Dumfriesshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Dumfriesshire
constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Dumfriesshire shown within the South Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population75,849 (2019)[1]
Current constituency
Created2011
PartyConservative
MSPOliver Mundell
Council areaDumfries and Galloway
Created fromDumfries,
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

Created for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the constituency comprises areas that were previously part of the old Dumfries and Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituencies, which were abolished and replaced by Dumfriesshire and Galloway and West Dumfries.

The seat has been held by Oliver Mundell of the Scottish Conservatives since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. Mundell is the son of former Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell who holds the Westminster seat of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale.

Electoral region

edit

The other eight constituencies of the South Scotland region are: Ayr, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Clydesdale, East Lothian, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Galloway and West Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.

The region covers the Dumfries and Galloway council area, part of the East Ayrshire council area, part of the East Lothian council area, part of the Midlothian council area, the Scottish Borders council area, the South Ayrshire council area and part of the South Lanarkshire council area.

Constituency boundaries and council area

edit
 
Map of boundaries from 2011
 
Electoral wards of the Dumfriesshire Scottish Parliament constituency as of 2011

Dumfries and Galloway is represented in the Scottish Parliament by two constituencies: Dumfriesshire and Galloway and West Dumfries. Dumfriesshire covers the eastern part of the council area. The town of Dumfries is divided between the two constituencies.

The electoral wards in the Dumfriesshire constituency are listed below. All of these wards are part of Dumfries and Galloway:[2]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

edit
Election Member Party
2011 Elaine Murray Labour
2016 Oliver Mundell Conservative

Election results

edit

2020s

edit
2021 Scottish Parliament election: Dumfriesshire[3][4][5]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Mundell[a] 19,487 47.7  10.4 17,561 42.9  5.8
SNP Joan McAlpine[b] 15,421 37.7  3.8 14,301 34.9  1.2
Labour Co-op Colin Smyth[b] 4,671 11.4  13.8 4,834 11.8  7.5
Scottish Green 1,376 3.4  0.2
Liberal Democrats Richard Brodie 1,314 3.2  0.3 1,034 2.5  0.5
All for Unity 778 1.9 New
Alba 292 0.7 New
Independent Green Voice 163 0.4 New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 151 0.4 New
Scottish Family 134 0.3 New
Reform UK 85 0.2 New
UKIP 82 0.2  2.5
Freedom Alliance (UK) 76 0.2 New
Scottish Libertarian 44 0.1 New
Scotia Future 15 0.0 New
Vanguard 10 0.0 New
Majority 4,066 10.0  6.6
Valid Votes 40,893 40,883
Invalid Votes 111
Turnout 41,004 66.0  6.1
Conservative hold Swing
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
  2. ^ a b Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2010s

edit
2016 Scottish Parliament election: Dumfriesshire[6]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Mundell 13,536 37.3  7.7 13,451 37.1  12.5
SNP Joan McAlpine[a] 12,306 33.9  7.6 12,212 33.7  1.2
Labour Elaine Murray[b] 9,151 25.2  14.3 7,019 19.3  11.1
Scottish Green 1,178 3.2  0.7
Liberal Democrats Richard Brodie 1,267 3.5  1.0 1,080 3.0  0.5
UKIP 990 2.7  0.9
RISE 131 0.4 New
Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent 126 0.3 New
Solidarity 104 0.3  0.1
Majority 1,230 3.4 N/A
Valid Votes 36,260 36,291
Invalid Votes 101 82
Turnout 36,361 59.9  6.3 36,373 59.9  6.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing  11.0
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency
  2. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Dumfriesshire[7]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Labour Elaine Murray[a] 12,624 39.6 N/A 9,719 30.4 N/A
Conservative Gill Dykes 9,468 29.7 N/A 7,841 24.5 N/A
SNP Aileen Orr 8,384 26.3 N/A 10,373 32.4 N/A
Liberal Democrats Richard Brodie 1,419 4.4 N/A 1,123 3.5 N/A
Scottish Green 822 2.6 N/A
UKIP 587 1.8 N/A
All-Scotland Pensioners Party 566 1.8 N/A
Socialist Labour 388 1.2 N/A
BNP 235 0.7 N/A
Scottish Christian 199 0.6 N/A
Scottish Socialist 72 0.2 N/A
Solidarity 48 0.2 N/A
Majority 3,156 9.9 N/A
Valid Votes 31,895 31,973
Invalid Votes 112 88
Turnout 32,007 53.6 N/A 32,061 53.7 N/A
Labour win (new seat)
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for the Dumfries constituency

Footnotes

edit
  1. ^ Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
  2. ^ "First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries Final Report" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. May 2010. p. 99. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Constituencies A-Z: Dumfriesshire". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Scottish Parliamentary Election results 2021". Dumfries and Galloway Council. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Dumfriesshire Constituency Declaration" (PDF). Dumfries and Galloway Council. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
edit