Caithness Sutherland & Easter Ross LD Hold

Scottish Parliament election

constituency

	Caithness Sutherland & Easter Ross	LD Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	Jamie Stone	LD	7742	36.6	-4.4
	Deirdre Steven	LAB	5650	26.7	+2.5
	Rob Gibson	SNP	3692	17.5	-5.7
	Alan McLeod	CON	2262	10.7	+2.4
	James Campbell	IND	953	4.5	+4.5
	Frank Ward	SSP	828	3.9	+3.9
		MAJORITY	2092	9.9
		TURNOUT	21127	52.2

ELECTORATE	40462

Top-up region: Highlands and Islands

DESCRIPTION: Caithness Sutherland & Easter Ross

This is the northernmost seat on mainland Britain and covers a vast but sparsely populated area. At its northern tip is Caithness, made up of farming and fishing communities around the two main towns of Thurso and Wick. Dounreay nuclear power station is here, and tourism is helped by the presence of John O'Groats. The mountains and moorland of Sutherland attract many holidaymakers. Easter Ross is far more densely populated, including the fairly large town of Invergordon, home to many workers in oil-related industries.

Former Westminster MP Bob Maclennan worked for three different parties during the time he represented this seat (1966 - 2001), in turn Labour, the SDP and the Liberal Democrats. He was succeeded at Westminster by his Lib Dem colleague the Viscount Thurso, who is the first hereditary peer to be elected to the House of Commons. The Lib Dem Jamie Stone won the Holyrood seat with a majority of over 4,000 in 1999.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION		LD WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LD	10691	41.1
	LAB	6300	24.2
	SNP	6035	23.2
	CON	2167	8.3
	IND	554	2.1
	IND	282	1.1

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		LD WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LD	9041	36.4
	LAB	6297	25.3
	SNP	5273	21.2
	CON	3513	14.1
	SSP	544	2.2
	IND	199	0.8