Coatbridge and Bellshill (UK Parliament constituency)

Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
Burgh constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill in Scotland
Subdivisions of Scotland	North Lanarkshire
Major settlements	Bellshill, Coatbridge, Stepps
Current constituency
Created	2005
Member of Parliament	Steven Bonnar (SNP)
Created from	Coatbridge & Chryston Hamilton North & Bellshill

Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

It was created for the 2005 general election, covering the whole area of the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency and parts of the Hamilton North and Bellshill seat. A small area in the eastern side of Coatbridge lies within the Airdrie and Shotts constituency. Traditionally, the area served by the seat and its predecessors was the safest Labour area in Scotland.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to boundary changes which will include the loss of Chryston. As a consequence, it will be renamed Coatbridge and Bellshill, to be first contested at the 2024 general election. ^[1]

Boundaries

The constituency covers the west of the North Lanarkshire council area, and is predominantly urban. Coatbridge lies in the south of the seat, with the urban/rural mix to the north extending in the eastern and western directions following the directions of commuter rail-lines.

Constituency profile

Electoral Calculus characterises the seat as 'Traditionalist', with left-wing economic views but more liberal social attitudes. The average age in the constituency is 47.6, which puts it just below the UK and Scottish averages. Employment in the constituency is at 64%, putting it broadly in line with the rest of Scotland and above the overall UK average of 58%. Home ownership in the constituency is below both the Scottish and UK averages, at 59%. Additionally, Electoral Calculus puts the ethnic demography of the constituency as 98% white, above both Scottish and UK averages. ^[2]

The constituency consistently returned Labour MPs from 1935 ^[3] until 2015 when the Scottish National Party gained the seat from Scottish Labour on an unprecedented 36% swing, unseating the incumbent Tom Clarke MP who had represented the constituency since the 1982 Coatbridge and Airdrie by-election. Since 2015, the seat has changed hands several times. Once back to Labour in 2017, with Hugh Gaffney unseating the Scottish National Party incumbent Phil Boswell. The seat then swung back to the SNP in 2019, with Steven Bonnar gaining the seat from Scottish Labour incumbent Hugh Gaffney

The constituency from 2005 to 2024 was formed by the following electoral divisions:

• In full: Gartcosh, Glenboig and Moodiesburn, Stepps, Chryston and Muirhead, Coatbridge North, Coatbridge South, Coatbridge West, Thorniewood.
• In part: Bellshill, Cumbernauld North, Mossend and Holytown.

After the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will lose Chryston to Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch.

Geography

Years	Map in Scotland
2005-2024		Map of boundaries 2010-2024
2024-present		Map of boundaries from 2024

Members of Parliament

Election		Member [4]	Party
	2005	Tom Clarke	Labour
	2015	Phil Boswell	Scottish National Party
	2017	Hugh Gaffney	Labour
	2019	Steven Bonnar	Scottish National Party
	2024	To be confirmed	To be confirmed

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

2024 general election: Coatbridge and Bellshill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Steven Bonnar [5]
	Liberal Democrats	Emma Farthing [6]
	Communist	Drew Gilchrist [7]
	Scottish Family	Leo Lanahan [8]
	Scottish Green	Patrick McAleer [9]
	Labour	Frank McNally [10]
	Reform UK	Fionna McRae [11]
	Conservative	Christina Sandhu [12]
Majority
Turnout

Elections in the 2010s

2019 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill ^{[13] [14]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Steven Bonnar	22,680	47.0	+7.9
	Labour	Hugh Gaffney	17,056	35.4	-7.2
	Conservative	Nathan Wilson	6,113	12.7	-3.5
	Liberal Democrats	David Stevens	1,564	3.2	+1.2
	Scottish Green	Patrick McAleer	808	1.7	New
Majority			5,624	11.6	N/A
Turnout			48,221	66.3	+3.0
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing	+7.6

2017 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Hugh Gaffney	19,193	42.6	+8.7
	SNP	Phil Boswell	17,607	39.1	-17.5
	Conservative	Robyn Halbert	7,318	16.2	+9.9
	Liberal Democrats	David Bennie	922	2.0	+0.9
Majority			1,586	3.5	N/A
Turnout			45,040	63.3	-5.3
	Labour gain from SNP		Swing	+13.1

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

2015 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill ^{[15] [16]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Phil Boswell	28,696	56.6	+39.7
	Labour	Tom Clarke	17,195	33.9	-32.7
	Conservative	Mhairi Fraser	3,209	6.3	-1.8
	UKIP	Scott Cairns	1,049	2.1	New
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Simpson	549	1.1	-7.4
Majority			11,501	22.7	N/A
Turnout			50,698	68.6	+9.2
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing	+36.3

2010 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Clarke	27,728	66.6	+2.1
	SNP	Frances M. McGlinchey	7,014	16.9	+3.3
	Liberal Democrats	Kenneth C. Elder	3,519	8.5	−3.5
	Conservative	Fiona Houston	3,374	8.1	+0.9
Majority			20,714	49.7	−1.2
Turnout			41,635	59.4	+2.5
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.6

Elections in the 2000s

2005 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Clarke	24,725 [lower-alpha 1]	64.5	−4.8
	SNP	Duncan Ross	5,206	13.6	−1.2
	Liberal Democrats	Rodney Ackland	4,605	12.0	+6.4
	Conservative	Lindsay S. Paterson	2,775	7.2	+2.2
	Scottish Socialist	Joan Kinloch	1,033	2.7	−2.4
Majority			19,519	50.9	-3.6
Turnout			38,344	56.9	−3.0
	Labour win (new seat)

Notes

1. This 19,519 majority was the largest numerical majority for any Westminster MP during the 2005-2010 parliament.

References

1. Boundary Commission Scotland 2023 Review Report
2. Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/calcwork23.py?seat=Coatbridge+and+Bellshill
3. Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. p. 631. ISBN 0-900178-01-9.
4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 5)
5. "Just a third of general election candidates selected so far are women". The Herald . Retrieved 3 April 2024.
6. "UK Parliamentary General Election, 4 July 2024". North Lanarkshire Council . Retrieved 7 June 2024.
7. Communist Party ☭ [@CPBritain] (30 May 2024). "Your Communist candidate for Coatbridge and Bellshill🗳🚩 #VoteCommunist @CPB_Lanarkshire…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
8. @scotfamparty (13 February 2024). "Leo Lanahan will contest Coatbridge and Bellshill and the next UK Parliamentary General Election. Leo is a GP Practice Manager in North Lanarkshire and a father of five adopted children. He has previously stood for the SFP, including the 2022 Scottish Local Elections" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
9. "SCOTTISH GREEN CANDIDATES FOR THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION". Scottish Green Party . Retrieved 7 June 2024.
10. "Labour selections: parliamentary candidates selected so far for the general election". LabourList . Retrieved 3 April 2024.
11. "UK Parliamentary General Election, 4 July 2024". North Lanarkshire Council . Retrieved 7 June 2024.
12. "SNP, Labour and Tories confirm all General Election candidates in Scotland". The National . Retrieved 7 June 2024.
13. "UK Parliamentary Elections 2019". northlanarkshire.gov.uk. North Lanarkshire Council.
14. "Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill parliamentary constituency - Election 2019" . Retrieved 16 December 2019.
15. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
16. "Election results". northlanarkshire.gov.uk. 5 May 2015.
17. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
18. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

55°53′06″N4°03′36″W / 55.885°N 4.060°W / 55.885; -4.060