North Tayside (Scottish Parliament constituency)

North Tayside
Former county constituency
for the Scottish Parliament

North Tayside shown within the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Former constituency
Created 1999
Abolished 2011
Council area Angus (part)
Perth and Kinross (part)

North Tayside 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 Mid Scotland and Fife 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.

Electoral region

See also Mid Scotland and Fife Scottish Parliament region

The other eight constituencies of the mid Scotland and Fife Region are Dunfermline East, Dunfermline West, Fife Central, Fife North East, Kirkcaldy, Ochil, Perth and Stirling.

The region covers all of the Clackmannanshire council area, all of the Fife council area, all of the Perth and Kinross council area, all of the Stirling council area and parts of the Angus council area.

Constituency boundaries and council areas

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were generally replaced with new larger constituencies.[1] For representation at Westminster, the area of the Holyrood constituency is now divided between the Perth and North Perthshire Westminster constituency and the Angus Westminster constituency.

The Holyrood constituency of North Tayside covers a northern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area and a northern portion of the Angus council area.

The rest of the Perth and Kinross council area is covered by the Mid Scotland and Fife constituencies of Perth and Ochil and the North East Scotland constituency of Angus.

The rest of the Angus council area is covered by the Angus constituency.

The Perth constituency is entirely within the Perth and Kinross council area, south of the Tayside North constituency.

The Ochil constituency covers a south-eastern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area, the Clackmannanshire council area, and a south-eastern portion of the Stirling council area.

The Angus constituency covers a small eastern portion of the Perth and Kinross council, a southern portion of the Angus council area, and north-western and north-eastern portions of the City of Dundee council area.

Characteristics of the constituency

The constituency is a relatively prosperous, largely rural, Lowland seat, on the fringe of the Highlands, with successful livestock farming, fruit-growing and tourism interests, a combination of small towns and rich agricultural land, with relatively low unemployment. It includes the towns of Pitlochry, Forfar and Blairgowrie. The south-western area, near the town of Perth, is the most populous.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

John Swinney has represented the constituency for the SNP since the first Scottish election in 1999. He is the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, and was SNP leader from 2000 to 2004.

Election Member Party
1999 John Swinney Scottish National Party
2003
2007

Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: North Tayside
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP John Swinney 18,281 51.6 +6.8
Conservative Murdo Fraser 10,697 30.2 -1.2
Labour Michael Marra 3,243 9.2 -1.4
Liberal Democrats James Taylor 3,175 9.0 -0.6
Majority 7,584 21.4
Turnout 35.395 57.1
SNP hold Swing +4.0
Scottish Parliament election, 2003: North Tayside
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP John Swinney 14,969 44.9 +0.8
Conservative Murdo Fraser 10,466 31.4 -1.7
Labour Gordon MacRae 3,527 10.6 -4.5
Liberal Democrats Bob Forrest 3,206 9.6 +1.9
Scottish Socialist Rosie Adams 941 2.8 +2.8
Scottish People's George Ashe 234 0.7 +0.7
Majority 4,503 13.5 +0.8
Turnout 33,343 53.2
SNP hold Swing +0.8
Scottish Parliament election, 1999: North Tayside
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP John Swinney 16,786 44.11 N/A
Conservative Murdo Fraser 12,594 33.09 N/A
Labour Marion Dingwall 5,727 15.05 N/A
Liberal Democrats Peter Regent 2,948 7.75 N/A
Majority 4,192 11.02 N/A
Turnout 38,055
SNP hold Swing N/A

Footnotes

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