Former industrial heartland remains a favourite to stay under Labour control
LOCATED mid-way between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland's fourth largest local authority forms the buckle of Scotland's central belt. Once a region dominated by coal, steel and heavy industry, today the number of people working in retail is double that of manufacturing.
It is one of the few authorities that Labour is likely to retain overall control of, in spite of the new voting system. This is Labour's heartland - the party's founder Keir Hardie was born in Newhouse, four miles from Motherwell, the council's administrative centre.
