Dunfermline West was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) situated within the council area of Fife. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first‑past‑the‑post voting system. The constituency was created for the inaugural Scottish Parliament election in 1999, using the name and boundaries of the pre‑existing Westminster constituency of the same title. It was abolished for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, when its area was merged with that of the neighbouring Dunfermline East constituency to form the single Dunfermline constituency.
Electoral region
Dunfermline West formed part of the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region, which also comprised the constituencies of Dunfermline East, Fife Central, Fife North East and Kirkcaldy. The region covered all of the council areas of Clackmannanshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and parts of Angus.
Boundaries and geography
The constituency covered the south‑western portion of the Fife council area, encompassing the town of Dunfermline and adjacent lands on the north bank of the Firth of Forth. The area combined urban centres with surrounding rural districts. Historically, Dunfermline had served as a capital of Scotland, with notable heritage sites such as the burial places of several Scottish monarchs.
Political characteristics
During its existence, Dunfermline West was regarded as one of the Scottish Labour Party’s strongest seats. Labour held the Westminster counterpart continuously from 1935 until a 2006 by‑election, after which the Liberal Democrats captured the seat. The Liberal Democrats subsequently won the Holyrood constituency in the 2007 election, ending Labour’s dominance at the Scottish Parliament level.
Members of the Scottish Parliament
| Election | MSP | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Scott Barrie | Labour |
| 2003 | Scott Barrie | Labour |
| 2007 | Jim Tolson | Liberal Democrats |
The constituency was dissolved ahead of the 2011 election, with its territory incorporated into the new Dunfermline constituency.
Election results (selected)
2007 Scottish Parliament election
- Liberal Democrats (Jim Tolson): 9,952 votes (33.7 %)
- Labour (Scott Barrie): 9,476 votes (32.1 %)
- Scottish National Party (Len Woods): 7,296 votes (24.7 %)
- Conservative (Peter Lyburn): 2,363 votes (8.0 %)
2003 Scottish Parliament election
- Labour (Scott Barrie): 8,644 votes (34.3 %)
- Independent (David Wishart, Campaign for Local Hospital Services): 4,584 votes (18.2 %)
- SNP (Brian Goodall): 4,372 votes (17.4 %)
1999 Scottish Parliament election
- Labour (Scott Barrie): 13,560 votes (44.2 %)
- SNP (Douglas Chapman): 8,539 votes (27.8 %)
See also
- Dunfermline West (UK Parliament constituency)
- Politics of Fife
References
- “Dunfermline West (Scottish Parliament constituency)”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunfermline_West_(Scottish_Parliament_constituency).