Fife Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Central Fife 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.
The former First Minister Henry McLeish represented the constituency from 1999 to 2003.
From the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Central Fife will be redrawn and renamed Mid Fife and Glenrothes
.
The other eight constituencies of the South of Scotland region are Dunfermline East
, Dunfermline West
, Fife North East
, Kirkcaldy
, Ochil
, Perth
, Stirling
and Tayside North
.
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
.
, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster
(House of Commons) constituency. In 2005
, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies. Most of the Fife Central Westminster constituency was merged into the Glenrothes constituency
.
The Holyrood constituency of Central Fife is one of five Mid Scotland and Fife constituencies covering the Fife council area
, the others being Dunfermline East
, Dunfermline West
, Fife North East
and Kirkcaldy
. All are entirely within the council area.
Fife Central covers a central portion of the council area, south-west of Fife North East, north of Kirkcaldy, and north-west of Dunfermline East.
and the industrial ports of Leven
and Methil
. The main industries in this region were once coal and linoleum, but nowadays Glenrothes is a centre for the electronics and off-shore oil industries.
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 Mid Scotland and Fife 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.
The former First Minister Henry McLeish represented the constituency from 1999 to 2003.
From the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Central Fife will be redrawn and renamed Mid Fife and Glenrothes
Mid Fife and Glenrothes (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Mid Fife and Glenrothes is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
.
Electoral region
- See also Mid Scotland and Fife Scottish Parliament region
The other eight constituencies of the South of Scotland region are Dunfermline East
Dunfermline East (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Dunfermline East was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
, Dunfermline West
Dunfermline West (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Dunfermline West was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
, Fife North East
Fife North East (Scottish Parliament constituency)
North East Fife is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Ochil
Ochil (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Ochil was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Perth
Perth (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Perth is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, Stirling
Stirling (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Stirling is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
and Tayside North
Tayside North (Scottish Parliament constituency)
North Tayside is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
.
The region covers all of the Clackmannanshire council area
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire, often abbreviated to Clacks is a local government council area in Scotland, and a lieutenancy area, bordering Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.As Scotland's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed 'The Wee County'....
, all of the Fife council area
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, all of the Perth and Kinross council area
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
, all of the Stirling council area
Stirling (council area)
Stirling is one of the 32 unitary local government council areas of Scotland, and has a population of about 87,000 . It was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994 with the boundaries of the Stirling district of the former Central local government region, and it covers most of the former...
and parts of the Angus council area
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
.
Constituency boundaries and council area
The 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 a pre-existing 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...
(House of Commons) constituency. 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 constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies. Most of the Fife Central Westminster constituency was merged into the Glenrothes constituency
Glenrothes (UK Parliament constituency)
Glenrothes is a British Parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons. It was created for the 2005 general election.The seat is currently held by Lindsay Roy, of the Scottish Labour party...
.
The Holyrood constituency of Central Fife is one of five Mid Scotland and Fife constituencies covering the Fife council area
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, the others being Dunfermline East
Dunfermline East (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Dunfermline East was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
, Dunfermline West
Dunfermline West (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Dunfermline West was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
, Fife North East
Fife North East (Scottish Parliament constituency)
North East Fife is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
and Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
. All are entirely within the council area.
Fife Central covers a central portion of the council area, south-west of Fife North East, north of Kirkcaldy, and north-west of Dunfermline East.
Constituency profile
The constituency includes the new town of GlenrothesGlenrothes
Glenrothes is a large town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is located approximately from both Edinburgh, which lies to the south and Dundee to the north. The town had an estimated population of 38,750 in 2008, making Glenrothes the third largest settlement in Fife...
and the industrial ports of Leven
Leven, Fife
Leven is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, north-east of Kirkcaldy and east of Glenrothes....
and Methil
Methil
Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was part of the former Burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. It lies within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.Methil lies geographically between Largo bay to the east and Wemyss Bay to the west....
. The main industries in this region were once coal and linoleum, but nowadays Glenrothes is a centre for the electronics and off-shore oil industries.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Scottish 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... |
Henry McLeish Henry McLeish Henry Baird McLeish is a Scottish Labour Party politician, author and academic. Formerly a professional association football player, McLeish was the Member of Parliament for Central Fife from 1987 to 2001 and the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Fife from 1999 to 2003, during which... |
Labour Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland.... |
||
| 2003 Scottish Parliament election, 2003 The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive... |
Christine May Christine May Christine May is a Labour Co-operative politician, and was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Fife Central constituency from 2003 to 2007... |
|||
| 2007 Scottish Parliament election, 2007 The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999... |
Tricia Marwick | Scottish National Party Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.... |
||
| 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... |
Constituency abolished; see Mid Fife and Glenrothes Mid Fife and Glenrothes (Scottish Parliament constituency) Mid Fife and Glenrothes is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election... |
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