Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Former county constituency for the Scottish Parliament
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Former constituency
Created	1999
Abolished	2011
Council area	Highland
Replaced by	Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), in use between 1999 and 2011. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it was one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

For the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross was redrawn and included as part of Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, along with part of Ross, Skye and Inverness West.

Electoral region

The other seven constituencies of the Highlands and Islands electoral region during the constituency's existence were Argyll and Bute, Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Moray, Orkney, Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Shetland and the Western Isles.

The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney council area, all of the Shetland council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Constituency boundaries and council area

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were generally replaced with new larger constituencies.^[1] The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Westminster constituency was enlarged slightly, to cover an area also covered by the Ross, Skye and Inverness West Holyrood constituency.

Boundary Review

See Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions from 2011

Following their First Periodic review into constituencies to the Scottish Parliament, the Boundary Commission for Scotland has formed a newly drawn seat to succeed Caithness, Sutherland, and Easter Ross in time for the next election in 2011. The new constituency also includes part of the Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituency, and is to be known as Caithness, Sutherland, and Ross.

Council area

See also Politics of the Highland council area

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross was the most northerly of three constituencies covering the Highland council area. The other two were Ross, Skye and Inverness West and Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber. All three were within the Highlands and Islands electoral region. Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross has Ross, Skye and Inverness West on its southern boundary. Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber is further south.

When created in 1999 the constituency boundaries were definable with reference to council wards which were grouped, by the Highland Council, in relation to eight council management areas. Constituency and management area names have many elements in common, and the management areas had the boundaries of former districts of the Highland region, as abolished in 1996, namely Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh, Inverness, Nairn, Lochaber and Badenoch and Strathspey.

The management areas were abolished this year, 2007, and the council has now three new corporate management areas, defined as groups of new wards, also introduced this year, 2007. The boundaries of the corporate management areas are similar to those of Westminster constituencies created in 2005. One corporate management area, the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross area, has boundaries, therefore, which are also similar to those of a Holyrood constituency. The boundaries of the other two corporate areas, the Ross, Skye and Lochaber area and the Inverness, Nairn, and Badenoch and Strathspey area, are quite unlike those of any Holyrood constituency.

The most recent general election of the Highland Council was in 2007, and its current political composition is as follows:

Independent	Scottish National Party	Liberal Democrats	Labour	Highland Alliance	Non-aligned
32	19	14	6	6	3

^[2]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1999	Jamie Stone	Scottish Liberal Democrats
	2003
	2007
	2011	constituency abolished: replaced by Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Democrats	Jamie Stone	8,981	40.2	+3.6
	SNP	Rob Gibson	6,658	29.8	+12.3
	Labour	John McKendrick	3,152	14.1	-12.6
	Conservative	Donald McDonald	2,586	11.6	+0.9
	Independent	Gordon Campbell	957	4.3	+4.3
Majority			2,323	10.4
Turnout			22,334	53.4	+1.2
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Democrats	Jamie Stone	7,742	36.7	- 4.4
	Labour	Deirdrie Stephen	5,650	26.7	+ 2.2
	SNP	Rob Gibson	3,692	17.5	- 5.7
	Conservative	Allan McLeod	2,262	10.7	+ 1.8
	Independent	Gordon Campbell	953	4.5	+ 2.4
	Scottish Socialist	Frank Ward	828	3.9	(+ 3.9)
Majority			2,092	9.9	- 7.0
Turnout
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Democrats	Jamie Stone	10,691	41.0	N/A
	Labour	James Hendry	6,300	24.2	N/A
	SNP	Jean Urquhart	6,035	23.2	N/A
	Conservative	Richard Jenkins	2,167	8.3	N/A
	Independent	Gordon Campbell	554	2.1	N/A
	Independent	Ewen Stewart	282	1.0	N/A
Majority			4,391	16.9	N/A
Turnout

Footnotes

1. See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived September 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
2. http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20003/committee_information/495/highland_council/4

See also