List of Scottish Parliament constituencies and electoral regions (2011–2026)
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As a result of the first periodical review of Scottish Parliament constituencies undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland[a],[1] new constituencies and additional member regions of the Scottish Parliament were introduced for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. The D'Hondt method is used, as previously, in the allocation of additional member seats. These boundaries were also used for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election and 2021 Scottish Parliament election; following the Second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries, which concluded in 2025, new boundaries will be used for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
Boundary review
The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 required the Boundary Commission for Scotland to review boundaries of all constituencies except Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands (which cover, respectively, the Orkney Islands council area and the Shetland Islands council area) so that the area covered by the reviewed constituencies continues to be covered by a total of 71 constituencies. The Orkney and Shetland constituencies were taken into account, however, in review of boundaries of the additional member regions. The Commission began the review as announced on 3 July 2007,[2][3] and provisional proposals were published on Thursday 14 February 2008.[4] Final recommendations followed public consultations and a series of local inquiries, and the terms of the 2004 act required final recommendations to be submitted in a report to the Secretary of State for Scotland not later than 30 June 2010.
For the purposes of boundary reviews the commission must take into account the boundaries of the local government council areas. In order to do this some council areas were grouped together, the largest of these groupings of provisional proposals consisted of four of Scotland's 32 council areas the smallest only containing one. Constituencies created in 1999 were based on Scottish Westminster constituencies that were created in 1997 and they in turn were based on the boundaries of local government regions and districts and islands areas that existed at the time, but since have been abolished and replaced with the council areas.
A second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries was began by Boundaries Scotland in 2022,[5] establishing new constituency and electoral region boundaries that will be first contested at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.[6]
Constituencies
Electoral regions
The Boundary Commission also recommended changes to the electoral regions used to elect "list" members of the Scottish Parliament. The recommendations[8] can be summarised below;
Footnotes
- This body has since been renamed Boundaries Scotland