Clydesdale (Scottish Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clydesdale
county constituency for the Scottish Parliament
Clydesdale shown within the South Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population	72,548 (2019)
Current constituency
Created	1999
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Màiri McAllan
Council area	South Lanarkshire

Clydesdale (in Gaelic: Dail Chluaidh) is an area in Scotland. It is also a special area called a constituency for the Scottish Parliament (also known as Holyrood). This means people in Clydesdale vote for one person to represent them.

This area is part of the council area of South Lanarkshire. The person chosen to represent Clydesdale is called a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). They are elected using a system called first past the post. This means the candidate with the most votes wins.

Clydesdale is also part of a larger area called the South Scotland electoral region. This region chooses seven extra MSPs. This helps make sure all votes count fairly, which is called proportional representation.

Currently, Màiri McAllan from the Scottish National Party has been the MSP for Clydesdale since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

What is the South Scotland Electoral Region?

Clydesdale is one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland region. The other eight areas are:

• Ayr
• Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
• Dumfriesshire
• East Lothian
• Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire
• Galloway and West Dumfries
• Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley
• Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale

This large region covers several council areas. These include all of Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. It also covers parts of East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire.

Where are Clydesdale's Borders?

The Clydesdale constituency was created in 1999. This was when the Scottish Parliament first started. Its borders were the same as an older area used for the UK Parliament.

In 2005, most of the UK Parliament areas in Scotland changed. But the Holyrood (Scottish Parliament) constituency of Clydesdale kept its original borders.

Clydesdale is one of five constituencies in the South Lanarkshire council area. The other four are:

• East Kilbride
• Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse
• Rutherglen
• Uddingston and Bellshill

These other areas are part of different electoral regions.

The areas used to create Clydesdale are called electoral wards. All of these wards are in South Lanarkshire:

• All of: Clydesdale East, Clydesdale North, Clydesdale South, Clydesdale West
• Part of: Avondale and Stonehouse (this ward is also partly in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency)

Who are the Members of the Scottish Parliament for Clydesdale?