First periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries

The First periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries was carried out by the Boundary Commission for Scotland. It was announced on 3 July 2007 that the review was taking place.[1] Provisional proposals were published on 14 February 2008[2][3] and the final proposals were published on 26 May 2010. The new constituencies and regions were used for the first time at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election.

The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 requires the commission to review boundaries of all constituencies except Orkney and Shetland (which cover, respectively, the Orkney Islands council area and the Shetland Islands council area) so that the area covered by the reviewed constituencies will continue to be covered by a total of 71 constituencies.

The Orkney and Shetland constituencies were taken into account, however, in review of boundaries of the additional member regions.

Final recommendations followed public consultations and a series of local inquiries, and the terms of the 2004 act required final recommendations to be submitted in a report to the Secretary of State for Scotland.

A second review should have taken place within 12 years of the last; however, by the time of the 2021 Scottish Parliament election this had not taken place. A meeting of the Boundary Commission in 2017 indicated that an extension would be sought by the Scottish Government to have the constituencies reviewed by the time of the next proposed election in 2025 (now 2026).[4]

The second review commenced in September 2022 and is planned to be completed by May 2025 before the next scheduled election.[5]

Boundary changes

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For the purposes of the review the Boundary Commission for Scotland must take into account the boundaries of the local government council areas. In order to do this some council areas were grouped together; the largest of these groupings of provisional proposals consisted of four of Scotland's 32 council areas, and the smallest only containing one. Constituencies created in 1999 were based on Scottish Westminster constituencies that were created in 1997 and were based on the boundaries of local government regions and districts and islands areas that existed at that time but have since been abolished and replaced with the council areas.

Following the provisional proposal stages the Commission published their Final Recommendations. All the review processes were completed with the outlined constituencies below.

Constituencies

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Council area or areas Map of Council areas Existing constituency or constituencies Map of existing Proposed constituency or constituencies Map of proposed
Aberdeen City,

Aberdeenshire, Angus,

and

Moray

  Aberdeen Central (part of Aberdeen City council area),

Aberdeen South (part of Aberdeen City council area),
Aberdeen North (part of Aberdeen City council area),
Banff and Buchan (part of Aberdeenshire council area),
Gordon (part of Aberdeenshire and part of Moray council areas),
Moray (part of Moray council area),
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (part of Aberdeenshire council area),
part of Angus (part of Angus council area), and
part of North Tayside (part of Angus council area)

  Aberdeen Central (part of Aberdeen City council area),

Aberdeen Donside (part of Aberdeen City council area),
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine (part of Aberdeen City and part of Aberdeenshire council area),
Aberdeenshire East (part of Aberdeenshire council area),
Aberdeenshire West (part of Aberdeenshire council area),
Angus North and Mearns (part of Aberdeenshire and Angus council areas),
Angus South (part of Angus council area),
Banffshire and Buchan Coast (part of Aberdeenshire council area and part of Moray council area), and
Moray (part of Moray council area)

 
Argyll and Bute,

East Dunbartonshire,

and

West Dunbartonshire

  Argyll and Bute (part of Argyll and Bute council area),

Dumbarton (part of Argyll and Bute and part of West Dunbartonshire council areas),
Clydebank and Milngavie (part of West Dunbartonshire council area), and
Strathkelvin and Bearsden (part of East Dumbartonshire council area)

  Argyll and Bute (part of Argyll and Bute council area),

Dumbarton (part of Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire council areas),
Clydebank and Milngavie (part of East Dumbartonshire and part of West Dunbartonshire council areas), and
Strathkelvin and Bearsden (part of East Dumbartonshire council area)

 
Clackmannanshire,

and Stirling

  Stirling (part of Stirling council area), and

part of Ochil (Clackmannanshire and part of Stirling council areas)

  Clackmannanshire and Dunblane (Clackmannanshire council area and part of Stirling council area), and

Stirling (part of Stirling council area)

 
Dumfries and Galloway   Dumfries, and
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
  Dumfriesshire, and
Galloway and West Dumfries
 
Dundee City   Dundee East,

Dundee West, and
parts of Angus

  Dundee City East, and
Dundee City West
 
East Ayrshire,

and

South Ayrshire,

  Ayr (part of South Ayrshire council area),

Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (part of East Ayrshire and part of South Ayrshire council areas),
Kilmarnock and Loudoun (parts of East Ayrshire council area),

  Ayr (part of South Ayrshire council area),
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (part of South Ayrshire and East Ayrshire council areas),
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley (part of East Ayrshire council area),
 
East Lothian,

Midlothian,

and

Scottish Borders

  East Lothian (part of East Lothian council area),

Midlothian (part of Midlothian council area),
Roxburgh and Berwickshire (part of Scottish Borders council area),
Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (part of Scottish Borders and part of Midlothian council areas), and
part of Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (part of East Lothian council area)

  East Lothian (part of East Lothian council area),

Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire (part of East Lothian and part of Midlothian council areas),
Midlothian North and Musselburgh (part of Scottish Borders council area), and
Midlothian South, Tweedale and Lauderdale (part of Midlothian and part of Scottish Borders council areas)

 |
East Renfrewshire,

Inverclyde,

and

Renfrewshire

  Eastwood (East Renfrewshire council area)
Greenock and Inverclyde

Paisley North

Paisley South

West Renfrewshire

  Eastwood (parts of East Renfrewshire council area)

Greenock and Inverclyde (part of Inverclyde council area)
Paisley (part of Renfrewshire council area)
Renfrewshire North and West (parts of Inverclyde council area and parts of Renfrewshire council area)
Renfrewshire South (parts of East Renfrewshire council area and Renfrewshire council area)

 
Edinburgh, City of   Edinburgh Central,

Edinburgh North and Leith,
Edinburgh South,
Edinburgh Pentlands,
Edinburgh West, and
part of Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

  Edinburgh Central,

Edinburgh Eastern,
Edinburgh Northern and Leith,
Edinburgh Pentlands,
Edinburgh Southern,
Edinburgh Western

 
Falkirk   Falkirk East, and

Falkirk West

  Falkirk East, and

Falkirk West

 
Fife   Central Fife,

Dunfermline East,
Dunfermline West,
Fife North East, and
Kirkcaldy

  Cowdenbeath,

Dunfermline,
Kirkcaldy,
Mid Fife and Glenrothes, and
North East Fife

 
Glasgow City   Glasgow Anniesland,

Glasgow Baillieston,
Glasgow Cathcart,
Glasgow Govan,
Glasgow Kelvin,
Glasgow Maryhill,
Glasgow Pollok,
Glasgow Shettleston,
Glasgow Springburn, and
part of Glasgow Rutherglen

  Glasgow Anniesland,

Glasgow Cathcart,
Glasgow Kelvin,
Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn,
Glasgow Pollok,
Glasgow Provan,
Glasgow Shettleston, and
Glasgow Southside

 
Highland   Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross,

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, and
Ross, Skye and Inverness West

  Caithness, Sutherland and Ross,

Inverness and Nairn, and
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

 
Na h-Eileanan Siar   Western Isles   Na h-Eileanan an Iar  
Perth and Kinross   Perth,

part of Angus,
part of North Tayside, and
part of Ochil

  Perthshire North, and

Perthshire South and Kinross-shire

 
North Ayrshire   Cunninghame North, and

Cunninghame South

  Cunninghame North, and

Cunninghame South

 
North Lanarkshire,

and

South Lanarkshire

  Motherwell and Wishaw

Airdrie and Shotts

Coatbridge and Chryston

Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

Hamilton North and Bellshill

Clydesdale

East Kilbride

Glasgow Rutherglen(part of South Lanarkshire council area and part of Glasgow City council area)

Hamilton South
  Airdrie and Shotts,
Coatbridge and Chryston,
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth,
East Kilbride, Falkirk East, Falkirk West, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Motherwell and Wishaw, and Uddingston and Bellshill
 
West Lothian   Livingston,

Linlithgow

  Almond Valley

Linlithgow

 

Electoral regions

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The Boundary Commission have also recommended changes to the electoral regions used to elect "list" members of the Scottish Parliament. The recommendations[6] can be summarised below;

Region Constituencies Map
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 Anniesland
Cathcart
Kelvin
Maryhill and Springburn
Pollok
Provan
Shettleston
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

References

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  1. ^ "Review of Constituencies at the Scottish Parliament" (PDF) (Press release). Boundary Commission for Scotland. 3 July 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Provisional proposals for constituencies for the Scottish Parliament" (PDF) (Press release). Scottish Office, Boundary Commission for Scotland. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  3. ^ "New electoral boundaries unveiled". BBC News. 14 February 2008.
  4. ^ Scottish Parliament: timing of 2nd Review of Parliament Boundaries, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, November 2017
  5. ^ "Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries | Scottish Boundary Commission". boundaries.scot. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  6. ^ "First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries. Public Consultation" (PDF). Boundary Commission for Scotland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
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