North Tayside (Scottish Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Tayside
Former county constituency for the Scottish Parliament
North Tayside shown within the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Former constituency
Created	1999
Abolished	2011
Council area	Angus (part) Perth and Kinross (part)
Replaced by	Angus North & Mearns, Angus South, Perthshire North

North Tayside was a special area in Scotland. It was called a "constituency" and it elected one person to the Scottish Parliament. This person was known as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). They were chosen using a voting method called "first past the post." This means the candidate with the most votes wins.

North Tayside was also part of a larger area called the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region. This region elected extra members to the Scottish Parliament. This system helps make sure different groups are fairly represented.

About the Electoral Region

North Tayside was one of nine constituencies in the Mid Scotland and Fife Region. An electoral region is a bigger area that groups several constituencies together.

The other eight constituencies in this region were:

• Dunfermline East
• Dunfermline West
• Fife Central
• Fife North East
• Kirkcaldy
• Ochil
• Perth
• Stirling

This large region covered several council areas in Scotland. It included all of Clackmannanshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, and Stirling. It also covered parts of the Angus council area.

Constituency Boundaries

The North Tayside constituency was created in 1999. This was when the Scottish Parliament first started. Its boundaries were the same as an older constituency that elected members to the UK Parliament in London.

Later, in 2005, the UK Parliament constituencies in Scotland changed. So, the area of North Tayside was then split between two new UK Parliament constituencies. These were Perth and North Perthshire and Angus.

The North Tayside constituency for the Scottish Parliament covered parts of two local council areas. These were the northern parts of the Perth and Kinross council area and the Angus council area.

Other parts of Perth and Kinross were covered by the Perth and Ochil constituencies. The rest of the Angus council area was covered by the Angus constituency.

What the Area Was Like

North Tayside was a mostly rural area. It was located near the edge of the Scottish Highlands. The area was known for successful farming, especially livestock and fruit. Tourism was also important there.

It had a mix of small towns and rich farmland. There were not many people out of work in this area. Some of the towns in the constituency included Pitlochry, Forfar, and Blairgowrie. The part closest to the town of Perth had the most people living in it.

The Member of Scottish Parliament

John Swinney was the MSP for North Tayside. He represented the Scottish National Party (SNP). He was first elected in 1999, when the Scottish Parliament began.

John Swinney was a very important politician. He served as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. He was also the leader of the SNP party from 2000 to 2004.