Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Former county constituency
for the Scottish Parliament

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Former constituency
Created 1999
Abolished 2011
Council area Highland
Replaced by Inverness & Nairn,
Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. It was one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Boundaries were redrawn before the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, dividing the area between Inverness and Nairn and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

Electoral region

See also Highlands and Islands Scottish Parliament region

The other seven constituencies of the Highlands and Islands electoral region were Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Moray, Orkney, Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Shetland and the Western Isles.

The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney council area, all of the Shetland council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Constituency boundaries

The Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were generally replaced with new larger constituencies.[1] For representation at Westminster, the area of the Holyrood constituency is now divided between two constituencies: the Ross, Skye and Lochaber Westminster constituency and the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Westminster constituency.

Council area

See also Politics of the Highland council area

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber is the most southerly of three Holyrood constituencies covering the Highland council area. The other two are Ross, Skye and Inverness West and Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber has Ross, Skye and Inverness West on its northern boundary. Inverness East, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross is further north. All three constituencies are within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.

When created in 1999 the constituency boundaries were definable with reference to council wards which were grouped, by the Highland Council, in relation to eight council management areas. Constituency and management area names have many elements in common, and the management areas had the boundaries of former districts of the Highland region, as abolished in 1996, namely Inverness, Nairn, Lochaber, Ross and Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh, Badenoch and Strathspey, Caithness and Sutherland.

The management areas were abolished in 2007, and the council has now three new corporate management areas, defined as groups of new wards, also introduced in 2007. The boundaries of the corporate management areas are similar to those of Westminster constituencies created in 2005. One corporate management area, the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross area, has boundaries, therefore, which are also similar to those of a Holyrood constituency. The boundaries of the other two corporate areas, the Ross, Skye and Lochaber area and the Inverness, Nairn, and Badenoch and Strathspey area, are quite unlike those of any Holyrood constituency.

The most recent general election of the Highland Council was this in 2007, and its current political composition is as follows:

Independent Scottish National Party Liberal Democrats Labour Highland Alliance Non-aligned
32 19 14 6 6 3

[2]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election Member Party
1999 Fergus Ewing Scottish National Party
2003
2007
2011 constituency abolished: replaced by Inverness and Nairn

Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Fergus Ewing 16,443 41.5 +10.6
Liberal Democrats Craig Harrow 10,972 27.7 +11.5
Labour Linda Stewart 7,559 19.1 -8.8
Conservative Jamie Halcro Johnston 4,635 11.7 -6.1
Majority 5,471 13.8
Rejected ballots 1,249 {{{change}}}
Turnout 36,609 55.3 +3.1
SNP hold Swing 0.5
Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Fergus Ewing 10,764 30.9 -2.1
Labour Rhoda Grant 9,718 27.9 -4.1
Conservative Mary Scanlon 6,205 17.8 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Patsy Kenton 5,622 16.2 -4.2
Scottish Socialist Steven Arnott 1,661 4.8 N/A
Independent Thomas Lamont 825 2.4 +2.4
Majority 1046 3.0 +1.9
Turnout 34795 52.5 -10.0
SNP hold Swing
Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Fergus Ewing 13825 33.1 N/A
Labour Joan Aitken 13384 32.0 N/A
Liberal Democrats Donnie Fraser 8508 20.3 N/A
Conservative Mary Scanlon 6107 14.6 N/A
Majority 441 1.1
Turnout 41824 62.5

Notes and references

  1. ↑ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland
  2. ↑ http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20003/committee_information/495/highland_council/4

See also


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