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West Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
West Dunbartonshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
(Westminster
). It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election and covers the same area as the county of West Dunbartonshire
.
The current constituency was first used in the 2005 general election
. There was also an earlier West Dunbartonshire constituency, from 1950 to 1983.
The current MP is Gemma Doyle
of the Labour Party
, elected at the 2010 general election.
, and first used in the 1950 general election
.
As created in 1950, the constituency was one of two covering the county of Dunbarton. The other was East Dunbartonshire
. The two new constituencies replaced the earlier constituencies of Dunbartonshire
and Dumbarton Burghs.
West Dunbartonshire covered the Helensburgh, Old Kilpatrick, and Vale of Leven districts of the county and the burghs of Cove and Kilcreggan, Dumbarton, and Helensburgh.
For the 1951 general election
the constituency boundaries were adjusted to take account of a change to the boundaries of the Old Kilpatrick district.
The results of the First Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission were implemented for the 1955 general election
, but there was no change to the boundaries of West Dunbartonshire, and the boundaries of 1951 and 1955 were used also in the general election
s of 1959
, 1964
, 1966
and 1970
.
The results of the Second Periodical Review were implemented for the February 1974 general election. The review took account of population growth in the county of Dunbarton, caused by overspill from the city of Glasgow
into the new town of Cumbernauld and elsewhere, and West Dunbartonshire became one of three constituencies covering the county. The other two were East Dunbartonshire and Central Dunbartonshire
. West Dunbartonshire now covered the Helensburgh and Vale of Leven districts and the burghs of Cove and Kilcreggan, Dumbarton, and Helensburgh.
February 1974 boundaries were used also for the general elections of October 1974
and 1979
.
In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
, Scottish counties were abolished in favour of regions and districts
and islands council areas
, and the county of Dunbarton was divided between several districts of the new region of Strathclyde. The Third Periodical Review took account of new local government boundaries, and the results were implemented for the 1983 general election
.
The existing constituency was created as a result of the Fifth Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, It covers and is entirely within the West Dunbartonshire council area.
The area of the constituency was previously divided between the Dumbarton
and Clydebank and Milngavie
constituencies. It includes the population centres of Clydebank
, Dumbarton and Alexandria
.
The Fifth Periodical Review did not affect the boundaries of Scottish Parliament constituencies, which retain the boundaries of Westminster constituencies prior to implementation of the results of the review.
, and Clydebank and Milngavie
constituencies.
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...
). 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 and covers the same area as the county of West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. Bordering onto the west of the City of Glasgow, containing many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages as well as the city's suburbs, West Dunbartonshire also borders onto Argyll and Bute, Stirling, East...
.
The current constituency was 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....
. There was also an earlier West Dunbartonshire constituency, from 1950 to 1983.
The current MP is Gemma Doyle
Gemma Doyle (politician)
Gemma Doyle is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for West Dunbartonshire since 2010...
of 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...
, elected at the 2010 general election.
Historic
The historic constituency was created under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949
The House of Commons Act 1949 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that provided for the periodic review of the number and boundaries of parliamentary constituencies....
, and first used in the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
.
As created in 1950, the constituency was one of two covering the county of Dunbarton. The other was East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
East Dunbartonshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. The two new constituencies replaced the earlier constituencies of Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
and Dumbarton Burghs.
West Dunbartonshire covered the Helensburgh, Old Kilpatrick, and Vale of Leven districts of the county and the burghs of Cove and Kilcreggan, Dumbarton, and Helensburgh.
For the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
the constituency boundaries were adjusted to take account of a change to the boundaries of the Old Kilpatrick district.
The results of the First Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission were implemented for the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, but there was no change to the boundaries of West Dunbartonshire, and the boundaries of 1951 and 1955 were used also in the general election
United Kingdom general elections
This is a list of United Kingdom general elections since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland, before being co-opted to serve in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom, so that Parliament...
s of 1959
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
, 1964
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, 1966
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
and 1970
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
.
The results of the Second Periodical Review were implemented for the February 1974 general election. The review took account of population growth in the county of Dunbarton, caused by overspill from the city 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...
into the new town of Cumbernauld and elsewhere, and West Dunbartonshire became one of three constituencies covering the county. The other two were East Dunbartonshire and Central Dunbartonshire
Central Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Central Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1983...
. West Dunbartonshire now covered the Helensburgh and Vale of Leven districts and the burghs of Cove and Kilcreggan, Dumbarton, and Helensburgh.
February 1974 boundaries were used also for the general elections of October 1974
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
and 1979
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
.
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....
, Scottish counties were abolished in favour of regions and districts
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....
and islands council areas
Islands council areas of Scotland
Between 1975 and 1996 there were three islands council areas of Scotland:* Orkney* Shetland* Western IslesThe islands council areas were the only unitary councils created under the Local Government Act 1973, which came into force in 1975...
, and the county of Dunbarton was divided between several districts of the new region of Strathclyde. The Third Periodical Review took account of new local government boundaries, and the results were implemented for the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
.
Current
 |
| West Dunbartonshire West Dunbartonshire West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. Bordering onto the west of the City of Glasgow, containing many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages as well as the city's suburbs, West Dunbartonshire also borders onto Argyll and Bute, Stirling, East... as one of the council areas of 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... |
The existing constituency was created as a result of the Fifth Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, It covers and is entirely within the West Dunbartonshire council area.
The area of the constituency was previously divided between the Dumbarton
Dumbarton (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumbarton was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. It was largely absorbed into the new constituency of Dunbartonshire West, with Helensburgh joining Argyll and Bute....
and Clydebank and Milngavie
Clydebank and Milngavie (UK Parliament constituency)
Clydebank and Milngavie was a county constituency in Scotland. It returned on Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005, when it was redistributed to West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire as part of a major reorganisation of...
constituencies. It includes the population centres of Clydebank
Clydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
, Dumbarton and Alexandria
Alexandria, Scotland
Alexandria is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The town is situated on the River Leven, four miles north-west of Dumbarton.As of 2001, the population of the town is 13,444...
.
The Fifth Periodical Review did not affect the boundaries of Scottish Parliament constituencies, which retain the boundaries of Westminster constituencies prior to implementation of the results of the review.
Member of Parliament, 2005 to present
- 2005 – 2010: John McFall, Labour Co-operativeLabour Co-operativeLabour 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....
, previously MP for DumbartonDumbarton (UK Parliament constituency)Dumbarton was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. It was largely absorbed into the new constituency of Dunbartonshire West, with Helensburgh joining Argyll and Bute....
, since 1987. - 2010 – present: Gemma DoyleGemma Doyle (politician)Gemma Doyle is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for West Dunbartonshire since 2010...
, Labour Co-operativeLabour Co-operativeLabour 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....
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
The current West Dunbartonshire constituency was formed in 2005 from parts of the earlier DumbartonDumbarton (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumbarton was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. It was largely absorbed into the new constituency of Dunbartonshire West, with Helensburgh joining Argyll and Bute....
, and Clydebank and Milngavie
Clydebank and Milngavie (UK Parliament constituency)
Clydebank and Milngavie was a county constituency in Scotland. It returned on Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005, when it was redistributed to West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire as part of a major reorganisation of...
constituencies.
Members of Parliament, 1950 to 1983
- 1950 Adam McKinlayAdam McKinlayAdam Storey McKinlay was a Scottish Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1929 to 1931, and from 1941 to 1950....
- 1951 Tom SteeleTom SteeleTom Steele was a Scottish Labour politician.Steele worked as a station master and served on the board of the Lanark Co-operative Society....
- 1970 Ian CampbellIan Campbell (Scottish politician)Ian Campbell was a Scottish politician who served as a backbench Labour Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1987.-Early life:...