North Lanarkshire

The Result

Electorate: 236,737
Area (Hectares): 47,358

North Lanarkshire lies in the central belt of Scotland, just to the east of Glasgow. It includes the towns of Airdrie, Coatbridge, Motherwell, Shotts, Whishaw, and the new town of Cumbernauld. It is in the industrial heart of Scotland and has suffered because of the decline of traditional industries. This is an ex-mining area and the closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks in 1992 added significantly to the region's problems.

North Lanarkshire, like most other areas in central Scotland, is a Labour party stronghold. The party holds all five parliamentary seats in the area and over 80 per cent of the seats on the council. The new unitary authority has replaced the old district councils including Monklands Council, which was at the centre of the allegations about sectarian bias that dominated the Monklands East by-election in 1994.

Results of 1979 referendum:

ICM/Scotsman poll published on 22 August 1997:

		Yes		No		Don't know
All Scotland		68%		21%		11%
Strathclyde		71%		16%		13%

Question:Should a Scottish Parliament have tax-varying powers?

		Yes		No		Don't know
All Scotland		56%		36%		8%
Strathclyde		56%		36%		9%

(Total Sample Size: 1,001, Fieldwork: 19-20 August 1997)