West Worcestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
West Worcestershire is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Harriett Baldwin, a Conservative.[n 2]
West Worcestershire | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of West Worcestershire in Worcestershire | |
Location of Worcestershire within England | |
County | Worcestershire |
Electorate | 73,001 (December 2010)[1] |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1997 |
Member of Parliament | Harriett Baldwin (Conservative) |
Number of members | One |
Created from | South Worcestershire, Leominster |
1832–1885 | |
Number of members | Two |
Type of constituency | County constituency |
Replaced by | Bewdley, Droitwich, Evesham, East Worcestershire and North Worcestershire |
Created from | Worcestershire |
Members of Parliament
MPs 1832–1885
- Worcestershire West
Election | 1st Member[2] | 1st Party | 2nd Member[2] | 2nd Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1832 | Hon. Henry Lygon[n 3] | Tory[3] | Hon. Thomas Foley | Whig[3] | ||
1833 by-election | Henry Winnington | Whig[3][4] | ||||
1834 | Conservative[3] | |||||
1841 | Frederick Knight | Conservative[3] | ||||
1853 by-election | The Viscount Elmley[n 4] | Conservative | ||||
1863 by-election | Hon. Frederick Lygon | Conservative | ||||
1866 by-election | William Dowdeswell | Conservative | ||||
1876 by-election | Sir Edmund Lechmere, Bt | Conservative | ||||
1885 | constituency abolished |
MPs since 1997
Election | Member[2] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Sir Michael Spicer | Conservative | |
2010 | Harriett Baldwin | Conservative |
Constituency profile
The seat is known for its hilly landscape: with products such as regional speciality cheeses, drinks and mineral water, a major economic sector is tourism and leisure. However, the principal industries are in agriculture; food; chemicals; distribution; waste and mineral processing; printing and publishing; and transport and retail.
Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.1% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[5]
Boundaries
West Worcestershire stretches from the Gloucestershire border in the south almost to Shropshire in the north, taking in Pershore and Bredon Hill in its eastern side. Its other major towns are Malvern in the west and Upton-upon-Severn in the centre.
Boundary changes for 2010, the fifth modern review nationwide, added an area including Tenbury Wells to the seat (formerly in the Leominster constituency) and lost the small shared part of the Fladbury ward to the Mid Worcestershire seat.[6]
1832–1885: The Petty Sessional Divisions of Upton, Worcester, Hundred House and Kidderminster, and the City and County of the City of Worcester.[7]
1997–2010: The District of Malvern Hills wards of Baldwin, Broadheath, Chase, Hallow, Kempsey, Langland, Laugherne Hill, Leigh and Bransford, Link, Longdon, Martley, Morton, Powick, Priory, Ripple, Temeside, The Hanleys, Trinity, Upton-on-Severn, Wells, West, and Woodbury, and the District of Wychavon wards of Bredon, Eckington, Elmley Castle, Pershore Holy Cross, Pershore St Andrew's, Somerville, and South Bredon Hill.
2010–present: The District of Malvern Hills, and the District of Wychavon wards of Bredon, Eckington, Elmley Castle and Somerville, Pershore, and South Bredon Hill.
History
1832-1885
West Worcestershire formally, the Western division of Worcestershire, was created the first time for the 1832 general election, by the Reform Act 1832 which radically changed the boundaries of many British parliamentary constituencies. It was created by the division of the old Worcestershire constituency (which had existed since 1290) into two new two-member constituencies: West Worcestershire and East Worcestershire.
During this first creation, three members of the Lygon family, the Earls Beauchamp (pronounced Beecham) represented the constituency - their large country estate in the county had its seat at Madresfield Court near the heart of Madresfield village.
The constituency then existed, basically unchanged, until its abolition by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, when the constituency's territory was variously incorporated into the seats of Bewdley, Droitwich, Evesham, East Worcestershire and North Worcestershire.
1997–date
The seat was created on Parliament's approval for the 1997 general election of the Boundary Commission's fourth periodic review (following the first such review in 1945, which in turn followed that of the Representation of the People Act 1918.
- Political history
In the four elections to date the seat has alternated between Conservative majorities that were quite marginal (7.8% and 5.3%) and those that were greater than 10%, at 12% and 12.7%, close to average in terms of security for any of the three largest parties. As never having had a majority that exceeded 15% of the vote (in this modern creation) and having had the two marginal majorities to date, the seat cannot be classified as safe.
- Prominent frontbenchers
The modern seat has had no notable frontbenchers but a notable parliamentarian in the backbenches. The MP for the seat from 1997 to 2010 was Sir Michael Spicer of the Conservative Party. He previously represented the former seat of Worcestershire South from 1974, and was chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee from 2001 until 2010 when he retired.
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 34,909 | 60.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 10,410 | 18.1 | ||
Labour | Samantha Charles | 9,496 | 16.5 | ||
Green | Martin Allen | 2,715 | 4.7 | ||
Majority | 24,499 | 42.6 | |||
Turnout | 57,530 | 75.4 | |||
Registered electors | 76,267 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 34,703 | 61.5 | ||
Labour | Samantha Charles | 13,375 | 23.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Edward McMillan-Scott | 5,307 | 9.4 | ||
Green | Natalie McVey | 1,605 | 2.8 | ||
UKIP | Mike Savage | 1,481 | 2.6 | ||
Majority | 21,328 | 37.8 | |||
Turnout | 56,471 | 75.9 | |||
Registered electors | |||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 30,342 | 56.1 | ||
UKIP | Richard Chamings[13] | 7,764 | 14.4 | ||
Labour | Daniel Walton | 7,244 | 13.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Dennis Wharton | 5,245 | 9.7 | ||
Green | Julian Roskams | 3,505 | 6.5 | ||
Majority | 22,578 | 41.7 | |||
Turnout | 54,100 | 73.7 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 27,213 | 50.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Richard Burt | 20,459 | 37.7 | ||
Labour | Penelope Barber | 3,661 | 6.8 | ||
UKIP | Caroline Bovey | 2,119 | 3.9 | ||
Green | Malcolm Victory | 641 | 1.2 | ||
Majority | 6,754 | 12.7 | |||
Turnout | 53,993 | 73.7 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Michael Spicer | 20,959 | 44.5 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Tom Wells | 18,484 | 39.3 | ||
Labour | Qamar Bhatti | 4,945 | 10.5 | ||
UKIP | Caroline Bovey | 1,590 | 3.4 | ||
Green | Malcolm Victory | 1,099 | 2.3 | ||
Majority | 2,475 | 5.3 | |||
Turnout | 47,077 | 70.3 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Michael Spicer | 20,597 | 46.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Michael Hadley | 15,223 | 34.0 | ||
Labour | Waquar Azmi | 6,275 | 14.0 | ||
UKIP | Ian Morris | 1,574 | 3.5 | N/A | |
Green | Malcolm Victory | 1,138 | 2.5 | ||
Majority | 5,374 | 12.0 | |||
Turnout | 44,807 | 67.1 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Michael Spicer | 22,223 | 45.0 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Michael Hadley | 18,377 | 37.2 | N/A | |
Labour | Neil Stone | 7,738 | 15.7 | N/A | |
Green | Sue Cameron | 1,006 | 2.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,846 | 7.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 76.3 | N/A | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Elections in the 1880s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Edmund Lechmere | 2,975 | 41.8 | +0.3 | |
Conservative | Frederick Knight | 2,913 | 40.9 | +4.4 | |
Independent Liberal | Henry Richard Willis[20][21] | 1,231 | 17.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,682 | 23.6 | +9.1 | ||
Turnout | 4,175 (est) | 60.0 (est) | −9.2 | ||
Registered electors | 6,962 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1870s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Edmund Lechmere | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
- Caused by Dowdeswell's resignation.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Dowdeswell | 2,910 | 41.5 | N/A | |
Conservative | Frederick Knight | 2,554 | 36.5 | N/A | |
Liberal | George Hastings | 1,540 | 22.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,014 | 14.5 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 4,272 (est) | 69.2 (est) | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 6,177 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1860s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Dowdeswell | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Frederick Knight | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 6,311 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Dowdeswell | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
- Caused by Lygon's succession to the peerage, becoming 6th Earl Beauchamp.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Frederick Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Frederick Knight | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 5,221 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Frederick Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
- Caused by Lygon's succession to the peerage, becoming 5th Earl Beauchamp.
Elections in the 1850s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Frederick Knight | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 3,910 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Frederick Knight | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 4,015 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
- Caused by Lygon's succession to the peerage, becoming 4th Earl Beauchamp
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Frederick Knight | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 4,135 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1840s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Frederick Knight | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 4,357 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Frederick Knight | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 4,577 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative gain from Whig |
Elections in the 1830s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Whig | Henry Jeffreys Winnington | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 4,654 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Lygon | 1,945 | 34.4 | ||
Whig | Henry Jeffreys Winnington | 1,938 | 34.3 | ||
Conservative | John Pakington | 1,773 | 31.3 | ||
Turnout | 3,617 | 87.6 | |||
Registered electors | 4,127 | ||||
Majority | 7 | 0.1 | |||
Conservative hold | |||||
Majority | 165 | 2.9 | |||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Henry Jeffreys Winnington | 1,369 | 51.7 | ||
Tory | John Pakington | 1,278 | 48.3 | ||
Majority | 91 | 3.4 | |||
Turnout | 2,647 | 84.8 | |||
Registered electors | 3,122 | ||||
Whig hold |
- Caused by Foley's succession to the peerage, becoming 4th Baron Foley
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | Henry Lygon | Unopposed | |||
Whig | Thomas Foley | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 3,122 | ||||
Tory win (new seat) | |||||
Whig win (new seat) |
Notes and references
- Notes
- A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
- Later Earl Beauchamp
- Viscount Elmley is a courtesy title given by the Earl Beauchamp to his eldest son, as his main subsidiary title.
- References
- "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
- Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 127. Retrieved 11 August 2019 – via Google Books.
- Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer. p. 239. Retrieved 11 August 2019 – via Google Books.
- Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England Archived 2013-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
- "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
- "Worcestershire West Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- "West Worcestershire Nomination of Candidates" (PDF). Malvern Hills District Council. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "WORCESTERSHIRE WEST". Sky News. Sky UK. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- "West Worcestershire Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- "UK Polling Report". Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "BBC News - Election 2010 - Constituency - Worcestershire West". Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book)
|format=
requires|url=
(help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 486–487. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3. - "West Worcestershire Parliamentary Election, 1880: Bills, Charges & Claims". Worcestershire Chronicle. 17 April 1880. p. 4. Retrieved 23 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "The Forthcoming Elections". The Morning Post. 9 March 1880. p. 6. Retrieved 23 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Sources
Reference: Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 2208 The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) (Miscellaneous Changes) (No. 3) Order 1987
External links
- West Worcestershire Liberal Democrats
- Official website of Richard Burt, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate
- West Worcestershire Conservative Association
- West Worcestershire Conservative Future
- Official website of MP Sir Michael Spicer
- Official website of Harriett Baldwin, Parliamentary Candidate