Kirkcaldy LAB Hold

Scottish Parliament election

constituency

	Kirkcaldy	LAB Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	Marilyn Livingston	LAB	10235	46.7	-1.5
	Colin Welsh	SNP	5411	24.7	-7.7
	Alex Cole-Hamilton	LD	2417	11.0	+1.8
	Mike Scott-Hayward	CON	2332	10.6	+0.4
	Rudi Vogels	SSP	1544	7.0	+7.0
		MAJORITY	4824	22.0
		TURNOUT	21939	44.2

ELECTORATE	49653

Top-up region: Mid Scotland and Fife

DESCRIPTION: Kirkcaldy

A coastal seat which includes some popular seaside resorts, Kircaldy has been safely held by Labour since 1945. Though coastal, it is industrial first and foremost. Tourism plays second fiddle to both heavy and light industries, although their decline has led to above-average unemployment. Kirkcaldy, Burntisland and Kinghorn are on the coast but Kirkcaldy itself could not be classed as a resort. One of the ironies of this seat is that the town, birthplace of Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, has not been won by a Tory for over 60 years - and it may well be as long before a Tory wins here again.

Marilyn Livingstone, subsequently convener of the Labour group at Holyrood, won the Holyrood seat for Labour with a reduced majority, compared to 1997, of 4,475 votes. This was put down largely to a reduced turnout rather than significant SNP inroads. Employment in the post-industrial age is an issue here; the constituency has been the winner, however, in the bitter battle over hospital provision, with Fife Health Board's plan to centralise A&E cover here rather than in neighbouring Dunfermline.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	13645	48.1
	SNP	9170	32.4
	CON	2907	10.3
	LD	2620	9.2

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	15227	54.1
	SNP	6264	22.2
	CON	3013	10.7
	LD	2849	10.1
	SSP	804	2.9