Greenock and Port Glasgow
Former Burgh constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlementsGreenock, Port Glasgow
1974 (1974)–1997
SeatsOne
Created fromGreenock
West Renfrewshire
Replaced byGreenock & Inverclyde
West Renfrewshire

Greenock and Port Glasgow was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 until 1997, electing one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

1974–1983: The burghs of Greenock and Port Glasgow.

1983–1997: The Inverclyde District electoral divisions of Cartsdyke, Clune Brae, Greenock South West, Greenock West Central, Greenock West End, Port Glasgow East, Port Glasgow South, and Port Glasgow West.

As first used, in the February 1974 general election, the constituency had been defined by the Second Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission to cover the burghs of Greenock and Port Glasgow in the county of Renfrew.[1] The rest of the county was covered by the county constituencies of East Renfrewshire and West Renfrewshire, and the burgh constituency of Paisley.[1]

Prior to the February 1974 election, the county had been covered by East Renfrewshire, West Renfrewshire, Greenock, and Paisley, with the Greenock constituency covering the burgh of Greenock, and the burgh of Port Glasgow within the West Renfrewshire constituency.[1]

February 1974 boundaries were used also in the general elections of October 1974 and 1979.

In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, counties and burghs throughout Scotland had been abolished in favour of regions and districts and islands council areas. Therefore, in 1975, the constituency of Greenock and Port Glasgow had become effectively a constituency within the Inverclyde district of the Strathclyde region. For the 1983 general election new constituency boundaries were drawn, taking account of new local government boundaries.

1983 boundaries were used also in the general elections of 1987 and 1992.

In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the Inverclyde district became a unitary council area

For the 1997 general election, the Greenock and Port Glasgow constituency was divided between the Greenock and Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituencies.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
February 1974 Dickson Mabon Labour Co-operative
1981 Social Democrat
1983 Dr Norman Godman Labour
1997 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections of the 1970s

General election February 1974: Greenock and Port Glasgow
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Dickson Mabon 20,565 48.3
Liberal Menzies Campbell 8,789 20.6
Conservative John Scott Younger 7,892 18.5
SNP John Kenneth Wright 4,881 11.5
Communist Alexander Cameron Murray 483 1.1
Majority 11,776 27.7
Turnout 42,610 71.1
Labour Co-op win (new seat)
General election October 1974: Greenock and Port Glasgow
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Dickson Mabon 21,279 48.2 −0.1
SNP John Kenneth Wright 9,324 21.1 +9.6
Liberal Menzies Campbell 8,580 19.4 −1.2
Conservative Alexander Kinnear Foote 4,969 11.3 −5.2
Majority 11,955 27.1 -0.6
Turnout 44,152 73.9 +2.8
Labour Co-op hold Swing
General election 1979: Greenock and Port Glasgow
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Dickson Mabon 24,071 53.0 +4.8
Liberal James Boyd 12,789 28.2 +8.8
Conservative Ronald Glasgow 4,926 10.9 −0.4
SNP John Kenneth Wright 3,435 7.6 −13.5
Workers Revolutionary Isabella Mathieson 176 0.4 New
Majority 11,282 24.8 -2.3
Turnout 45,397 73.4 −0.5
Labour Co-op hold Swing

Elections of the 1980s

General election 1983: Greenock and Port Glasgow[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Norman Godman 20,650 46.8 −7.6
Liberal Alan Blair 16,025 36.3 +9.2
Conservative Charles Crichton 4,314 9.8 −0.5
SNP Alan Clayton 2,989 6.8 −1.0
Workers Revolutionary George McKinlay 114 0.3 −0.1
Majority 4,625 10.5 -14.3
Turnout 44,092 74.2 +0.8
Labour hold Swing
General election 1987: Greenock and Port Glasgow[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Norman Godman 27,848 63.9 +17.1
Liberal John Moody 7,793 17.9 −18.4
Conservative Thomas Pearson 4,119 9.6 −0.2
SNP Thomas Lenehan 3,721 8.6 +1.8
Majority 20,055 46.0 +35.5
Turnout 43,481 75.4 +1.2
Labour hold Swing +17.7

Elections of the 1990s

General election 1992: Greenock and Port Glasgow[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Norman Godman 22,258 58.0 −5.9
SNP Ian Black 7,279 19.0 +10.4
Conservative John McCullough 4,779 11.7 +2.1
Liberal Democrats Christopher Lambert 4,359 11.4 −6.5
Majority 14,979 39.0 -7.0
Turnout 38,675 73.7 −1.7
Labour hold Swing

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (ISBN 0-900178-09-4), F. W. S. Craig 1972
  2. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
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