# Ochil (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Ochil was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, it was one of nine constituencies in the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region, which elected seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament George Reid represented the constituency from 2003 to 2007.
For the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Ochil was abolished, with the majority of the seat forming the newly created Clackmannanshire and Dunblane seat.

## Electoral region

The region covers all of the Clackmannanshire council area, all of the Fife council area, all of the Perth and Kinross council area, all of the Stirling council area and parts of the Angus council area.

## Constituency boundaries and council areas

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies. The Ochil Westminster constituency, was divided between the Ochil and South Perthshire Westminster constituency and the Stirling Westminster constituency.
From the Scottish Parliament election, 2011, Ochil was largely replaced by an expanded constituency of Clackmannanshire and Dunblane.

## Constituency profile

Although a county constituency, Ochil was mostly industrial in character, with the main industries of the region being brewing, distilling, glass manufacture, bottling, tourism and agriculture. There are however affluent areas, including Bridge of Allan, which is home to wealthy commuters to the city of Stirling and further afield; Dollar, which has, in its Academy, one of Scotland's most renowned private schools; and rural Kinross. The majority of the constituency's inhabitants, however, are working-class.

## Member of the Scottish Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1999 | Richard Simpson | Labour |
| 2003 | George Reid | Scottish National Party |
| 2003 | George Reid | Presiding Officer |
| 2007 | Keith Brown | Scottish National Party |
| 2011 | Constituency abolished: see Clackmannanshire and Dunblane | Constituency abolished: see Clackmannanshire and Dunblane |

## Election results

2007 Scottish Parliament election: Ochil :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Keith Brown | 12,147 | 38.5 | +0.2 |
| | Labour | Brian Fearon | 11,657 | 36.9 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | George Murray | 4,284 | 13.6 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lorraine Caddell | 3,465 | 11.0 | +2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 490 | 1.6 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,553 | 54.9 | +0.2 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
2003 Scottish Parliament election: Ochil :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | George Reid | 11,659 | 38.3 | +0.1 |
| | Labour | Richard Simpson | 11,363 | 37.4 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative | Malcolm Parkin | 2,946 | 9.7 | −1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Catherine Whittingham | 2,536 | 8.3 | −0.5 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Felicity Garvie | 1,102 | 3.6 | New |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Flash Gordon Approaching | 432 | 1.4 | New |
| | Independent | William Whyte | 378 | 1.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 296 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,416 | 54.7 | |
| | SNP gain from Labour | SNP gain from Labour | Swing | +4.5 | |
1999 Scottish Parliament election: Ochil :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Simpson | 15,385 | 41.7 | N/A |
| | SNP | George Reid | 14,082 | 38.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Nick Johnston | 4,151 | 11.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | The Earl of Mar & Kellie | 3,249 | 8.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,301 | 3.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,867 | | N/A |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
Note: Although George Reid was elected as a Scottish National Party candidate in 2003, he became independent the same year, as the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.
| Preceded byLothians | Constituency or Region represented by the Presiding Officer 2003 – 2007 | Succeeded byGalloway and Upper Nithsdale |

## Footnotes

* ↑ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine