Glasgow Southside (Scottish Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glasgow Southside
burgh constituency for the Scottish Parliament
Glasgow Southside shown within the Glasgow electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population	70,916 (2019)
Current constituency
Created	2011
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Nicola Sturgeon
Council area	Glasgow City

Glasgow Southside is a special area in Glasgow that elects one person to the Scottish Parliament. This person is called a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). The Scottish Parliament is also known as Holyrood.

Glasgow Southside is one of eight similar areas in the Glasgow City area. The person who wins the most votes in Glasgow Southside becomes its MSP. This is called the "first past the post" way of voting.

This area is also part of a bigger region called the Glasgow electoral region. This region elects extra MSPs to make sure all votes count fairly. The current MSP for Glasgow Southside is Nicola Sturgeon. She has held this seat for the Scottish National Party since it was created in 2011 Scottish Parliament election. Nicola Sturgeon was also the First Minister of Scotland from 2014 to 2023.

What is the Glasgow Electoral Region?

The Glasgow electoral region is a larger area that includes Glasgow Southside and eight other constituencies. These other areas are:

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

This whole region covers the Glasgow City council area and a small part of the South Lanarkshire council area.

Where are the Boundaries of Glasgow Southside?

The Glasgow Southside area is made up of different local parts of Glasgow called "electoral wards". These wards help define where the constituency begins and ends.

The main parts of Glasgow Southside are:

• Southside Central
• Pollokshields

It also includes a part of:

• Govan (which is shared with the Pollok constituency)

Who is the MSP for Glasgow Southside?

The current MSP for Glasgow Southside is Nicola Sturgeon. She has been the representative for this area since it was first created in the 2011 election.

Before 2011, Nicola Sturgeon was an MSP for the wider Glasgow regional list from 1999 to 2007. She then represented Glasgow Govan from 2007 until 2011, when that area was changed.

What is Glasgow Southside Like?

Glasgow Southside is a very interesting and varied area. It has received a lot of attention because its MSP, Nicola Sturgeon, was the First Minister of Scotland for many years.

The area includes many different types of neighbourhoods. For example, you can find large houses in Pollokshields. There are also areas like Ibrox and Govan, which were once busy with shipyard workers. Strathbungo has unique Greek Thomson terraces, while the Gorbals was historically a place where many people from Ireland, Italy, and Jewish communities came to live.

Like many urban areas, Glasgow Southside faces some local challenges. During the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, there were discussions about efforts to improve the appearance of the area before important events.

Elections in Glasgow Southside

This section shows who has won the elections in Glasgow Southside.

2021 Scottish Parliament Election

In the 2021 election, Nicola Sturgeon won the seat again for the Scottish National Party.

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Glasgow Southside

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Nicola Sturgeon	19,735	60.2	1.2	13,661	41.6	3.7
	Labour	Anas Sarwar	10,279	31.3	8.4	7,729	23.5	3.6
	Green					6,063	18.4	4.8
	Conservative	Kyle Thornton	1,790	5.5	6.9	2,901	8.8	2.8
	Alba Party					636	1.9	New
	Liberal Democrats	Carole Ford	504	1.5	1.8	575	1.7	0.3
Majority			9,456	28.9	9.6
Turnout			33,027	59.78	11.5	32,989	59.71	11.3
	SNP hold		Swing		4.8
Notes

2016 Scottish Parliament Election

In the 2016 election, Nicola Sturgeon also won the seat for the Scottish National Party.

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Glasgow Southside

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Nicola Sturgeon	15,287	61.4	7.0	11,393	45.3	3.2
	Labour	Fariha Thomas	5,694	22.9	12.3	5,002	19.9	9.4
	Green					3,444	13.7	5.8
	Conservative	Graham Hutchison	3,100	12.4	4.7	2,935	11.7	5.0
Majority			9,593	38.5	19.3
Turnout			25,182	48.3	4.7	25,222	48.4	4.7
	SNP hold		Swing		9.7
Notes

2011 Scottish Parliament Election

The Glasgow Southside constituency was first created for the 2011 election. Nicola Sturgeon was the first MSP elected for this area.

See Also

• Politics of Glasgow