Ross, Skye and Inverness West was a
constituency of the
Scottish Parliament (
Holyrood). It elected one
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the
first past the post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...
method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).
The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 18 ...
electoral region, which elects seven
additional members, in addition to eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
for the region as a whole.
Prior the Scottish Parliament election of 2011, the larger part of the constituency was divided between
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament ( Holyrood) covering part of the Highland council area. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. It is also o ...
and
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross (Gaelic: ''Gallaibh, Cataibh agus Ros'') is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament covering the northern part of the Highland council area. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first pa ...
. Inverness was moved into a new seat called
Inverness and Nairn.
Electoral region
:''See also ''
Highlands and Islands (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
The other seven constituencies of the Highlands and Islands electoral region during the constituency's existence were:
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
,
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross,
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber,
Moray,
Orkney,
Shetland and the
Western Isles
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
.
The region covers most of
Argyll and Bute council area, all of the
Highland council area
Highland ( gd, A' Ghàidhealtachd, ; sco, Hieland) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It shar ...
, most of the
Moray council area
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
Between 1975 ...
, all of the
Orkney council area, all of the
Shetland council area and all of
Na h-Eileanan Siar.
Constituency boundaries
The Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
(
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
) constituency. In
2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were generally replaced with new larger constituencies.
[Se]
''The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland''
For representation at Westminster, the area of the Holyrood constituency is now divided between three constituencies: the
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Westminster constituency, the
Ross, Skye and Lochaber Westminster constituency and the
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Westminster constituency.
Council area
:''See also ''
Politics of the Highland council area
The politics of the Highland council area in Scotland are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the Highland Council, in elections to the council, and in elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminst ...
Ross, Skye and Inverness West was one of three Holyrood constituencies covering the
Highland council area
Highland ( gd, A' Ghàidhealtachd, ; sco, Hieland) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It shar ...
. The other two were
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross and
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber. Ross, Skye and Inverness West covered a central portion of the
council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act. ...
, with Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross to the north and Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber to the south. All three were within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.
When created in 1999 the constituency boundaries were definable with reference to council
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
s 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
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
, as abolished in 1996, namely
Ross and Cromarty,
Skye and Lochalsh
Skye and Lochalsh ( gd, 'An t-Eilean Sgitheanach agus Loch Aillse') is one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region of Scotland. The main offices of the Skye and Lochalsh district council were in Portree, on the ...
,
Inverness,
Nairn
Nairn (; gd, Inbhir Narann) is a town and royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness, at the point where the River Nairn enters the Moray Firth. It is the tradi ...
,
Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creatio ...
,
Badenoch and Strathspey
Badenoch and Strathspey is a former district of Highland region, Scotland.
The district was created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as one of the eight districts of the Highland region. The same legislation abolished countie ...
,
Caithness and
Sutherland.
The management areas were abolished in 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.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Election results
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Skye And Inverness West (Scottish Parliament Constituency)
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions 1999–2011
Highland constituencies, Scottish Parliament
1999 establishments in Scotland
Constituencies established in 1999
2011 disestablishments in Scotland
Constituencies disestablished in 2011
Inverness-shire
Politics of the county of Ross
Isle of Skye