Dumbarton (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Dumbarton
county constituency
for the Scottish Parliament

Dumbarton shown within the West Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Current constituency
Created 1999
Party Labour
MSP Jackie Baillie
Council area West Dunbartonshire
Argyll and Bute

Dumbarton 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 ten constituencies in the West 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.

Electoral region

The other nine constituencies of the West Scotland region are Clydebank and Milngavie, Cunninghame North, Cunninghame South, Eastwood, Greenock and Inverclyde, Paisley, Renfrewshire North and West, Renfrewshire South and Strathkelvin and Bearsden.

The region covers part of the Argyll and Bute council area, the East Dunbartonshire council area, the East Renfrewshire council area, the Inverclyde council area, North Ayrshire council area, the Renfrewshire council area and the West Dunbartonshire council area.

Constituency boundaries and council area

The Dumbarton 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, the Westminster (House of Commons) constituency was abolished in favour of new constituencies.[1]

The rest of West Dunbartonshire is covered by the Clydebank and Milngavie. The rest of Argyll and Bute is covered by the Argyll and Bute constituency, which is within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.

From the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Dumbarton had its boundaries altered to include the following electoral wards:

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election Member Party
1999 Jackie Baillie Labour
2003
2007
2011

Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2011: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie 12,562 44.1 +5.4
SNP Iain Robertson 10,923 38.3 +5
Conservative Graham Smith 3,395 11.9 -3.8
Liberal Democrats Helen Watt 858 3 -8.3
Independent George Rice 770 2.7 +2.7
Majority 1,639 5.7 +0.2
Turnout 28,508 52.9
Labour hold Swing +0.2%
Scottish Parliament election, 2007 Notional Result: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 11,638 38.6
SNP 10,051 33.4
Conservative 4,727 15.7
Liberal Democrats 3,406 11.3
Others 309 1.0
Majority 1,587 5.3
Labour hold Swing
Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie 11,635 38.7 -3.5
SNP Graeme McCormick 10,024 33.4 +14.2
Conservative Brian Pope 4,701 15.6 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Alex Mackie 3,385 11.3 -4.2
Scottish Jacobite Party John Black 309 1.0 +1.0
Majority 1,611 5.4
Turnout 30,054 55.6 +3.8
Labour hold Swing
Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie 12,154 42.17 -1.58
SNP Dr Iain Docherty 5,542 19.23 -10.81
Liberal Democrats Eric Thompson 4,455 15.46 +3.83
Conservative Murray Tosh 4,178 14.50 -0.08
Scottish Socialist Les Robertson 2,494 8.65 +8.65
Majority 6,612 22.94 +9.23
Turnout 28,823, 51.86 -10.00
Labour hold Swing
Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie 15,181 43.75 N/A
SNP Lloyd Quinan 10,423 30.04 N/A
Conservative Donald Reece 5,060 14.58 N/A
Liberal Democrats Paul Coleshill 4,035 11.63 N/A
Majority 4,758 13.71
Turnout
Labour hold Swing

Notes and references

  1. ↑ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland