Politics of Glasgow
Encyclopedia
Politics in Glasgow, Scotland
, is evident in the deliberations and decisions of the city council of Glasgow
(Glaschu in Gaelic), in elections to the council, and in elections to the Scottish Parliament
(Holyrood
) and the House of Commons
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
(Westminster
).
In the European Parliament
, the city
area is within the Scotland constituency
, which covers all of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Glasgow City became a unitary council area in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
, with boundaries somewhat different from those of the City of Glasgow district
of the Strathclyde
region
: a Rutherglen
and Fernhill
area, a Cambuslang
and Halfway
area, were transferred from the city area to the new South Lanarkshire
council area.
The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
, to include: the former county of city
of Glasgow and a number of areas previously within county of Lanark: Cambuslang (Central and North, and South lying outwith East Kilbride
), Rutherglen
(including the burgh
of Rutherglen), part of a Carmunnock
area (that lying outwith East Kilbride), and Baillieston
, Garrowhill
, Mount Vernon and Carmyle
, and Springboig
areas.
The title Lord Provost of Glasgow, used now for the civic leader of the city council, has history dating from the 15th century.
Glasgow Corporation Transport, was under the control of the Glasgow Corporation, and ran the local buses and Glasgow Trams
, until creation of the Strathclyde region in 1975.
During the period of two tier local government, 1975 to 1996, the Glasgow District Council was responsible for refuse collection, museums, libraries and housing, while Strathclyde
Regional Council had responsibilities for policing, fire service, water, education, social work and transport.
The city council established in 1996 is a unitary authority
with powers and responsibilities previously divided between councils of the Glasgow City district and the Strathclyde region.
The unitary council area borders onto the Renfrewshire council area, the West Dunbartonshire council area, the East Dunbartonshire council area, the North Lanarkshire council, the South Lanarkshire council area and the East Renfrewshire council area.
.
The council's executive branch is headed by a Leader of the Council, who is the leader of the largest political grouping, currently the Labour Party
.
s elected for a four-year term from 21 wards. These wards were introduced for the 2007 election and each returns three or four members by the single transferable vote
system of election. This system was introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
, as a means of ensuring a reasonably proportionately representative
outcome.
The most recent full council election took place on Thursday 3 May 2007. Labour retained overal majority control (45), with increased numbers for Scottish National Party
(22), Greens (5), Liberal Democrats
(5), one Conservative councillor and one Solidarity councillor returned. No Scottish Socialist Party or independent councillors were returned.
Since 2007 The Solidarity Councillor Ruth Black has since defected to the Labour Party in late 2007 after praising the Leadership of Steven Purcell
. While Alex Dingwall and Colin Deens have both defected from the SNP, becoming a Liberal Democrat and Independent respectively.
John Mason
, elected in the Baillieston ward as an SNP councillor resigned following election to the House of Commons on 25 July 2008 with the SNP winning the resultant by-election in September. However, Mason failed to retain his seat in House of Commons after Margaret Curran, in a landslide victory, won the seat for the Scottish Labour Party in the 2010 General Election. The third council by-election in four months and the second in Ballieston multi-member ward will be precipitated by the death of sitting Labour councillor Douglas Hay.
The resulting by-election was won by the Labour candidate, Andy Muir
On the same day of the European Elections 2009, a by-election was held for Ward 14, Anniesland and Drumchapel. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting councillor, Bill Kidd(SNP). The resulting by-election was won by Labour candidate, Anne McTaggart
.
(first past the post) system of election. The result from this system was 69 of the 79 councillors representing the Labour Party although that party gained only around half the votes cast in the previous general election
to the council, and the Scottish National Party was represented by just four councillors despite gaining some 20% of the votes. There were also three Liberal Democrat councillors, one Conservative
councillor, one Scottish Socialist Party
councillor and one independent councillor. These old wards has been first used in the general election to the council in 1999:
covers Glasgow City, a Rutherglen area of South Lanarkshire
and a small eastern area of Renfrewshire
. It includes ten constituencies
, each electing one of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituency members. Also, the region elects seven of the parliament's 56 additional members
. The system of election is designed to produce a form of proportional representation
, and both kinds of member are known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
.
Until the United Kingdom general election, 2005
, the first past the post seats were the same for the Scottish Parliament
(Holyrood
) as for the United Kingdom Parliament (Westminster
) (apart from Orkney and Shetland, which formed separate constituencies at Holyrood, but not Westminster). In 2005 the number of Westminster Members of Parliament (MPs)
was cut to 59, with new constituencies being formed, while the existing number of constituencies and MSPs was retained for Holyrood.
electoral region are:
(Westminster
) Glasgow City is now divided between seven constituencies
. All seven are entirely within the Glasgow City council area, with boundaries first used in the 2005 general election
, and each elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the plurality
(first past the post) system of election.
Prior to the 2005 election, Glasgow City was divided between Westminster constituencies with the same names and boundaries as now existing Holyrood constituencies.
The seven Westminster constituencies created in 2005, and current MPs, are:-
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...
, is evident in the deliberations and decisions of the city council of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(Glaschu in Gaelic), in elections to the council, and in elections to 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...
) and the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
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...
(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...
).
In the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, the city
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
area is within the Scotland constituency
Scotland (European Parliament constituency)
Scotland constitutes a single constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
, which covers all of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Glasgow City became a unitary council area in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
, with boundaries somewhat different from those of the City of Glasgow district
Regions and districts of Scotland
The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
of the Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
region
Regions and districts of Scotland
The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
: a Rutherglen
Rutherglen
Rutherglen is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In 1975, it lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow. In 1996 Rutherglen was reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area.-History:...
and Fernhill
Fernhill
Fernhill is a residential district in the Scottish town of Rutherglen in Lanarkshire. It is situated south of the River Clyde. Built largely in the 1950s and 60s as a slum clearance area for Rutherglen, Fernhill could be considered as a smaller equivalent to the infamous Castlemilk estate which...
area, a Cambuslang
Cambuslang
Cambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Historically, it was a large rural Parish incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway. It is known as "the largest village in...
and Halfway
Halfway, Cambuslang
Halfway is a largely suburban area in the town of Cambuslang, Scotland located within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Halfway borders the smaller areas of Lightburn, Flemington and Hallside. It was named when passengers, in the days of the Glasgow to Hamilton stagecoach would stop...
area, were transferred from the city area to the new South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
council area.
The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, to include: the former county of city
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Glasgow and a number of areas previously within county of Lanark: Cambuslang (Central and North, and South lying outwith East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
), Rutherglen
Rutherglen
Rutherglen is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In 1975, it lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow. In 1996 Rutherglen was reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area.-History:...
(including the burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
of Rutherglen), part of a Carmunnock
Carmunnock
Carmunnock is a conservation village within the City of Glasgow boundary, lying within three miles of East Kilbride and Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, and Busby, East Renfrewshire....
area (that lying outwith East Kilbride), and Baillieston
Baillieston
Baillieston is a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. It is about 7 miles east of the city centre.It is also the name of Ward 20 of Glasgow City Council...
, Garrowhill
Garrowhill
Garrowhill is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, 7 miles east of its city centre.For an aerial photograph of Garrowhill, go to Garrowhill railway station is on the North Clyde Line....
, Mount Vernon and Carmyle
Carmyle
Carmyle is a small village in the east end of Glasgow, north of the River Clyde.-Transport:Carmyle railway station which opened in August 1866, is on the Whifflet Line. It is an unstaffed, 2-platform halt. Trains run to Glasgow Central from Westbound Platform 1, and to Mount Vernon, Baillieston,...
, and Springboig
Springboig
Springboig is a district in the east end of the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde.Springboig lies to the north of Shettleston, Budhill and east of Greenfield, Carntyne and Lightburn Hospital and Greenfield Park, and is just south of Edinburgh Road and Cranhill...
areas.
History
The early city was run by the old Glasgow Town Council. In 1895, the Town Council formally became The Corporation of the City of Glasgow (Glasgow Corporation or City Corporation). It retained this title until local government re-organisation in 1975, when it became City of Glasgow District Council. In 1996 Glasgow District Council was granted unitary status and is now known as Glasgow City Council.The title Lord Provost of Glasgow, used now for the civic leader of the city council, has history dating from the 15th century.
Glasgow Corporation Transport, was under the control of the Glasgow Corporation, and ran the local buses and Glasgow Trams
Glasgow Corporation Tramways
Glasgow Corporation Tramways were formerly one of the largest urban tramway systems in Europe. Over 1000 municipally-owned trams served the city of Glasgow, Scotland with over 100 route miles by 1922...
, until creation of the Strathclyde region in 1975.
During the period of two tier local government, 1975 to 1996, the Glasgow District Council was responsible for refuse collection, museums, libraries and housing, while Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
Regional Council had responsibilities for policing, fire service, water, education, social work and transport.
The city council established in 1996 is a unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
with powers and responsibilities previously divided between councils of the Glasgow City district and the Strathclyde region.
The unitary council area borders onto the Renfrewshire council area, the West Dunbartonshire council area, the East Dunbartonshire council area, the North Lanarkshire council, the South Lanarkshire council area and the East Renfrewshire council area.
Council structure
The council is ceremonially headed by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, who is elected to convene the council and perform associated tasks as a general civil leader. The current incumbent is Bob WinterBob Winter
Robert 'Bob' Winter is the Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was first elected a Labour councillor on Glasgow City Council in 1999, serving the Summerston ward. In 2007, he was re-elected as one of four councillors for Ward 15, which includes Maryhill and the Kelvin area of Glasgow's West End...
.
The council's executive branch is headed by a Leader of the Council, who is the leader of the largest political grouping, currently the Labour Party
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...
.
Elections
The council consists of 79 councillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s elected for a four-year term from 21 wards. These wards were introduced for the 2007 election and each returns three or four members by the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system of election. This system was introduced by 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....
, as a means of ensuring a reasonably proportionately representative
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...
outcome.
The most recent full council election took place on Thursday 3 May 2007. Labour retained overal majority control (45), with increased numbers for 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....
(22), Greens (5), Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
(5), one Conservative councillor and one Solidarity councillor returned. No Scottish Socialist Party or independent councillors were returned.
Since 2007 The Solidarity Councillor Ruth Black has since defected to the Labour Party in late 2007 after praising the Leadership of Steven Purcell
Steven Purcell
Steven Purcell is a former Scottish Labour Party politician and was councillor for the Drumchapel and Anniesland ward in Glasgow and is a former leader of Glasgow City Council. He was Leader of the Council from 24 May 2005 until 2 March 2010 when he announced he would be standing down from this...
. While Alex Dingwall and Colin Deens have both defected from the SNP, becoming a Liberal Democrat and Independent respectively.
John Mason
John Mason (Scottish politician)
John Fingland Mason MSP is a Scottish politician and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Shettleston.He was the SNP Member of Parliament for Glasgow East from 2008 to 2010.-Background:...
, elected in the Baillieston ward as an SNP councillor resigned following election to the House of Commons on 25 July 2008 with the SNP winning the resultant by-election in September. However, Mason failed to retain his seat in House of Commons after Margaret Curran, in a landslide victory, won the seat for the Scottish Labour Party in the 2010 General Election. The third council by-election in four months and the second in Ballieston multi-member ward will be precipitated by the death of sitting Labour councillor Douglas Hay.
The resulting by-election was won by the Labour candidate, Andy Muir
On the same day of the European Elections 2009, a by-election was held for Ward 14, Anniesland and Drumchapel. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting councillor, Bill Kidd(SNP). The resulting by-election was won by Labour candidate, Anne McTaggart
Anne McTaggart
Cllr Anne McTaggart MSP is a Scottish Labour party politician, Glasgow city councillor and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region, elected as third of 3 from the Labour list in 2011.- Background :...
.
Current multi-member ward system
A multi-member ward system was introduced for the 2007 council election:| Ward | Representation | Map |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Linn (4 members) | 2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Lib Dem |  |
| 2. Newlands/Auldburn (3 members) | 2 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 3. Greater Pollok (4 members) | 3 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 4. Craigton (4 members) | 3 Lab; 1 SNP;* | |
| 5. Govan (4 members) | 3 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 6. Pollokshields Pollokshields Pollokshields is a district in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conservation area which was developed in Victorian times according to a plan promoted by the original landowners, the Stirling-Maxwells of Pollok, whose association with the area goes as far back as... (3 members) |
1 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Con | |
| 7. Langside (3 members) | 1 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Lib Dem | |
| 8. Southside Central (4 members) | 2 Lab; 1 IND; 1 Green * | |
| 9. Calton (3 members) | 2 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 10. Anderston/City (4 members) | 2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Green | |
| 11. Hillhead (4 members) | 1 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Lib Dem; 1 Green | |
| 12. Partick West (4 members) | 1 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Lib Dem; 1 Green | |
| 13. Garscadden/Scotstounhill (4 members) | 3 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 14. Drumchapel/Anniesland (4 members) | 4 Labour | |
| 15. Maryhill/Kelvin (4 members) | 2 Lab; 2 Lib Dem | |
| 16. Canal (4 members) | 2 Lab; 1 SNP; 1 Green | |
| 17. Springburn (3 members) | 2 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 18. East Centre (4 members) | 3 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 19. Shettleston (4 members) | 3 Lab; 1 SNP | |
| 20. Baillieston (4 members) | 2 Lab; 2 SNP | |
| 21. North East (4 members) | 3 Lab; 1 SNP | |
Previous single-member ward system
Prior to the 2007 election, there were 79 councillors elected from 79 single-member wards by the pluralityPlurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
(first past the post) system of election. The result from this system was 69 of the 79 councillors representing the Labour Party although that party gained only around half the votes cast in the previous general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
to the council, and the Scottish National Party was represented by just four councillors despite gaining some 20% of the votes. There were also three Liberal Democrat councillors, one Conservative
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...
councillor, one Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
councillor and one independent councillor. These old wards has been first used in the general election to the council in 1999:
| Ward | |Ward | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Scottish Parliament
The Glasgow electoral region of the Scottish ParliamentGlasgow (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Glasgow is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament , which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
covers Glasgow City, a Rutherglen area of South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
and a small eastern area of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
. It includes ten constituencies
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:...
, each electing one of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituency members. Also, the region elects seven of the parliament's 56 additional members
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
. The system of election is designed 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...
, and both kinds of member are known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
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:...
.
Until the United Kingdom general election, 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....
, the first past the post seats were the same for 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...
) as for the United Kingdom Parliament (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...
) (apart from Orkney and Shetland, which formed separate constituencies at Holyrood, but not Westminster). In 2005 the number of Westminster Members of Parliament (MPs)
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,...
was cut to 59, with new constituencies being formed, while the existing number of constituencies and MSPs was retained for Holyrood.
First past the post constituencies
The ten Scottish Parliament constituencies in the Glasgow electoral region, and current MSPs, are:-
|
James Dornan James Dornan is a SNP MSP for Glasgow Cathcart in the Scottish Parliament, elected in the 2011 Parliamentary elections. He was also the SNP group leader on the Glasgow City Council until June 2011, when he was succeeded by Allison Hunter.-References:... Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon is the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy, Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party and Member for Glasgow Southside.... Sandra White Sandra White is a Scottish politician, the Scottish National Party MSP for the Glasgow Kelvin constituency. She was previously a list MSP for the Glasgow electoral region from 1999.... Patricia Ferguson Patricia Josephine Ferguson is a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill, a seat which she has held since 1999.- Background :... James Kelly (Scottish politician) James Kelly is a Scottish Labour Co-operative politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Rutherglen constituency. He was elected for the first time in the 2007 Scottish Election.... John Mason Captain John Mason was born at King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, and educated at Peterhouse College, Cambridge. He was a sailor and colonizer. Mason was appointed the second Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland's Cuper's Cove colony in 1615, succeeding John Guy. Mason arrived on the island in 1616... Paul Martin (Scottish politician) Paul Martin is a Scottish Labour politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow Provan constituency since May 2011, having formerly been MSP for Glasgow Springburn from the beginning of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 until the constituency was abolished for the 2011... |
Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.... 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... |
Additional members
The current additional member MSPs for the GlasgowGlasgow (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Glasgow is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament , which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
electoral region are:
| Party | Member | |
| Labour Party | Hanzala Malik Hanzala Malik Hanzala Malik is a Scottish Labour Party member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow, elected in 2011.He is also a Glasgow City Councillor, for the Hillhead ward.- External links :**... |
|
| Labour Party | Drew Smith Drew Smith Drew Smith is a Labour member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow .He was first elected in 2011 and is a former Chair of Scottish Young Labour and former member of the Scottish TUC General Council.... |
|
| Labour Party | Anne McTaggart Anne McTaggart Cllr Anne McTaggart MSP is a Scottish Labour party politician, Glasgow city councillor and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region, elected as third of 3 from the Labour list in 2011.- Background :... |
|
| Scottish National Party | Humza Yousaf Humza Yousaf Humza Yousaf is a Scottish National Party member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region, elected in 2011 via the Mixed Member Proportional Representation from the Party List.... |
|
| Scottish National Party | Bob Doris Bob Doris Bob Doris is a Scottish politician. A member of the Scottish National Party , he was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent Glasgow at the 2007 Scottish Parliament election.-Life and career:At the 2007 election Doris contested the Glasgow Maryhill Scottish Parliament constituency,... |
|
| Scottish Green Party | Patrick Harvie Patrick Harvie Patrick Harvie is the co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region... |
|
| Conservative Party | Ruth Davidson Ruth Davidson Ruth Davidson is a politician, former BBC journalist and the current leader of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party... |
Parliament of the United Kingdom
For elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United KingdomParliament 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...
(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...
) Glasgow City is now divided between seven constituencies
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:...
. All seven are entirely within the Glasgow City council area, with boundaries first used in the 2005 general 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....
, and each elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the plurality
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
(first past the post) system of election.
Prior to the 2005 election, Glasgow City was divided between Westminster constituencies with the same names and boundaries as now existing Holyrood constituencies.
The seven Westminster constituencies created in 2005, and current MPs, are:-
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Anas Sarwar Anas Sarwar MP is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central since 2010, succeeding his father Mohammad Sarwar.-Early life:... Willie Bain William Thomas Bain is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East since 2009.... Ian Davidson (Scottish politician) Ian Graham Davidson is a Scottish Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow South West since 2005... |
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... 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... 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.... |