Hamilton North and Bellshill

(Scottish Parliament constituency)

Hamilton North and Bellshill Scottish Parliament burgh constituency


Hamilton North and Bellshill shown within the Central Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Created:	1999
MSP:	Michael McMahon (Scottish politician)
Party:	Labour
Council area:	North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire

Hamilton North and Bellshill 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 ten constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Electoral region

The other nine constituencies of the South of Scotland region are Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk East, Falkirk West, Hamilton South, Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Motherwell and Wishaw.

The region covers all of the Falkirk council area, all of the North Lanarkshire council area, part of the South Lanarkshire council area, part of the East Ayrshire council area and a small part of the East Dumbartonshire council area.

Constituency boundaries and council areas

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, 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^[1].

The Holyrood constituency covers a western portion of the North Lanarkshire council area and a northern portion of the South Lanarkshire council area.

North Lanarkshire council area

The rest of the North Lanarkshire area is covered by Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and Motherwell and Wishaw, which are also within the Central Scotland electoral region. Coatbridge and Chryston straddles the North Lanarkshire boundary with the East Dunbartonshire council area, which is otherwise within the West of Scotland electoral region.

South Lanarkshire council area

The rest of the South Lanarkshire area is covered by another four constituencies: East Kilbride and Hamilton South, which are within the Central Scotland region, Glasgow Rutherglen, within the Glasgow region, and Clydesdale, within the South of Scotland region. Glasgow Rutherglen straddles the South Lanarkshire boundary with the Glasgow City council area, which is entirely within the Glasgow electoral region.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

	Member	Party
1999	Michael McMahon	Labour
2003
2007

Election Results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Hamilton North and Bellshill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Party	Michael McMahon	12,334	48.6	-4.4
	Scottish National Party	Alex Neil	7,469	29.4	+9.1
	Conservative	James Callander	2,835	11.2	+0.4
	Liberal Democrats	Douglas Herbison	1,726	6.8	+0.7
	Scottish Voice	Joseph Gorman	571	2.2	+2.2
	Independent	Gordon Weir	431	1.7	+1.7
Majority			4,865	19.2	-13.47
Turnout			25,366	47.1	+0.5
	Labour Party hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Hamilton North and Bellshill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Party	Michael McMahon	12,812	52.95	+4.17
	Scottish National Party	Alex Neil	4,907	20.28	-10.54
	Conservative	Charles Ferguson	2,625	10.85	+0.60
	Scottish Socialist	Shareen Blackhall	1,932	7.99	+7.99
	Liberal Democrats	Siobhan Mathers	1,477	6.10	-0.64
Majority			7,905	32.67	+14.71
Turnout			24,195	51,965	-11.26
	Labour Party hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Hamilton North and Bellshill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Party	Michael McMahon	15,227	48.78
	Scottish National Party	Kathleen McAlorum	9,621	30.82
	Conservative	Stuart Thomson	3,199	10.25
	Liberal Democrats	Jayne Struthers	2,105	6.74
	Socialist Labour	Katherine McGavigan	1,064	3.41
Majority			5,606	17.96
Turnout
	Labour Party hold		Swing

Notes

^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland

Electoral regions and Constituencies of the Scottish Parliament
Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts · Coatbridge and Chryston · Cumbernauld and Kilsyth · East Kilbride · Falkirk East · Falkirk West · Hamilton North and Bellshill · Hamilton South · Kilmarnock and Loudoun · Motherwell and Wishaw
Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland · Glasgow Baillieston · Glasgow Cathcart · Glasgow Govan · Glasgow Kelvin · Glasgow Maryhill · Glasgow Pollok · Glasgow Rutherglen · Glasgow Shettleston · Glasgow Springburn
Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute · Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross · Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber · Moray · Orkney · Ross, Skye and Inverness West · Shetland · Western Isles
Lothians	Edinburgh Central · Edinburgh East and Musselburgh · Edinburgh North and Leith · Edinburgh Pentlands · Edinburgh South · Edinburgh West · Linlithgow · Livingston · Midlothian
Mid Scotland and Fife	Central Fife · Dunfermline East · Dunfermline West · Kirkcaldy · North East Fife · North Tayside · Ochil · Perth · Stirling
North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central · Aberdeen North · Aberdeen South · Angus · Banff and Buchan · Dundee East · Dundee West · Gordon · West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
South of Scotland	Ayr · Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley · Clydesdale · Cunninghame South · Dumfries · East Lothian · Galloway and Upper Nithsdale · Roxburgh and Berwickshire · Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
West of Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie · Cunninghame North · Dumbarton · Eastwood · Greenock and Inverclyde · Paisley North · Paisley South · Strathkelvin and Bearsden · West Renfrewshire

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