Hamilton North and Bellshill (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Hamilton North and Bellshill was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. It was also one of ten constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elected seven additional members, in addition to ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Not to be confused with Hamilton North and Bellshill (UK Parliament constituency).

Hamilton North and Bellshill
Former burgh constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Hamilton North and Bellshill shown within the Central Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Former constituency
Created1999
Abolished2011
Council areaNorth Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire

For the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, the constituency was significantly redrawn. Two new seats - Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and Uddingston and Bellshill - replaced the existing Hamilton North and Bellshill constituency.

Electoral region
See also Central Scotland Scottish Parliament region

The other nine constituencies of the South of Scotland region between 1999 and 2011 were Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk East, Falkirk West, Hamilton South, Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Motherwell and Wishaw.

The region covered 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.

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 an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.[1]

The Holyrood constituency covered a western portion of the North Lanarkshire council area and a northern portion of the South Lanarkshire council area.

North Lanarkshire council area

The rest of the North Lanarkshire area was covered by Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and Motherwell and Wishaw, which were also within the Central Scotland electoral region. Coatbridge and Chryston straddled the North Lanarkshire boundary with the East Dunbartonshire council area, which was otherwise within the West of Scotland electoral region.

South Lanarkshire council area

The rest of the South Lanarkshire area was covered by another four constituencies: East Kilbride and Hamilton South, which were within the Central Scotland region, Glasgow Rutherglen, within the Glasgow region, and Clydesdale, within the South of Scotland region. Glasgow Rutherglen straddled the South Lanarkshire boundary with the Glasgow City council area, which was entirely within the Glasgow electoral region.

Member of the Scottish Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1999 Michael McMahon Labour

Election results
2007 Scottish Parliament election: Hamilton North and Bellshill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael McMahon 12,334 48.6 -4.4
SNP Alex Neil 7,469 29.4 +9.1
Conservative James Callander 2,835 11.2 +0.4
Liberal Democrats Douglas Herbison 1,726 6.8 +0.7
Scottish Voice Joseph Gorman 571 2.2 +2.2
Independent Gordon Weir 431 1.7 +1.7
Majority 4,865 19.2 -13.5
Turnout 25,366 47.1 -3.2
Labour hold Swing
2003 Scottish Parliament election: Hamilton North and Bellshill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael McMahon 12,812 52.95 +4.17
SNP Alex Neil 4,907 20.28 -10.54
Conservative Charles Ferguson 2,625 10.85 +0.60
Scottish Socialist Shareen Blackhall 1,932 7.99 +7.99
Liberal Democrats Siobhan Mathers 1,477 6.10 -0.64
Majority 7,905 32.67 +14.71
Turnout 24,195 51.95 -11.26
Labour hold Swing
1999 Scottish Parliament election: Hamilton North and Bellshill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael McMahon 15,227 48.78 N/A
SNP Kathleen McAlorum 9,621 30.82 N/A
Conservative Stuart Thomson 3,199 10.25 N/A
Liberal Democrats Jayne Struthers 2,105 6.74 N/A
Socialist Labour Katherine McGavigan 1,064 3.41 N/A
Majority 5,606 17.96 N/A
Turnout 31,216 63.2 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

Notes
  1. See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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