West Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

West Dunbartonshire
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Boundary of West Dunbartonshire in Scotland.
Subdivisions of Scotland Scotland
Major settlements West Dunbartonshire
Current constituency
Created 2005 (2005)
Member of Parliament Gemma Doyle (Labour Co-op)
Number of members One
Created from Dumbarton
Clydebank & Milngavie
1950 (1950)–1983 (1983)
Number of members One
Created from Dunbartonshire
Dumbarton Burghs
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency Scotland

West Dunbartonshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster). It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election and covers the same area as the county of West Dunbartonshire.

The current constituency was first used in the 2005 general election. There was also an earlier West Dunbartonshire constituency, from 1950 to 1983.

The current MP is Gemma Doyle of the Labour Party, elected at the 2010 general election.

Contents

Boundaries

Historic

The historic constituency was created under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949, and first used in the 1950 general election.[1]

As created in 1950, the constituency was one of two covering the county of Dunbarton. The other was East Dunbartonshire. The two new constituencies replaced the earlier constituencies of Dunbartonshire and Dumbarton Burghs.[1]

West Dunbartonshire covered the Helensburgh, Old Kilpatrick, and Vale of Leven districts of the county and the burghs of Cove and Kilcreggan, Dumbarton, and Helensburgh.[1]

For the 1951 general election the constituency boundaries were adjusted to take account of a change to the boundaries of the Old Kilpatrick district.[1]

The results of the First Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission were implemented for the 1955 general election, but there was no change to the boundaries of West Dunbartonshire, and the boundaries of 1951 and 1955 were used also in the general elections of 1959, 1964, 1966 and 1970.[1]

The results of the Second Periodical Review were implemented for the February 1974 general election. The review took account of population growth in the county of Dunbarton, caused by overspill from the city of Glasgow into the new town of Cumbernauld and elsewhere, and West Dunbartonshire became one of three constituencies covering the county. The other two were East Dunbartonshire and Central Dunbartonshire. West Dunbartonshire now covered the Helensburgh and Vale of Leven districts and the burghs of Cove and Kilcreggan, Dumbarton, and Helensburgh.[1]

February 1974 boundaries were used also for the general elections of October 1974 and 1979.

In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, Scottish counties were abolished in favour of regions and districts and islands council areas, and the county of Dunbarton was divided between several districts of the new region of Strathclyde. The Third Periodical Review took account of new local government boundaries, and the results were implemented for the 1983 general election.

Current

West Dunbartonshire
as one of the council areas of Scotland

The existing constituency was created as a result of the Fifth Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, It covers and is entirely within the West Dunbartonshire council area.[2]

The area of the constituency was previously divided between the Dumbarton and Clydebank and Milngavie constituencies.[2] It includes the population centres of Clydebank, Dumbarton and Alexandria.

The Fifth Periodical Review did not affect the boundaries of Scottish Parliament constituencies, which retain the boundaries of Westminster constituencies prior to implementation of the results of the review.

Member of Parliament, 2005 to present

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: West Dunbartonshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Gemma Doyle 25,905 61.3 +9.4
SNP Graeme McCormick 8,497 20.1 −1.6
Liberal Democrat Helen Watt 3,434 8.1 −6.3
Conservative Martyn McIntyre 3,242 7.7 +1.2
UKIP Mitch Sorbie 683 1.6 +0.8
Socialist Labour Katharine McGavigan 505 1.2 N/A
Majority 17,408 41.2 +11.0
Turnout 42,266 64.0 +2.6
Labour Co-op hold Swing +5.5

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: West Dunbartonshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op John McFall 21,600 51.9% -11.6
SNP Tom Chalmers 9,047 21.8% -2.2
Liberal Democrat Niall Walker 5,999 14.4% +12.0
Conservative Campbell Murdoch 2,679 6.4% +1.4
Scottish Socialist Les Robertson 1,708 4.1% -0.9
UKIP Bryan Maher 354 0.9% +0.9
Christian Vote Marlon Dawson 202 0.5% +0.5
Majority 12,553 30.2%
Turnout 41,589 61.3 -2.9
Labour Co-op hold Swing -4.7

The current West Dunbartonshire constituency was formed in 2005 from parts of the earlier Dumbarton, and Clydebank and Milngavie constituencies.

Members of Parliament, 1950 to 1983

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

General Election Oct 1974: West Dunbartonshire [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ian Campbell 15,511
SNP A. Murray 13,697
Conservative R.R. MacDonald 9,421
Liberal J.D. Murricane 2,029
Majority 1,814

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: West Dunbartonshire [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Steele 22,105
Conservative N.M. Glen 19,964
Majority 2,141

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (ISBN 0-900178-09-4), F. W. S. Craig, 1972
  2. ^ a b Boundary Commission for Scotland website
  3. ^ BBC - Election 2010 - Dunbartonshire West
  4. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1977
  5. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1963
Constituencies in Scotland by Holding Party (59)
Labour (41)
Liberal Democrat (11)
Scottish National Party (6)
Conservative (1)