Falkirk West (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Falkirk West (UK Parliament constituency).

Falkirk West
county constituency for the Scottish Parliament

Falkirk West shown within the Central Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Current constituency
Created	1999
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Michael Matheson
Council area	Falkirk

Falkirk West 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 nine constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

From the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Falkirk West will be reshaped as part of wider boundary reviews.

Electoral region

The other eight constituencies of the Central Scotland region are Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk East, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Hamilton South, Motherwell and Wishaw and Uddingston and Bellshill.

The region covers all of the Falkirk council area, all of the North Lanarkshire council area and part of the South Lanarkshire council area.

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 covers a western portion of the Falkirk council area. The rest of the Falkirk area is covered by Falkirk East, which is also within the Central Scotland electoral region.

From the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the newly reshaped Falkirk West will be formed from the following electoral wards:

In full: Denny and Banknock, Bonnybridge and Larbert, Falkirk North
In part: Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst, Falkirk South (shared with Falkirk East)

Member of the Scottish Parliament

	Member	Party
1999	Dennis Canavan	Independent
2003	Dennis Canavan	Independent
2007	Michael Matheson	Scottish National Party
2011	Michael Matheson	Scottish National Party

Election results

2011 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Michael Matheson	15,607	55.3	+13.5
	Labour	Dennis Goldie	9,862	35.0	-4.3
	Conservative	Allan Finnie	2,086	7.4	-2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Callum Chomczuk	644	2.3	-6.5
Majority			5,745	20.4
Turnout			28,199	47.9	-793
	SNP hold		Swing

Liberal Democrats gained under 5% of the poll and thus lost their deposit

Scottish Parliament election, 2007 Notional Result: Falkirk West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP		12,129	41.8
	Labour		11,386	39.3
	Conservative		2,929	10.1
	Liberal Democrats		2,548	8.9
Majority			743	2.6
	SNP hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Falkirk West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Michael Matheson	12,068	41.9	+24.1
	Labour	Dennis Goldie	11,292	39.2	+21.8
	Conservative	Stephen O'Rourke	2,887	10.0	+3.7
	Liberal Democrats	Callum Chomczuk	2,538	8.8	+6.0
Majority			776	2.7	-
Turnout			28,785	51.7	+1.0
	SNP gain from Independent		Swing	+1.2

Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Falkirk West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Dennis Canavan	14,703	55.69	+0.71
	SNP	Michael Matheson	4,703	17.81	+0.03
	Labour	Lee Whitehill	4,589	17.38	-1.39
	Conservative	Iain Mitchell	1,657	6.28	+0.65
	Liberal Democrats	Jacqueline Kelly	748	2.83	0
Majority			10,000	37.88	+1.67
Turnout			26,400	50.65	-12.39
	Independent hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Falkirk West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Dennis Canavan	18,511	54.98	+54.98
	Labour	Ross Martin	6,319	18.77	-40.58
	SNP	Michael Matheson	5,986	17.78	-5.65
	Conservative	Gordon Millar	1,897	5.63	-6.46
	Liberal Democrats	Jane Hook	1,889	6.26	-0.97
Majority			12,192	36.21
Turnout
	Independent gain from Labour		Swing

Notes

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

« 1999–2011 « Electoral regions and constituencies of the Scottish Parliament 2011–

Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Motherwell and Wishaw Uddingston and Bellshill

Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Provan Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Southside Rutherglen

Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Inverness and Nairn Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar Orkney Shetland Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

Lothian	Almond Valley Edinburgh Central Edinburgh Eastern Edinburgh Northern and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh Southern Edinburgh Western Linlithgow Midlothian North and Musselburgh

Mid Scotland and Fife	Clackmannanshire and Dunblane Cowdenbeath Dunfermline Kirkcaldy Mid Fife and Glenrothes North East Fife Perthshire North Perthshire South and Kinross-shire Stirling

North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central Aberdeen Donside Aberdeen South and North Kincardine Aberdeenshire East Aberdeenshire West Angus North and Mearns Angus South Banffshire and Buchan Coast Dundee City East Dundee City West

South Scotland	Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Dumfriesshire East Lothian Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire Galloway and West Dumfries Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley Midlothian South, Tweeddale, and Lauderdale

West Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Cunninghame South Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley Renfrewshire North and West Renfrewshire South Strathkelvin and Bearsden

Electoral regions and Constituencies of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2011 » 2011– »

Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton North and Bellshill Hamilton South Kilmarnock and Loudoun Motherwell and Wishaw

Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Baillieston Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Govan Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Rutherglen Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Springburn

Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber Moray Orkney Ross, Skye and Inverness West Shetland Western Isles

Lothians	Edinburgh Central Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Edinburgh North and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh South Edinburgh West Linlithgow Livingston Midlothian

Mid Scotland and Fife	Central Fife Dunfermline East Dunfermline West Kirkcaldy North East Fife North Tayside Ochil Perth Stirling

North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Angus Banff and Buchan Dundee East Dundee West Gordon West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

South of Scotland	Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Cunninghame South Dumfries East Lothian Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Roxburgh and Berwickshire Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

West of Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley North Paisley South Strathkelvin and Bearsden West Renfrewshire

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