Edinburgh Western (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Edinburgh Western 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 Lothian 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.
Prior to the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Edinburgh West
was the re-drawn and re-named.
The other constituencies of the Lothian region are Edinburgh Central
, Edinburgh Eastern
, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands
, Edinburgh Southern
, Linlithgow
, Livingston
.
The region covers the City of Edinburgh council area, the West Lothian council area
, part of the Midlothian council area
, and part of the East Lothian council area
.
, 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.
The Holyrood constituency covers a western portion of the City of Edinburgh council area. The rest of the city area is covered by five other constituencies, all also in the Lothians electoral region: Edinburgh North and Leith
, Edinburgh Central
, Edinburgh Pentlands
, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
and Edinburgh South
,
Edinburgh West has boundaries with the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, the Edinburgh Central constituency, and the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency.
, Davidson's Mains
, East Craigs
, Gyle, Murrayfield
, Ratho
, South Queensferry
, a part of the Craigleith
area and a part of the Pilton
area.
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 Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
(Holyrood
Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the Lothian electoral region
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
for the region as a whole.
Prior to the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Edinburgh West
Edinburgh West (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
was the re-drawn and re-named.
Electoral region
- See also Lothian (Scottish Parliament region)
The other constituencies of the Lothian region are Edinburgh Central
Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Central is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Edinburgh Eastern
Edinburgh Eastern (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Eastern is a proposed constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It will elect one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands
Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Pentlands is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Edinburgh Southern
Edinburgh Southern (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Southern is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Linlithgow
Linlithgow (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Linlithgow is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Livingston
Livingston (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Livingston was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
.
The region covers the City of Edinburgh council area, the West Lothian council area
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
, part of the Midlothian council area
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, and part of the East Lothian council area
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....
.
Constituency boundaries and council area
The Edinburgh West constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999Scottish Parliament election, 1999
The Scottish Parliament election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on 6 May 1999 to elect 129 members...
, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency
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...
. In 2005
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....
, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.
The Holyrood constituency covers a western portion of the City of Edinburgh council area. The rest of the city area is covered by five other constituencies, all also in the Lothians electoral region: Edinburgh North and Leith
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...
, Edinburgh Central
Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Central is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Edinburgh Pentlands
Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Pentlands is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
and Edinburgh South
Edinburgh South (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh South was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
,
Edinburgh West has boundaries with the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, the Edinburgh Central constituency, and the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency.
Wards
From the 2011 election, Edinburgh West is to be redrawn and renamed "Edinburgh Western". The electoral wards used in this seat are;- In full: Almond, Drum Brae/Gyle
- In part: Forth, Inverleith, Corstorphine/Murrayfield
Constituency profile
Edinburgh West is mostly suburban, but takes in rural areas to the west. It includes CramondCramond
Cramond is a seaside village now part of suburban Edinburgh, Scotland, located in the north-west corner of the city at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth....
, Davidson's Mains
Davidson's Mains
Davidsons Mains is a former village which is now a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is adjacent to the areas of Barnton, Cramond, Silverknowes, Blackhall and Corbiehill/House O'Hill...
, East Craigs
East Craigs
East Craigs is a residential district of Edinburgh located in the north-west of the city. It lies next to the green belt, and prior to development was a working farm. Development of the area began in 1922 when East Craigs Farm was purchased by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency as a centre...
, Gyle, Murrayfield
Murrayfield
Murrayfield is an affluent area in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and west of Roseburn. The A8 road runs east-west through the north of the area....
, Ratho
Ratho
Ratho is a village and civil parish in the west of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Newbridge and Kirkliston are other villages in the area. The Union Canal passes through Ratho. Edinburgh Airport is situated only 4 miles ...
, South Queensferry
South Queensferry
South Queensferry , also called Queensferry, is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8...
, a part of the 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...
area and a part of the Pilton
Pilton, Edinburgh
Pilton is a residential district of northern Edinburgh, Scotland. It is to the north of Ferry Road and west of Granton....
area.
Members of the Scottish Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Scottish Parliament election, 2011 The 2011 Scottish Parliament general election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the mixed member proportional representation system is used to... |
Colin Keir Colin Keir Colin Keir is a Scottish politician, currently a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Scottish National Party.Keir contested the seat of Edinburgh Western in the Scottish Parliament general election, 2011, and defeated the Liberal Democrat incumbent Margaret Smith with a substantial swing to... |
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.... |
|
As Edinburgh Western
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....