Motherwell and Wishaw (Scottish Parliament constituency)

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Motherwell and Wishaw Scottish Parliament constituency

Motherwell and Wishaw shown within the Central Scotland electoral region
Created:	1999
MSP:	Jack McConnell
Party:	Labour
Council area:	North Lanarkshire (part)

Motherwell and Wishaw is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of ten constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

1 Electoral region
2 Constituency boundaries and council area
3 Member of the Scottish Parliament
4 Election results
5 Footnotes

[edit] Electoral region

The other nine constituencies of the South of Scotland region are Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk East, Falkirk West, Hamilton North and Bellshill, Hamilton South and Kilmarnock and Loudoun.

The region covers all of the Falkirk council area, all of the North Lanarkshire council area, part of the South Lanarkshire council area, part of the East Ayrshire council area and a small part of the East Dumbartonshire council area.

[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 an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies^[1].

The Holyrood constituency is one of five covering the North Lanarkshire council area, the others being Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and Hamilton North and Bellshill. All five are within the Central Scotland electoral region.

Three of the five constituencies are entirely within the North Lanarkshire area. Coatbridge and Chryston straddles the boundary with the East Dunbartonshire council area, which is otherwise within the West of Scotland region, and Hamilton North and Bellshill straddles the boundary with the South Lanarkshire council area, which is otherwise divided between the Central Scotland, Glasgow and South of Scotland regions.

Motherwell and Wishaw covers a south-western portion of the North Lanarkshire area, south of Hamilton North and Bellshill and west of Aidrie and Shotts.

[edit] Member of the Scottish Parliament

The constituency is currently represented by Labour MSP Jack McConnell, who is also First Minister of Scotland.

[edit] Election results

Scottish parliamentary election, 2003: Motherwell and Wishaw
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jack McConnell	13,739	54.12	+8.21
	Scottish National Party	Lloyd Quinan	4,480	17.65	-11.62
	Conservative	Mark Nolan	2,542	10.01	-2.17
	Socialist Labour	John Milligan	1,961	7.72	+7.72
	Scottish Senior Citizens	John Swinburne	1,597	6.29	+6.29
	Liberal Democrats	Keith Legg	1,069	4.21	-2.04
Majority			9,259	36.47	+19.84
Turnout			25,388	49.03	-8.63
	Labour hold		Swing	N/A

Scottish parliamentary election, 1999: Motherwell and Wishaw
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jack McConnell	13,955	45.96	N/A
	Scottish National Party	Jim McGuigan	8,879	29.24	N/A
	Conservative	William Gibson	3,694	12.17	N/A
	Socialist Labour	John Milligan	1,941	6.39	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Roger Spillane	1,895	6.24	N/A
Majority			5,076	16.72	N/A
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing	N/A