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Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Edinburgh North and Leith is a constituency
of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
(at Westminster
), first used in the 1997 general election
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
In 1999, a Scottish Parliament constituency was created with the same name and boundaries. See Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency)
. The boundaries of the Westminster constituency were altered, however, in 2005, and the Scottish Parliament constituency retains the older boundaries.
straddled the boundary with the East Lothian council area to take in Musselburgh
. In terms of wards used in elections to the City of Edinburgh Council between 1995 and 2007, the constituency included the wards of Broughton
, Calton, Granton
, Harbour, Lorne, New Town, Newhaven
, Pilton
, Stockbridge
and Trinity
.
Constituency boundaries in Scotland
were revised for the 2005 election
. The number of constituencies within the city was reduced from six to five, each now entirely within the city area, and Musselburgh
was re-united with the remainder of East Lothian
. A new Edinburgh North and Leith constituency was created, including the whole of the former one, but also taking in the Dean ward from Edinburgh Central
and Craigleith
ward from Edinburgh West
.
As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
, these wards were replaced with new, larger wards for the Council elections on 3 May 2007. The constituency now includes parts of the new wards of Leith, Leith Walk, Forth, Inverleith
and City Centre, but none of these exclusively. Collectively these wards contain 5 Liberal Democrat
councillors, 5 SNP
, 4 Labour
, 3 Conservatives
and 1 Green
. There was a by-election in the Forth ward in November 2008 following the death of Elizabeth Maginnis (Lab), which was won by Cameron Day (Lab), keeping the political balance the same.
The constituency is urban, and covers several northern communities of the city, as well as most of the former burgh of Leith
, which controversially merged with Edinburgh in 1920. It has the highest proportion of residents living in tenements and flats of any parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, but also has a high relative proportion of university graduates. It includes a mix of leafy, expensive residential areas in the South and West of the constituency and densely populated areas nearer Leith with more young professionals and students, as well as older residents whose families have lived there during several previous generations.
It also includes Calton Hill, the shops and offices on the northern side of Princes Street
, Bute House
, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland
, St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, the Edinburgh Playhouse
, the Edinburgh Waterfront
, the stretch of the Water of Leith
from Dean Village
to Leith Harbour, the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Western General Hospital
and the private schools of Fettes College
, the Edinburgh Academy
, The Mary Erskine School
and Stewart's Melville College
and Telford College
.
The constituency is expected to experience extensive population growth and demographic change over the next few years, mostly at the Waterfront
and at Newhaven
(Western Harbour), although much of the construction work in these areas halted during the 2007-09 credit crunch and global economic downturn. If completed, these would bring in around 25,000 additional residents, leading to pressure to redraw the constituency again.
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(at Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
), first used in the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. It elects one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
In 1999, a Scottish Parliament constituency was created with the same name and boundaries. See Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh North and Leith is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
. The boundaries of the Westminster constituency were altered, however, in 2005, and the Scottish Parliament constituency retains the older boundaries.
Boundaries
When created in 1997, Edinburgh North and Leith was largely a replacement for the Edinburgh Leith constituency, and was one of six constituencies covering the City of Edinburgh council area. One of those six, Edinburgh East and MusselburghEdinburgh East and Musselburgh (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
straddled the boundary with the East Lothian council area to take in Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
. In terms of wards used in elections to the City of Edinburgh Council between 1995 and 2007, the constituency included the wards of Broughton
Broughton, Edinburgh
Broughton is an ancient feudal barony today within the City of Edinburgh, Scotland that was once known for its witchcraft. Its borders are defined, approximately, as being Leith Walk in the south east, Broughton Street in the south west, Broughton Road in the north west and McDonald Road in the...
, Calton, Granton
Granton, Edinburgh
Granton is a district in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland. Granton forms part of Edinburgh's waterfront along the Firth of Forth and is, historically, an industrial area having a large harbour. Granton is part of Edinburgh's large scale waterfront regeneration programme.-Name:Granton first appears...
, Harbour, Lorne, New Town, Newhaven
Newhaven, Edinburgh
Newhaven is a district in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, between Leith and Granton. Formerly a village and harbour on the Firth of Forth, it currently has approximately 5,000 inhabitants....
, Pilton
Pilton, Edinburgh
Pilton is a residential district of northern Edinburgh, Scotland. It is to the north of Ferry Road and west of Granton....
, Stockbridge
Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Stockbridge is an area of Edinburgh, located towards the north of the city, bounded by the New Town and by Comely Bank. The name is Scots stock brig from Anglic stocc brycg, meaning a timber bridge. Originally a small outlying village, it was incorporated into the City of Edinburgh in the 19th...
and Trinity
Trinity, Edinburgh
Trinity is a leafy district of northern Edinburgh, Scotland, once a part of Greater Leith it is one of the more desirable neighbourhoods in Edinburgh...
.
Constituency boundaries in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
were revised for the 2005 election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. The number of constituencies within the city was reduced from six to five, each now entirely within the city area, and Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
was re-united with the remainder of East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
. A new Edinburgh North and Leith constituency was created, including the whole of the former one, but also taking in the Dean ward from Edinburgh Central
Edinburgh Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Central was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and Craigleith
Craigleith, Edinburgh
Craigleith is a district of north Edinburgh, Scotland. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic Creag liath meaning 'grey rock' which was obtained from Craigleith quarry. Much of the Craigleith sandstone was used to build the old and new town houses in Edinburgh as well as many famous buildings...
ward from Edinburgh West
Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , first used in the 1885 general election...
.
As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
The Local Governance Act 2004 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, inter alia, for the election of Councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the Single Transferable Vote system....
, these wards were replaced with new, larger wards for the Council elections on 3 May 2007. The constituency now includes parts of the new wards of Leith, Leith Walk, Forth, Inverleith
Inverleith
Inverleith is an inner suburb in the northern part of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the fringes of the central region of the city. It is an affluent suburb. Its neighbours include Trinity to the north and the New Town to the south, with Canonmills at the south-east and Stockbridge at the south-west...
and City Centre, but none of these exclusively. Collectively these wards contain 5 Liberal Democrat
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
councillors, 5 SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
, 4 Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, 3 Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and 1 Green
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
. There was a by-election in the Forth ward in November 2008 following the death of Elizabeth Maginnis (Lab), which was won by Cameron Day (Lab), keeping the political balance the same.
The constituency is urban, and covers several northern communities of the city, as well as most of the former burgh of Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, which controversially merged with Edinburgh in 1920. It has the highest proportion of residents living in tenements and flats of any parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, but also has a high relative proportion of university graduates. It includes a mix of leafy, expensive residential areas in the South and West of the constituency and densely populated areas nearer Leith with more young professionals and students, as well as older residents whose families have lived there during several previous generations.
It also includes Calton Hill, the shops and offices on the northern side of Princes Street
Princes Street
Princes Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. The street is mostly closed to private...
, Bute House
Bute House
Bute House is the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland, who is the head of the Scottish Government, the country's devolved government established in 1999...
, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
, St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, the Edinburgh Playhouse
Edinburgh Playhouse
The Edinburgh Playhouse is a former cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland which now hosts touring musicals and music concerts. Its capacity is 3,059, making it the UK's largest working theatre in terms of audience capacity....
, the Edinburgh Waterfront
Edinburgh Waterfront
Edinburgh Waterfront is a redevelopment of parts of Edinburgh along the shores of the Firth of Forth in Leith and Granton. There are three main landowners: Arcus , National Grid and City of Edinburgh Council...
, the stretch of the Water of Leith
Water of Leith
The Water of Leith is the main river flowing through Edinburgh, Scotland, to the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth.It is long and rises in the Colzium Springs at Millstone Rig of the Pentland Hills...
from Dean Village
Dean Village
Dean Village is a former village immediately northwest of Edinburgh, Scotland city centre. It was known as the "Water of Leith Village" and was a successful grain milling hamlet for more than 800 years. At one time there were no fewer than eleven working mills there, driven by the strong currents...
to Leith Harbour, the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Western General Hospital
Western General Hospital
The Western General Hospital , at Crewe Road, Edinburgh, Scotland is part of NHS Lothian, a Heath Board which provides a comprehensive range of adult and paediatric care to the people of Edinburgh, the Lothians and beyond.It is one of the main teaching hospitals affiliated to the University of...
and the private schools of Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
, the Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
, The Mary Erskine School
The Mary Erskine School
The Mary Erskine School, popularly known simply as "Mary Erskine's" or "MES" for short, paired with the all boys school Stewart's Melville College is an all girls independent secondary school in Edinburgh, Scotland...
and Stewart's Melville College
Stewart's Melville College
Stewart's Melville College is an all boys boarding and day private school situated in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland...
and Telford College
Edinburgh's Telford College
Edinburgh's Telford College, named after Thomas Telford, the great Scottish civil engineer, was established in 1968. The College is a corporate institution governed by a Board of Management whose members are representative of key industrial and commercial sectors, professional organisations and...
.
The constituency is expected to experience extensive population growth and demographic change over the next few years, mostly at the Waterfront
Edinburgh Waterfront
Edinburgh Waterfront is a redevelopment of parts of Edinburgh along the shores of the Firth of Forth in Leith and Granton. There are three main landowners: Arcus , National Grid and City of Edinburgh Council...
and at Newhaven
Newhaven, Edinburgh
Newhaven is a district in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, between Leith and Granton. Formerly a village and harbour on the Firth of Forth, it currently has approximately 5,000 inhabitants....
(Western Harbour), although much of the construction work in these areas halted during the 2007-09 credit crunch and global economic downturn. If completed, these would bring in around 25,000 additional residents, leading to pressure to redraw the constituency again.
Member of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Malcolm Chisholm Malcolm Chisholm Malcolm Chisholm is a Scottish Labour Party politician, and a former Scottish Executive minister.-Background:Chisholm was educated at George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh and became an English teacher. He is married with three children... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... |
Mark Lazarowicz Mark Lazarowicz Mark Lazarowicz, is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith since 2001... |
Labour Co-operative Labour Co-operative Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties.... |
|
Election results
See also
- Politics of EdinburghPolitics of EdinburghThe politics of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the council of Edinburgh, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament, the House of Commons and the European Parliament....