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South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament
Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament
| Field | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| name | South Scotland | |
| constituency_type | electoral region | |
| parl_name | Scottish Parliament | |
| image | [[File:South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region).svg | 220px]] |
| caption | South Scotland shown within Scotland | |
| year | 2011 | |
| member_label | MSPs | |
| members | Scottish National Party 7 | |
| Scottish Conservative Party 6 | ||
| Labour 3 | ||
| local_council_label | Council areas | |
| local_council | Dumfries and Galloway | |
| East Ayrshire (part) | ||
| Midlothian (part) | ||
| Scottish Borders | ||
| South Ayrshire | ||
| South Lanarkshire (part) | ||
| parts_label | Constituencies | |
| parts | Ayr | |
| Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | ||
| Clydesdale | ||
| Dumfriesshire | ||
| East Kilbride | ||
| Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | ||
| Galloway and West Dumfries | ||
| Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse | ||
| Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley | ||
| Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale | ||
| electorate | 594,925 (2022) |
Scottish Conservative Party 6 Labour 3
East Ayrshire (part) Midlothian (part) Scottish Borders South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire (part) Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Dumfriesshire East Kilbride Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire Galloway and West Dumfries Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale
South Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament. Ten of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region. Under the additional-member electoral system used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the region elects seven regional Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), in addition to the ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole, which thus elects a total of 17 MSPs.
The region was created as a result of the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries in 2011, and largely replaced the South of Scotland region. As defined at the 2011 review, the South Scotland region covered the Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, Scottish Borders and South Ayrshire council areas in full and parts of the East Lothian, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire council areas, and covered nine constituencies. Following the second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries in 2025, the boundaries of the region were altered, and it now covers ten constituencies. The region now covers the whole of the council areas of Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, and South Ayrshire; and parts of the council areas of East Ayrshire, Midlothian, and South Lanarkshire. By population it is now the largest of Scotland's eight electoral regions.
Constituencies and local government areas
2026–present
As a result of the Second Periodic Review in 2025, the boundaries for the region and constituencies were redrawn for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. South Scotland underwent considerable changes, with East Lothian being transferred to the new Edinburgh and Lothians East region, and the region gaining the East Kilbride and Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituencies from the former Central Scotland. Additionally, the region lost a small portion of the East Ayrshire council area to the West Scotland region due to a boundary changes of the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency.
2011–2026
As a result of the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries the boundaries for the region and constituencies were redrawn for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election.
| Region | Constituencies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region).svg | 220px]] | [[File:South Scotland (Scottish Parliament) - numbered.svg | 320px | ]] |
1999–2011
Prior to the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries, the area which previously encompassed much of the South Scotland electoral region was known as the 'South of Scotland' electoral region. The constituencies were created in 1999 with the names and boundaries of Westminster constituencies, as existing in at that time.
The First Past the Post constituencies can be found below:
| Region | Constituencies | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:South of Scotland 1999 (Scottish Parliament electoral region).svg | 220px]] | [[Image:South of Scotland 1999 numbered.PNG | 300px]] |
The region covered the following local government areas: In full:
- Scottish Borders
- South Ayrshire
- Dumfries and Galloway In part:
- East Ayrshire
- East Lothian
- Midlothian
- North Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
Members of the Scottish Parliament
Constituency MSPs
| as South of Scotland | Term | Election | Ayr | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Clydesdale | Galloway and Upper Nithsdale | Dumfries | Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale | East Lothian | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | Cunninghame South | as South Scotland | Term | Election | Ayr | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Clydesdale | Galloway and West Dumfries | Dumfriesshire | Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale | East Lothian | Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1999 | Scottish Labour}}" | Ian Welsh | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | Scottish Labour}}" rowspan="4" | Cathy Jamieson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | Scottish Labour}}" rowspan="4" | Karen Gillon | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="2" | Alasdair Morgan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish Labour}}" rowspan="4" | Elaine Murray | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | Scottish Liberal Democrats}}" rowspan="3" | Euan Robson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (LD) | Scottish Liberal Democrats}}" rowspan="4" | Ian Jenkins | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (LD) | Scottish Labour}}" rowspan="4" | John Home Robertson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | Scottish Labour}}" rowspan="4" | Irene Oldfather | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *2000 by* | Scottish Conservatives}}" rowspan="3" | John Scott | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | 2003 | Scottish Conservatives}}" rowspan="2" | Alex Fergusson | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | Jeremy Purvis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (LD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | 2007 | Scottish Conservatives}}" | John Lamont | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | Iain Gray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | 2011 | Scottish Conservatives}}" rowspan="3" | John Scott | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | Adam Ingram | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | Aileen Campbell | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish Conservatives}}" rowspan="4" | Alex Fergusson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish Labour}}" | Elaine Murray | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | Scottish Conservatives}}" rowspan="4" | John Lamont | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | Christine Grahame | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish Labour}}" rowspan="3" | Iain Gray | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Labour) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | Willie Coffey | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | 2016 | Jeane Freeman | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Finlay Carson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish Conservatives}}" rowspan="3" | Oliver Mundell | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *2017 by* | Rachael Hamilton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Conservative) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | 2021 | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="1" | Siobhian Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Elena Whitham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Màiri McAllan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="1" | Paul McLennan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (SNP) |
Regional List MSPs
N.B. This table is for presentation purposes only
| Parliament | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP | as South of Scotland | as South Scotland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ||||||||||
| (1999–2003) | Scottish Conservative Party}}" rowspan="3" | Phil Gallie | ||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish Conservative Party}}" | Alex Fergusson | ||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | Christine Grahame | ||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | Michael Russell | ||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | |||||||||
| 2nd | ||||||||||
| (2003–07) | Scottish Socialist Party}}" | Rosemary Byrne | ||||||||
| (Socialist) | Alasdair Morgan | |||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish Green Party}}" rowspan="2" | Chris Ballance | ||||||||
| (Green) | ||||||||||
| Solidarity (Scotland)}}" rowspan="1" | Derek Brownlee | |||||||||
| (Conservative) | ||||||||||
| 3rd | ||||||||||
| (2007–11) | Scottish National Party}}" | Michael Russell | ||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish Liberal Democrats}}" | Jim Hume | ||||||||
| (Lib Dem) | Scottish National Party}}" | Aileen Campbell | ||||||||
| (SNP) | ||||||||||
| 4th | ||||||||||
| (2011–16) | Scottish National Party}}" | Chic Brodie | ||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish Liberal Democrats}}" | Jim Hume | ||||||||
| (Lib Dem) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | Joan McAlpine | ||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="5" | Aileen McLeod | ||||||||
| (SNP) | Scottish National Party}}" rowspan="4" | |||||||||
| 5th | ||||||||||
| (2016–2021) | Scottish Conservative Party}}" rowspan="2" | Rachael Hamilton | ||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish Conservative Party}}" rowspan="4" | Brian Whittle | ||||||||
| (Conservative) | Emma Harper | |||||||||
| (SNP) | Colin Smyth | |||||||||
| (Labour) | ||||||||||
| Michelle Ballantyne | ||||||||||
| (Conservative, | ||||||||||
| then Reform UK) | ||||||||||
| Reform UK}}" | ||||||||||
| 6th | ||||||||||
| (2021–) | Scottish Conservative Party}}" | Craig Hoy | ||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish Conservative Party}}" | Sharon Dowey | ||||||||
| (Conservative) | Scottish Labour}}" | Carol Mochan | ||||||||
| (Labour) | Martin Whitfield | |||||||||
| (Labour) |
Election results
2026 Scottish Parliament election
Main article: 2026 Scottish Parliament election
2021 Scottish Parliament election
In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:
- 7 Scottish National Party MSPs (6 constituency members and 1 additional member)
- 3 Labour MSPs (additional members)
- 6 Conservative MSPs (3 constituency members and 3 additional member)
Constituency results
References
- (April 2025). "Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers". Boundaries Scotland.
- "Boundary Commission for Scotland - First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries".
- (April 2025). "Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers". Boundaries Scotland.
- "Boundary Maps". Boundaries Scotland.
- (April 2025). "Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers". Boundaries Scotland.
- Scottish Westminster constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies in 2005. See ''[http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/ The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland] {{webarchive. link. (21 September 2007 ''.)
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2021/scotland/regions/S17000015 South of Scotland] [region] [sic], BBC News; retrieved 8 May 2021
- [https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/22311/Scottish-Parliamentary-Election-results-2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election results 2021] [region] [sic], Dumfries & Galloway; retrieved 9 May 2021
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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