Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Scottish Parliament constituency)
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| Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Scottish Parliament county constituency |
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| Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region |
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| Created: | 1999 |
| MSP: | Jamie Stone |
| Party: | Liberal Democrat |
| Council area: | Highland |
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross covers a northern portion of the Highland council area.
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[edit] Electoral region
The other seven constituencies of the Highlands and Islands electoral region are Argyll and Bute, Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Moray, Orkney, Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Shetland and the Western Isles.
The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney council area, all of the Shetland council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.
[edit] Constituency boundaries and council area
The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were generally replaced with new larger constituencies[1]. The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Westminster constituency was enlarged slightly, to cover an area also covered by the Ross, Skye and Inverness West Holyrood constituency.
[edit] Council area
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross is the most northerly of three constituencies covering the Highland council area. The other two are Ross, Skye and Inverness West and Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber. All three are within the Highlands and Islands electoral region. Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross has Ross, Skye and Inverness West on its southern boundary. Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber is further south.
In terms of Highland Council committee areas established in 1999, the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency covers all of the Caithness committee area, all of the Sutherland committee area and a small (Easter Ross) part of the Ross and Cromartry committee area.
Ward boundaries will change in April 2007, but these changes will not affect constituency boundaries. At the same time, the council will create three new operational management areas, with boundaries similar to but not identical to Westminster constituency boundaries. The new areas are called, in some contexts, North Highland, Mid and West Highland, and East Highland. In other contexts they are known, perhaps confusingly, by the names of the Westminster consituencies.
[edit] Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)
The constituency is represented by Liberal Democrat Jamie Stone.
[edit] Election results
| Scottish parliamentary election, 2003: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jamie Stone | 7,742 | 36.7 | - 4.4 | |
| Labour | Deirdrie Stephen | 5,650 | 26.7 | + 2.2 | |
| Scottish National Party | Rob Gibson | 3,692 | 17.5 | - 5.7 | |
| Conservative | Allan McLeod | 2,262 | 10.7 | + 1.8 | |
| Independent | Gordon Campbell | 953 | 4.5 | + 2.4 | |
| Scottish Socialist | Frank Ward | 828 | 3.9 | (+ 3.9) | |
| Majority | 2,092 | 9.9 | - 7.0 | ||
| Turnout | |||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
| Scottish parliamentary election, 1999: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jamie Stone | 10,691 | 41.0 | N/A | |
| Labour | James Hendry | 6,300 | 24.2 | N/A | |
| Scottish National Party | Jean Urquhart | 6,035 | 23.2 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Richard Jenkins | 2,167 | 8.3 | N/A | |
| Independent | Gordon Campbell | 554 | 2.1 | N/A | |
| Independent | Ewen Stewart | 282 | 1.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 4,391 | 16.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | |||||
