Aberdeen North is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and it elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was first used in the 1885 general election, but has undergone various boundary changes since that date.
As of the 2019 general election this can be considered the safest SNP seat, as it has the largest SNP vote share and relative majority.
There was also an Aberdeen North Holyrood constituency, a constituency of the Scottish Parliament, created in 1999 with the boundaries of the Westminster constituency of at that time. It was abolished in 2011 by the new constituencies of Aberdeen Donside and Aberdeen Central.
Constituency profile
The seat covers the northern half of Aberdeen including the city centre and the North Sea oil companies at the harbour.
Boundaries
Current
As redefined by the Fifth Review of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, and subsequently first used in the 2005 general election, Aberdeen North is entirely within the Aberdeen City council area and one of five constituencies covering that council area and the Aberdeenshire council area. To the south of Aberdeen North there is Aberdeen South, which is also entirely within the Aberdeen City council area. To the west there is West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, which is entirely within the Aberdeenshire council area, and to the north there is Gordon, which covers part of the Aberdeen City council area and part of the Aberdeenshire council area. Further north there is Banff and Buchan which, like West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, is entirely within the Aberdeenshire council area.
Fifth Review changes include the transfer of Bridge of Don, Dyce and Danestone areas from Aberdeen North to Gordon, and the new Aberdeen North has boundaries which are very different from those of the earlier constituency. The northern boundary of the earlier constituency coincided with the northern boundary of the Aberdeen City council area. At that time, Aberdeen Central and Aberdeen South covered the rest of the Aberdeen City council area, and all three Aberdeen constituencies were entirely within the council area.
Historic
1885 to 1918
From 1832 to 1885 there was a single Aberdeen constituency. Prior to 1832, the burgh of Aberdeen had been represented as a component of the Aberdeen Burghs constituency.
When Aberdeen North was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and first used in the 1885 general election, so was Aberdeen South. Aberdeen North then consisted of the municipal wards of St Clement, St Andrew, St Machar and Greyfriars, and the 10th and 11th Parliamentary Polling Districts. The rest of the county of Aberdeen was covered by the county constituencies of Eastern Aberdeenshire and Western Aberdeenshire.
The same boundaries were used in the 1886 general election, the 1892 general election, the 1895 general election, the 1900 general election, the 1906 general election, the January 1910 general election and the December 1910 general election.
1918 to 1950
In 1918 constituency boundaries were redefined by the Representation of the People Act 1918. By then the county of city of Aberdeen had been created and, together with Aberdeen North, Aberdeen South became one of two constituencies covering the city (which was one of four counties of cities in Scotland) and entirely within the city. The new boundaries were first used in the 1918 general election, and Aberdeen North then consisted of the wards of Greyfriars, St Andrew, St Clement, St Machar, Torry and Woodside. The county of Aberdeen was covered by Aberdeen and Kincardine East, Central Aberdeenshire and Kincardine and West Aberdeenshire. Aberdeen and Kincardine East and Central Aberdeenshire were entirely within the county of Aberdeen. Kincardine and West Aberdeenshire covered the county of Kincardine minus the burgh of Inverbervie, which was covered by Montrose Burghs, and part of the county of Aberdeen.
The same boundaries were used in the 1922 general election, the 1923 general election, the 1924 general election, the 1929 general election, the 1931 general election, the 1935 general election and the 1945 general election.
1950 to 1955
For the 1950 general election boundaries were redefined again, by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949. A new list of wards defined Aberdeen North - Glimonston, Greyfriars, St Clement, St Machar, St Nicholas and Woodside - but the county of city of Aberdeen remained a two-constituency city, divided between Aberdeen South and Aberdeen North, with both constituencies entirely within the city.