Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Scottish Parliament constituency) explained

Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Scottish Parliament constituency) should not be confused with Roxburgh and Berwickshire (UK Parliament constituency).

Roxburgh and Berwickshire
Type:county
Constituency Link:Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions
Parl Name:Scottish Parliament
Year:1999
Abolished:2011
Next:Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire
Party Label:Party
Member Label:MSP
Local Council Label:Council area
Local Council:Scottish Borders

Roxburgh and Berwickshire was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament until 2011. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. It was also one of nine constituencies in the South of 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.

Electoral region

See also: South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region).

The other eight constituencies of the South of Scotland region were: Ayr, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Clydesdale, Cunninghame South, Dumfries, East Lothian, Galloway and Upper Nithsdale and Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale.

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

Constituency boundaries and council area

The Roxburgh and Berwickshire constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.[1]

The Holyrood constituency covered an eastern portion of the Scottish Borders council area. The rest of the council area was covered by the Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale constituency, which also covered a western portion of the Midlothian council area.

Boundary review

Following its First Periodic review of constituencies to the Scottish Parliament, the Boundary Commission for Scotland recommended that the Roxburgh and Berwickshire seat be expanded to form the newly shaped Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire constituency in time for the 2011 election.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1999Euan RobsonLiberal Democrats
2007John LamontConservative
2011constituency abolished: replaced by Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire

Notes and References

  1. See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland