| Cunninghame North | West of Scotland |
| Cunninghame South | South of Scotland |
| D | |
| Dumbarton | West of Scotland |
| Dumfries | South of Scotland |
| Dundee East | North East Scotland |
| Dundee West | North East Scotland |
| Dunfermline East | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| Dunfermline West | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| E | |
| East Kilbride | Central Scotland |
| East Lothian | South of Scotland |
| Eastwood | West of Scotland |
| Edinburgh Central | Lothians |
| Edinburgh East and Musselburgh | Lothians |
| Edinburgh North and Leith | Lothians |
| Edinburgh Pentlands | Lothians |
| Edinburgh South | Lothians |
| Edinburgh West | Lothians |
| F | |
| Falkirk East | Central Scotland |
| Falkirk West | Central Scotland |
| G | |
| Galloway and Upper Nithsdale | South of Scotland |
| Glasgow Anniesland | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Baillieston | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Cathcart | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Govan | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Kelvin | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Maryhill | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Pollok | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Rutherglen | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Shettleston | Glasgow |
| Glasgow Springburn | Glasgow |
| Gordon | North East Scotland |
| Greenock and Inverclyde | West of Scotland |
| H | |
| Hamilton North and Bellshill | Central Scotland |
| Hamilton South | Central Scotland |
| I | |
| Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber | Highlands and Islands |
| K | |
| Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Central Scotland |
| Kirkcaldy | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| L | |
| Linlithgow | Lothians |
| Livingston | Lothians |
| M | |
| Midlothian | Lothians |
| Moray | Highlands and Islands |
| Motherwell and Wishaw | Central Scotland |
| N | |
| North East Fife | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| North Tayside | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| O | |
| Ochil | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| Orkney | Highlands and Islands |
| P | |
| Paisley North | West of Scotland |
| Paisley South | West of Scotland |
| Perth | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| R | |
| Ross, Skye and Inverness West | Highlands and Islands |
| Roxburgh and Berwickshire | South of Scotland |
| S | |
| Shetland | Highlands and Islands |
| Stirling | Mid Scotland and Fife |
| Strathkelvin and Bearsden | West of Scotland |
| T | |
| Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale | South of Scotland |
| W | |
| West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | North East Scotland |
| Western Isles | Highlands and Islands |
| West Renfrewshire | West of Scotland |
[edit] Regions (Additional member seats)
[edit] First periodical review
The Boundary Commission for Scotland is now conducting the first periodical review of boundaries of Scottish Parliament constituencies, as announced on 3 July 2007. Provisional proposals were published on Thursday 14 February 2008.[3]
The terms of the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 require the Commission to submit a report on its review to the Secretary of State for Scotland not later than 30 June 2010.
[edit] Summary of recommendations in First periodical review
The review of constituencies to the Scottish Parliament is made through the provisions of the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004. This Act requires the Commission to create 71 first-past-the-post constituencies, although the pairing of neighbouring local authorities to assist in creating seats is taken at the discretion of the Commission.
In summary, the proposed constituencies are outlined below. A series of public consultations and revisions will be required before the report is submitted to the Secretary of State for Scotland.
- In the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles) council area, the recommendation is for a single constituency to be called Na h-Eileanan an Iar. This reflects the re-naming of the Westminster constituency from Western Isles in time for the United Kingdom general election, 2005.
- In the Edinburgh council area, the Commission propose six seats entirely within the council boundaries. The six seats are Central, East, South, South West, West, and North Edinburgh, with this last recommondation also including "and Leith" in its name. In the Glasgow council area, the eight proposed constituencies are suffixed "Glasgow" with the prefixes East, North Central, South Central, South, South East, South West, and West.
- There are two seats recommended for Dumfries and Galloway, namely East Dumfriesshire, and West Dumfriesshire and Galloway.
- Dundee council area is divided into two seats which are drawn as East, and West. Likewise Falkirk council area is divided into East, and West constituencies.
- The five seats recommended for Fife are Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Mid Fife and Glenrothes, and North and East Fife.
- The three proposed seats in the Highland area divide the existing constituencies into three to be known as North, East, and West Highland. Under the proposals, Inverness is to remain divided between two constituencies, whilst The Black Isle is moved into the North seat based on the existing Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency.
- North Ayrshire is divided into North, and South Cunninghame seats in the proposals, whilst Perth and Kinross is also divided into two seats, namely North Perthshire, and South Perthshire and Kinross.
- By joining Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Moray council areas together, the Commission have drawn nine proposed constituencies to be known as East Aberdeen, South Aberdeen and North Kincardine, West Aberdeen; East, and West Aberdeenshire; West Angus, and East Angus and Mearns; Moray; and Buchan Coast.
- By joining Argyll and Bute, West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire areas together, the Commission have recommended 7 constituencies. These are to be Argyll and Bute; Dumbarton and Helensburgh; Greenock and Inverclyde; South East Paisley and Barrhead; Central Paisley and West Renfrewshire; East Renfrewshire; North Renfrewshire and Clydebank.
- Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, and Stirling, are the two constituencies recommended for the Clackmannanshire and Stirling council areas.
- Sixteen constituencies are proposed by joining East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire, and West Lothian council areas. These recommondations are North Ayr and Troon; South Ayr, Carrick and Doon Valley; Coatbridge and Central Airdrie; Cumbernauld and East Airdrie; Cumnock and Clydesdale; East Kilbride; North Hamilton and Bellshill, and South Hamilton and Larkhall; Kilmarnock; Kirkintilloch, Chryston and Kilsyth; Lanark, Shotts and Whitburn; Linlithgow and Bathgate; Livingston; Milngavie and Bishopbriggs; Motherwell and Wishaw; and Rutherglen.
- In the joined review area of East Lothian, Midlothian, and Scottish Borders, the four constituencies are Haddington; North Midlothian and Musselburgh; South Midlothian, Tweeddale and Lauderdale; Roxburgh, Selkirk and Berwickshire.
[edit] References
- Provisional Proposals Boundary Commission for Scotland
- ^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland
- ^ BBC NEWS | Scotland | Constituency boundaries reviewed
- ^ First Periodical Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries, Boundary Commission for Scotland website
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