West Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency) facts for kids
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West Dunbartonshire is an area in Scotland that chooses one person to represent it in the UK Parliament. This person is called a Member of Parliament (MP). The area covered by this constituency is the same as the West Dunbartonshire county.
The current West Dunbartonshire constituency started being used in the 2005 general election. Before that, there was an older West Dunbartonshire constituency from 1950 to 1983.
The MP for West Dunbartonshire right now is Martin Docherty-Hughes from the Scottish National Party. He was first elected in the 2015 general election. He was also re-elected in 2017 and 2019.
Contents
What is a Constituency?
A constituency is like a special area on a map. People living in that area vote for one person to be their MP. This MP then speaks for them in the UK Parliament.
How Boundaries Change
The borders of constituencies can change over time. This happens to make sure that each MP represents about the same number of people. A group called the Boundary Commission decides these changes.
Past Boundaries
The first West Dunbartonshire constituency was created in 1950. It was one of two areas in the old county of Dunbarton. Over the years, its borders were adjusted several times. This was often because the number of people living in the area changed. For example, new towns like Cumbernauld grew, which meant the areas needed to be re-drawn.
Current Boundaries
The West Dunbartonshire constituency we have today was set up in 2005. It covers the entire West Dunbartonshire council area. Before 2005, this area was part of two other constituencies: Dumbarton and Clydebank and Milngavie.
The main towns in the current West Dunbartonshire constituency are Clydebank, Dumbarton, and Alexandria.
Who Has Been MP?
Here is a list of the people who have been the MP for West Dunbartonshire:
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Adam McKinlay | Labour | |
| 1950 by-election | Tom Steele | Labour | |
| 1970 | Ian Campbell | Labour | |
| 1983 | constituency abolished | ||
| 2005 | constituency recreated | ||
| 2005 | John McFall | Labour | |
| 2010 | Gemma Doyle | Labour | |
| 2015 | Martin Docherty-Hughes | SNP | |
Recent Election Results
Elections are how people choose their MPs. Here are the results from the most recent elections in West Dunbartonshire.
2019 General Election
| General election 2019: West Dunbartonshire | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| SNP | Martin Docherty-Hughes | 22,396 | 49.6 | +6.7 | |
| Labour | Jean Anne Mitchell | 12,843 | 28.5 | -9.2 | |
| Conservative | Alix Mathieson | 6,436 | 14.3 | -2.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Lang | 1,890 | 4.2 | +1.9 | |
| Green | Peter Connolly | 867 | 1.9 | New | |
| Independent | Andrew Muir | 708 | 1.6 | New | |
| Majority | 9,553 | 21.1 | +15.9 | ||
| Turnout | 45,140 | 68.0 | +2.9 | ||
| SNP hold | Swing | +8.0 | |||
2017 General Election
| General election 2017: West Dunbartonshire | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| SNP | Martin Docherty-Hughes | 18,890 | 42.9 | -16.1 | |
| Labour | Jean Anne Mitchell | 16,602 | 37.7 | +6.3 | |
| Conservative | Penny Hutton | 7,582 | 17.2 | +10.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Rebecca Plenderleith | 1,009 | 2.3 | +0.7 | |
| Majority | 2,288 | 5.2 | -22.5 | ||
| Turnout | 44,083 | 65.1 | -8.8 | ||
| SNP hold | Swing | -11.3 | |||
2015 General Election
| General election 2015: West Dunbartonshire | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| SNP | Martin Docherty | 30,198 | 59.0 | +38.9 | |
| Labour | Gemma Doyle | 16,027 | 31.3 | -30.0 | |
| Conservative | Maurice Corry | 3,597 | 7.0 | -0.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Aileen Morton | 816 | 1.6 | -6.5 | |
| Independent | Claire Muir | 503 | 1.0 | New | |
| Majority | 14,171 | 27.7 | N/A 1 | ||
| Turnout | 51,141 | 73.9 | +9.9 | ||
| SNP gain from Labour Co-operative | Swing | +34.5 | |||
1 Change to majority not meaningful as seat changed hands.
2010 General Election
| General election 2010: West Dunbartonshire | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Gemma Doyle | 25,905 | 61.3 | +9.4 | |
| SNP | Graeme McCormick | 8,497 | 20.1 | −1.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Helen Watt | 3,434 | 8.1 | −6.3 | |
| Conservative | Martyn McIntyre | 3,242 | 7.7 | +1.3 | |
| UKIP | Mitch Sorbie | 683 | 1.6 | +0.9 | |
| Socialist Labour | Katharine McGavigan | 505 | 1.2 | New | |
| Majority | 17,408 | 41.2 | +11.1 | ||
| Turnout | 42,266 | 64.0 | +2.7 | ||
| Labour Co-operative hold | Swing | +5.5 | |||
