Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2005 onwards

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. Its previous MP was Hugh Gaffney of the Labour Party, who gained the seat at the 2017 general election, succeeding SNP MP Phil Boswell, who had held the seat since the SNP landslide victory in 2015. It was retaken by the SNP's Steven Bonnar at the 2019 general election.

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.

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

Tom Clarke of the Scottish Labour held this seat from its creation in 2005, having previously represented the predecessor constituencies of Monklands West and Coatbridge & Chryston since 1982. Clarke lost his seat to Phil Boswell of the Scottish National Party in 2015 with Boswell then losing his seat two years later to Hugh Gaffney of the Labour Party. In 2019 the SNP regained the seat with Steven Bonnar winning over Hugh Gaffney with a majority of 5,642 votes.^[2]

	Member^[3]	Party
2005	Tom Clarke	Labour
2015	Phil Boswell	Scottish National Party
2017	Hugh Gaffney	Labour
2019	Steven Bonnar	Scottish National Party

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

2024 general election: Coatbridge and Bellshill
Party		Candidate
	SNP	Steven Bonnar^[4]
	Communist	Drew Gilchrist^[5]
	Scottish Family	Leo Lanahan^[6]
	Labour	Frank McNally^[7]
Majority
Turnout

Elections in the 2010s

2019 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill^[8]^[9]
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

2015 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill^[10]^[11]
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^[12]
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^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Clarke	24,725^[a]	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

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

References

^ Boundary Commission Scotland 2023 Review Report
^ "Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 5)
^ "Just a third of general election candidates selected so far are women". The Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
^ Communist Party ☭ [@CPBritain] (30 May 2024). "Your Communist candidate for Coatbridge and Bellshill🗳🚩 #VoteCommunist @CPB_Lanarkshire…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ @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.
^ "Labour selections: parliamentary candidates selected so far for the general election". LabourList. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
^ "UK Parliamentary Elections 2019". northlanarkshire.gov.uk. North Lanarkshire Council.
^ "Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^ "Election results". northlanarkshire.gov.uk. 5 May 2015.
^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Constituencies in Scotland by holding party (59)

Scottish National Party (43)

Aberdeen North
Aberdeen South
Airdrie and Shotts
Angus
Argyll and Bute
Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Central Ayrshire
Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
Dundee East
Dundee West
Dunfermline and West Fife
East Dunbartonshire
East Renfrewshire
Edinburgh East
Edinburgh North and Leith
Edinburgh South West
Falkirk
Glasgow Central
Glasgow East
Glasgow North
Glasgow North East
Glasgow North West
Glasgow South
Glasgow South West
Glenrothes
Gordon
Inverclyde
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Lanark and Hamilton East
Linlithgow and East Falkirk
Livingston
Midlothian
Motherwell and Wishaw
North Ayrshire and Arran
Ochil and South Perthshire
Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Perth and North Perthshire
Ross, Skye and Lochaber
Stirling
West Dunbartonshire

Conservative (7)

Banff and Buchan
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Moray
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

Liberal Democrat (4)

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Edinburgh West
North East Fife
Orkney and Shetland

Labour (2)

Edinburgh South
Rutherglen and Hamilton West

Alba (2)

East Lothian
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Independent (1)

Na h-Eileanan an Iar

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v t e Scottish Westminster constituencies
1708 to 1832 1832 to 1868 1868 to 1885 1885 to 1918 1918 to 1950 1950 to 1955 1955 to 1974 1974 to 1983 1983 to 1997 1997 to 2005
Current constituencies (2005 to present)
Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Airdrie & Shotts Angus Argyll & Bute Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock Banff & Buchan Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross Central Ayrshire Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East Dumfries & Galloway Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale Dundee East Dundee West Dunfermline & West Fife East Dunbartonshire East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow East Lothian East Renfrewshire Edinburgh East Edinburgh North & Leith Edinburgh South Edinburgh South West Edinburgh West Falkirk Glasgow Central Glasgow East Glasgow North Glasgow North East Glasgow North West Glasgow South Glasgow South West Glenrothes Gordon Inverclyde Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey Kilmarnock & Loudoun Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath Lanark & Hamilton East Linlithgow & East Falkirk Livingston Midlothian Moray Motherwell & Wishaw Na h-Eileanan an Iar North Ayrshire & Arran North East Fife Ochil & South Perthshire Orkney & Shetland Paisley & Renfrewshire North Paisley & Renfrewshire South Perth & North Perthshire Ross, Skye & Lochaber Rutherglen & Hamilton West Stirling West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine West Dunbartonshire