Despite being the smallest constituency in the city, Glasgow South Side still comes with as many challenges as the rest.

The area was created in 2011, made up from the majority of the former Govan area where Nicola Sturgeon won her first constituency seat in 2007.

After the 2003 elections, former Labour MSP Gordon Jackson joked that he had beaten Ms Sturgeon twice already and asked if he got to “keep her” if he won again.

Jackson never won three in a row.

Sturgeon is almost certain to do what he couldn’t by winning the seat again this year, fending off competition from Labour’s Fariha Thomas, a current Glasgow City Council councillor.

A diverse community, the constituency covers from Oatlands and Toryglen, to parts of Govan and Bellahouston. It also takes in a corner of Shawlands and Crossmyloof to the south.

It includes Glasgow’s Science Centre, Ibrox stadium, several parks, large areas of housing and industrial estates housing dozens of small businesses.

The area is one of the most diverse constituencies in Glasgow, with the percentage of residents classing themselves as Asian and African higher here than in any other area.

Of the 66,000 residents in Glasgow Southside, around 14,500 are Asian, 40,000 are White Scottish and almost 2,000 are from an African background according to the latest census data.

Despite the diversity, locals don’t consider integration to be much of a problem and welcome the cultural mix in their neighbourhood.

One of the main issues concerning residents is the state of their streets – a problem which has attracted widespread attention in Govanhill with well-documented piles of rubbish and flytipping a serious issue.

Parking and road conditions is also an issue, particularly for those living close to the city centre as their streets are seen as a haven for city workers who want to avoid exorbitant parking charges.

Jeff Stewart, chairman of the Hutchesontown community council, said the streets in his area near the Gorbals are often crammed with cars during office hours, making it difficult for residents.

He added that amenities and schools were an issue in the area, and said: “The one thing we don’t have is a purpose-built community centre but there is no room for it.

“Every spare bit of ground has been built on.

“There is a reasonably good community here but it is very diverse.

“There are two primary schools but no secondary school, and I think there should be one of those in the area as kids have to travel quite far to get to school.

“Young people can’t get a social house in the Gorbals now too, that’s a bit of an issue.

"There is a bit of depravation down at the riverside. It’s like every other city centre area, there are a few nagging things people don’t like."

Mark Campbell, secretary of the Dumbreck community council, said one of the largest problems in his area was “event parking”.

He explained: “There are events which happen here in Dumbreck which have a massive impact on residents, things in Bellahouston Park for example or nearby.

"I’d like to know what candidates would do with their power as MSP to minimise the disruption we have. The volume of traffic here as well, there is a big problem with that."

Candidates' view:

Nicola Sturgeon, SNP candidate, said there is nothing in the area that cannot be fixed.

She explained: “This constituency has great success stories – but I’m under no illusions that we face real challenges as well.

"I know many parents are worried at the long distances their children have to travel to school – for example, children from the Gorbals travelling to Shawlands – and this is an issue an SNP council administration will look at, as part of a catchment area review.

"Govanhill in particular is an area which faces well documented challenges – and the Scottish Government is investing to tackle poor housing.

"There is more to do and I’m pushing for measures to improve the area – including pushing the Council to do more to remove bad landlords and to increase enforcement on flytipping and improper waste disposal.

"But there’s nothing wrong with Govanhill that can’t be put right.

"I’m determined to see the whole constituency meet its full potential – and will work tirelessly to ensure it does so."

Fariha Thomas, Labour candidate, said council budget cuts have contributed to the problems with flytipping as it has put a strain on resources.

She said: "The rubbish and flytipping in parts of both Govanhill and Ibrox are a real problem .

"The council and Community Safety Glasgow are prioritising these areas for additional flytipping collections and enforcement but with a stretched workforce caused by the cuts to Council budgets, resources are very tight.

"I am working to ensure new partnerships involving local people and a range of services are brought to bear to deal with these issues.

"It is a disgrace that in 2016 increasing numbers of people are living in poverty and having to resort to foodbanks due to a punitive benefits regime and low waged/insecure employment.

"Scottish Parliament’s new powers must be used to help reduce this.

"In the long term, Labour’s plans to invest in education, providing extra educational resources for children from the most deprived areas, will ensure that our children, young people and workforce returners will have the opportunities they are currently denied to gain the skills needed for quality employment and escape the poverty trap."

2011 Results

Nicola Sturgeon - SNP - 12,306 54.4%

Stephen Curran - Labour - 7,957 35.2%

David Meikle - Conservative - 1,733 7.7%

Kenn Elder - LibDems - 612 2.7%

2016 Candidates

Nicola Sturgeon (SNP)

Fariha Thomas (Labour)

Graham Hutchison (Cons)

Kevin Lewsey (LibDem)