Central Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Central Dunbartonshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland Dunbartonshire
1974 (1974)–1983
Number of members One
Created from East Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire

Central Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) from 1974 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

The constituency was created as a result of the Second Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission,[1] and first used in 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 Central Dunbartonshire was defined as one of three constituencies to replace the two constituencies of East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire. The other two constituencies took forward the names of the earlier constituencies.[1]

Central Dunbartonshire consisted mainly of the burgh of Clydebank, but it also included the burgh of Milngavie and the Old Kilpatrick district of the county.[1]

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

The constituency was represented by Hugh McCartney, who had previously been MP for East Dunbartonshire, throughout its relatively short existence. Its main claim to fame is that it was the scene of Jimmy Reid's candidature in 1974, when he gained the best vote by a Communist candidate for some time.

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.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [2] Party
February 1974 Hugh McCartney Labour
1983 constituency abolished

Elections of the 1970s

General Election 1979: Central Dunbartonshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh McCartney 20,515 51.9 +11.7
Conservative Nicholas Soames 8,512 21.5 +4.3
SNP W. Lindsay 6,055 15.3 −13.8
Liberal L. McCreadie 3,099 7.8 −3.0
Communist D. McCafferty 1,017 2.6 −6.1
Christian Democrat R. Darroch 312 0.8 N/A
Majority 12,003 30.4 +19.7
Turnout 39,510 80.0 +0.2
Labour hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Central Dunbartonshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh McCartney 15,837 40.2 −0.2
SNP C. Aitken 11,452 29.1 +14.6
Conservative Michael William Hirst 6,792 17.2 −6.8
Communist James Reid 3,417 8.7 −5.9
Liberal J. E. Cameron 1,895 4.8 −1.6
Majority 4,385 11.1 −5.2
Turnout 39,393 79.8 −3.2
Labour hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Central Dunbartonshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh McCartney 16,439 40.4 N/A
Conservative Michael William Hirst 9,775 24.0 N/A
Communist James Reid 5,928 14.6 N/A
SNP Andrew Paton Welsh 5,906 14.5 N/A
Liberal Thomas Colin Harvey 2,583 6.4 N/A
Workers Revolutionary S. Hammond 52 0.1 N/A
Majority 6,664 16.3 N/A
Turnout 40,683 83.0 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (ISBN 0-900178-09-4), F. W. S. Craig, 1972
  2. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)
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