Falkirk West (Scottish Parliament constituency)

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Falkirk West
Scottish Parliament county constituency
Falkirk West shown within the
Central Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Created: 1999
MSP: Michael Matheson
Party: Scottish National Party
Council area: Falkirk (part)

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 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.

Contents

[edit] Electoral region

See also: Central Scotland Scottish Parliament 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, Hamilton North and Bellshill, Hamilton South, Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Motherwell and Wishaw.

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 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.

[edit] Member of the Scottish Parliament

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

[edit] Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Falkirk West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Scottish National Party Michael Matheson 12,068 41.9 +24.1
Labour Dennis Goldie 11,292 39.2 +21.8
Conservative Stephen O'Rourke 2,887 10.00 +3.7
Liberal Democrats Callum Chomczuk 2,538 8.8 +6.0
Majority 776 2.7 -
Turnout 28,785 51.7 +1.0
Scottish National Party gain from Independent Swing +1.2
Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Falkirk West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Dennis Canavan 14,703 55.69 +0.71
Scottish National Party 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
Scottish National Party 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

[edit] Notes

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