Livingston, the only new town in Lothian, is at the heart of what has become known as Silicon Glen. It has grown on the back of the electronics industry, with giants such as NEC and Mitsubishi having plants here. However, this has made many local jobs vulnerable in the wake of the world glut of computer chips. In August 1998 NEC announced 200 job cuts at their plant in Livingston.
New investment into Livingston’s Alba centre promises much hope for the future but the question is whether the promised jobs become a reality. Companies such as Cadence Design Systems from California arrived in October 1999 with the promise of an extra 1,900 jobs, but this target was halved by October 2000. Motorola also announced in September 2000 their plans to create an extra 550 jobs at their technology centre in Livingston. Call-centres are also a booming industry, with companies including BSkyB and the Halifax bank siting their operations in Livingston.
This has been Robin Cook’s seat since 1983, but the man once touted as a future first minister of Scotland decided that he would rather remain at Westminster as foreign secretary. As in most central belt Labour seats the SNP are the main challengers.