Inverness and Nairn (Scottish Parliament constituency)

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Constituency
Current constituency

Inverness and Nairn is a proposed constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It will elect one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is 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.

Electoral region

See also Highlands and Islands Scottish Parliament region

The eight constituencies of the Highlands and Islands electoral region cover 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

The electoral wards used to create the new Inverness and Nairn seat are;

• In full: Inverness West; Inverness Central; Inverness Ness-Side; Inverness Millburn; Inverness South; Culloden and Ardersier; Nairn;
• In part: Badenoch and Strathspey

Council area

See also Politics of the Highland council area

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber is the most southerly of three Holyrood constituencies covering the Highland council area. The other two are Ross, Skye and Inverness West and Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber has Ross, Skye and Inverness West on its northern boundary. Inverness East, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross is further north. All three constituencies are within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.

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 Inverness, Nairn, Lochaber, Ross and Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh, Badenoch and Strathspey, Caithness and Sutherland.

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 this year, 2007, and its current political composition is as follows:

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election		Member	Party
style="background-color: Template:Scottish National Party/meta/color" |	1999	Fergus Ewing	Scottish National Party
style="background-color: Template:Scottish National Party/meta/color" |	2003
style="background-color: Template:Scottish National Party/meta/color" |	2007

Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Fergus Ewing	16,443	41.5	+10.6
	Liberal Democrats	Craig Harrow	10,972	27.7	+11.5
	Labour	Linda Stewart	7,559	19.1	−8.8
	Conservative	Jamie Halcro Johnston	4,635	11.7	−6.1
Majority			5,471	13.8
Rejected ballots			1,249
Turnout			36,609	55.3	+3.1
	SNP hold		Swing	0.5

Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Fergus Ewing	10,764	30.9	−2.1
	Labour	Rhoda Grant	9,718	27.9	−4.1
	Conservative	Mary Scanlon	6,205	17.8	+3.2
	Liberal Democrats	Patsy Kenton	5,622	16.2	−4.2
	Scottish Socialist	Steven Arnott	1,661	4.8	N/A
	Independent	Thomas Lamont	825	2.4	+2.4
Majority			1046	3.0	+1.9
Turnout			34795	52.5	−10.0
	SNP hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Fergus Ewing	13825	33.1	N/A
	Labour	Joan Aitken	13384	32.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Donnie Fraser	8508	20.3	N/A
	Conservative	Mary Scanlon	6107	14.6	N/A
Majority			441	1.1
Turnout			41824	62.5