# Hamilton West and Earnock (ward)

Hamilton West and Earnock is one of the 20 electoral wards of South Lanarkshire Council. Created in 2007, the ward elects four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 18,503 people.
The ward was previously a Labour stronghold with the party holding half of the seats between 2007 and 2017. However, it has since become a Scottish National Party (SNP) stronghold with the party holding half of the seats since a by-election win in 2011.

## Boundaries

The ward was created following the Fourth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2007 Scottish local elections. As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, local elections in Scotland would use the single transferable vote electoral system from 2007 onwards so Hamilton West and Earnock was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards. It contained the majority of the former High Blantyre, Udston and Wellhall/Earnock wards, a small part of the former Hamilton Centre North ward and part of the former Cadzow and Woodhead/Meikle Earnock wards as well as all of the former Earnock and Hillhouse wards. Hamilton West and Earnock covers the western part of Hamilton including the Brackenhill, Earnock, High Earnock, Highstonehall, Hillhouse, Little Earnock and Udston neighbourhoods, as well as the adjoining West Craigs development. Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, the ward's boundaries were unchanged.

## Councillors

| Year | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors |
| 2007 | Allan Falconer (Labour) | | Jean McKeown (Labour) | Graeme Horne (SNP) | Tommy Gilligan (Ind.) |
| 2011 by-election | Allan Falconer (Labour) | Jon Menzies (SNP) | Jean McKeown (Labour) | Graeme Horne (SNP) |
| 2012 | Allan Falconer (Labour) | Jon Menzies (SNP) | Jean McKeown (Labour) | Graeme Horne (SNP) |
| 2017 | Allan Falconer (Labour) | Mark McGeever (Conservative/ Liberal Democrats) | Mary Donnelly (SNP) | Graeme Horne (SNP) |
| 2019 | Allan Falconer (Labour) | Mark McGeever (Conservative/ Liberal Democrats) | Mary Donnelly (SNP) | Graeme Horne (SNP) |
| 2022 | Allan Falconer (Labour) | Mark McGeever (Conservative/ Liberal Democrats) | Mary Donnelly (SNP) | Graeme Horne (SNP) |

## Election results
### 2022 election

Hamilton West and Earnock - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SNP | Mary Donnelly (incumbent) | 29.7 | 1,731 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Allan Falconer (incumbent) | 24.1 | 1,404 | | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Graham William Fisher | 12.9 | 753 | 761 | 779 | 783 | 785 | 862 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark McGeever (incumbent) | 11.9 | 691 | 706 | 715 | 759 | 778 | 989 | 1,440 |
| | SNP | Graeme Horne (incumbent) | 11.7 | 680 | 1,140 | 1,150 | 1,263 | | | |
| | Labour | Jim Lee | 6.6 | 385 | 391 | 561 | 583 | 606 | | |
| | Scottish Green | Leonard Gingell | 3.1 | 179 | 221 | 227 | | | | |
| Electorate: 15,083 Valid: 5,823 Spoilt: 135 Quota: 1,165 Turnout: 39.5% |||||||||||
Source:

### 2017 election

Hamilton West and Earnock - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | SNP | Mary Donnelly | 25.7 | 1,377 | | | | | |
| | Conservative | Mark McGeever | 22.7 | 1,215 | | | | | |
| | Labour | Allan Falconer (incumbent) | 20.4 | 1,092 | | | | | |
| | SNP | Graeme Horne (incumbent) | 14.1 | 752 | 1,019 | 1,025 | 1,026 | 1,069 | 1,111 |
| | Labour | Jean McKeown (incumbent) | 12.5 | 671 | 681 | 720 | 737 | 757 | 830 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Ruston | 2.5 | 134 | 138 | 176 | 176 | 208 | |
| | Scottish Green | Christine Wright | 2.1 | 111 | 119 | 126 | 127 | | |
| Electorate: 14,110 Valid: 5,352 Spoilt: 151 Quota: 1,071 Turnout: 39.0% ||||||||||
Source:

### 2012 election

Hamilton West and Earnock - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | Labour | Allan Falconer (incumbent) | 27.3 | 1,170 | | |
| | SNP | Graeme Horne (incumbent) | 26.9 | 1,153 | | |
| | Labour | Jean McKeown (incumbent) | 20.1 | 861 | | |
| | SNP | John Menzies (incumbent) | 13.8 | 592 | 640 | 888 |
| | Conservative | Connar McBain | 8.6 | 369 | 387 | 396 |
| | Liberal Democrats | McKenzie Gibson | 1.7 | 74 | 102 | 108 |
| | UKIP | Rob Sale | 1.6 | 70 | 95 | 99 |
| Electorate: 13,853 Valid: 4,289 Spoilt: 77 Quota: 858 Turnout: 31.0% |||||||
Source:

### 2011 by-election

East Kilbride West by-election (22 October 2011) - 1 seat :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 |
| | SNP | John Menzies | 50.0 | 822 |
| | Labour | Stuart Gallacher | 36.9 | 607 |
| | Conservative | Connar McBain | 13.0 | 214 |
| Electorate: 14,068 Valid: 1,643 Spoilt: 16 Quota: 822 Turnout: 11.8% |||||
Source:

### 2007 election

Hamilton West and Earnock - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Labour | Allan Falconer | 26.4 | 1,670 | | | | | | |
| | SNP | Graeme Horne | 25.1 | 1,591 | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Tommy Gilligan | 22.6 | 1,433 | | | | | | |
| | Labour | Jean McKeown | 11.7 | 743 | 1,006 | 1,064 | 1,088 | 1,127 | ??? | ??? |
| | Conservative | John Anderson | 9.6 | 606 | 622 | 671 | 713 | 732 | ??? | |
| | Scottish Green | Scot Graham | 2.6 | 167 | 180 | 232 | 261 | 320 | | |
| | Scottish Socialist | Gordon McGovern | 2.0 | 124 | 138 | 182 | 192 | | | |
| Electorate: 13,749 Valid: 6,334 Quota: 1,267 Turnout: 46.9% |||||||||||
Source: