Glasgow Kelvin (Scottish Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glasgow Kelvin
burgh constituency for the Scottish Parliament
Glasgow Kelvin shown within the Glasgow electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population	93,212 (2019)
Current constituency
Created	1999
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Kaukab Stewart
Council area	Glasgow City

Glasgow Kelvin is a special area in Scotland that helps choose people to represent its citizens in the Scottish Parliament. This Parliament is also known as Holyrood. Glasgow Kelvin is one of eight similar areas within the Glasgow City area.

When people vote in Glasgow Kelvin, they choose one person to be their Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). This is done using a system called "first past the post." It means the person with the most votes wins, even if they don't get more than half of all the votes.

Glasgow Kelvin is also part of a larger area called the Glasgow electoral region. This region has nine of these special voting areas. Besides the MSPs chosen by "first past the post," the region also picks seven extra MSPs. This helps make sure that the Parliament represents different groups of people fairly.

Currently, Kaukab Stewart from the Scottish National Party is the MSP for Glasgow Kelvin. She has held this position since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

What is the Glasgow Electoral Region?

The Glasgow electoral region is a bigger area that includes Glasgow Kelvin and eight other voting areas. These other areas are:

• Glasgow Anniesland
• Glasgow Cathcart
• Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn
• Glasgow Pollok
• Glasgow Provan
• Glasgow Shettleston
• Glasgow Southside
• Rutherglen

This larger region covers the entire Glasgow City council area. It also includes a part of the South Lanarkshire council area in the northwest.

How are the Boundaries of Glasgow Kelvin Defined?

The Glasgow Kelvin voting area was first created in 1999. This was when the Scottish Parliament itself was set up. At that time, its borders were the same as an existing Westminster constituency. Westminster is where the main UK Parliament meets.

However, in 2005, many of the Westminster voting areas in Scotland were changed. This meant that the Scottish Parliament voting areas also needed to be looked at.

Changes to the Boundaries

After a review, the shape of Glasgow Kelvin was changed for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. The new Glasgow Kelvin area was made up of different parts of Glasgow City Council's local areas, called wards.

The wards that make up the new Glasgow Kelvin are:

• Completely included: Anderston/City and Hillhead
• Partially included: Canal and Partick West

What is Glasgow Kelvin Like?

Glasgow Kelvin is a very interesting area. It includes the busy city centre of Glasgow. Here you can find famous places like the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the historic cathedral, and the SEC Centre (a big events venue).

All three of Glasgow's universities are also located in this area. This means many students live here. Because of this, Glasgow Kelvin is known as one of the most educated areas in Scotland. The large number of students living here can play a big role in how elections turn out.

The area is also home to the Merchant City. This part of Glasgow used to have old warehouses for cotton and tobacco. Now, these buildings have been turned into modern homes. The Merchant City shows how Glasgow has changed and grown. While Glasgow Kelvin is seen as one of the wealthier areas in Glasgow, it also has some parts that are less well-off.

Who Has Represented Glasgow Kelvin?

The Glasgow Kelvin area has had different MSPs over the years. Before Glasgow Kelvin, there was a similar voting area called Glasgow Hillhead. This area was once represented by the Scottish Conservative Party. However, in 1982, Roy Jenkins won it for the Social Democratic Party. Later, in 1987, George Galloway from the Scottish Labour Party took the seat.

Here is a list of the MSPs who have represented Glasgow Kelvin since the Scottish Parliament began:

Images for kids

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  A map showing the Glasgow Kelvin constituency.

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  A map showing the Glasgow electoral region within Scotland.