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UK Parliament - Livingston

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> United Kingdom > Scotland > Scotland > Livingston

Office

Parliament

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

00, 0000 - 06:00pm

Polls Open

May 06, 2010 - 01:00am

Polls Close

May 06, 2010 - 04:00pm

Term Start

May 17, 2010 - 12:00pm

Term End

May 17, 2015 - 12:00pm

Contributor

Ralphie

Last Modified

Ralphie May 06, 2010 08:18pm

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

BBC Profile:
Labour's Robin Cook became Livingston's first MP in 1983, after his old Edinburgh Central constituency had been substantially altered by boundary changes.

Livingston was enlarged with Oatbridge, Blackburn and Fauldhouse wards from Linlithgow for the 2005 general election, but they did not substantially alter the character of the seat. Despite a notional swing of 1.2% to the SNP, Cook polled 51% of the vote, returning to Westminster with a majority of 13,097.

On 6 August 2005 Robin Cook died while walking in the Scottish hills aged just 59. His election agent Jim Devine was selected as Labour's by-election candidate. Devine held the seat for Labour, albeit with a majority reduced to 2,680 on a 39% turnout. However, he was deselected by his local party last year in a row about expenses claims.

There are no boundary changes affecting this seat.

Livingston stretches from the western outskirts of Edinburgh to the Pentland Hills in the south, up to a small area of ex-mining towns just north of the M8.

The new town of Livingston is the largest town in the West Lothian region. Hi-tech companies manufacturing electronics and communications products have helped the town grow.

Livingston is becoming increasingly important as a municipal centre and is home to new sheriff court, police station and council headquarters at its new civic centre.

Livingston is the new town with the highest sporting profile. Its football club won the League Cup in 2004 and enjoyed a period in the Scottish Premier League before financial difficulties landed it in administration and relegation to the Third Division.

The old Lothians industrial heartland has benefited significantly from the burgeoning economy of Edinburgh compared with the old industrial towns in the west.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
No Boundary Changes