Walsall North (UK Parliament constituency)
Walsall North | |
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Borough constituency for the House of Commons |
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Boundary of Walsall North in West Midlands.
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Location of West Midlands within England.
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County | West Midlands |
Electorate | 65,468 (December 2010)[1] |
Major settlements | Willenhall, Bloxwich and Walsall (part) |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1955 |
Member of parliament | David Winnick (Labour) |
Number of members | One |
Created from | Walsall |
Overlaps | |
European Parliament constituency | West Midlands |
Walsall North is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1979 by David Winnick, a member of the Labour Party.[n 2]
Contents
Boundaries
1955-1974: The County Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Hatherton, and Leamore, and the Urban District of Brownhills.
1974-1983: The County Borough of Walsall wards of Bentley, Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Leamore, Willenhall North, and Willenhall South.
1983-present: The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Short Heath, Willenhall North, and Willenhall South.
Walsall North is one of three constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall.[n 3]
History
The Walsall North constituency was first established in 1955 from Walsall constituency. Its first Member of Parliament was W.T. Wells of the Labour Party, who had previously been MP for Walsall. In 1974 he was succeeded by the controversial John Stonehouse (also Labour), the former Postmaster General who became infamous for faking his own death and was later jailed for fraud. After resigning from the Labour Party in April 1976, he was invited to join the English National Party, becoming their first (and only) MP, before being forced to resign as an MP in August 1976. The ensuing by-election was won by Robin Hodgson, a Conservative.
Labour regained the seat in 1979; their candidate was the former Croydon South MP David Winnick, who has represented the constituency since then.
- Political history
Together with the arguably marginal majority in 1983 of 5.8%, all the other substantial wins until 2010 indicated a safe seat for Labour, who gained 58.1% of the votes at their peak in 2001. However in 2010 Walsall North seems to have become a marginal seat whereby Labour only narrowly managed to fend off a challenge from the Conservatives, with a majority of 2.7% of the vote.[2] Going into the 2015 General Election, Walsall North was 13th on the list of target seats for the Conservatives.[3] Despite this, Labour held on to the seat, increasing their majority to 1,937.[4]
- Other parties
The Liberal Democrats managed to produce their best result since the 1955 creation (or their predecessor parties) in 1983, when Liberal, A. Bentley polled 20.7% of the vote.
Unusually, since the 2005 general election (inclusive) the BNP have managed to retain a general election deposit by polling more than 5% of the vote. The last time this percentage was reached by a candidate in other than the top three parties was in 1976.
Just below the 5% threshold, in 2010 UKIP managed to achieve their best result to date, at 4.8% of the vote.
Constituency profile
The constituency is in the heart of an area traditionally focussed on manufacturing, see Walsall, which retains many mechanical and engineering jobs in its economy.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 8.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, not the highest in the region which was Birmingham Ladywood at 11.1% but also significantly higher than the average for the region, 4.7%.[5]
Members of Parliament
Election | Member[6] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1955 | William Wells | Labour | |
Feb 1974 | John Stonehouse | Labour Co-operative | |
1976 | English Nationalist | ||
1976 by-election | Robin Hodgson | Conservative | |
1979 | David Winnick | Labour |
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 14,392 | 39.0 | +2.0 | |
Conservative | Douglas Hansen-Luke[8] | 12,455 | 33.8 | -0.5 | |
UKIP | Elizabeth Hazell[9] | 8,122 | 22.0 | +17.2 | |
Liberal Democrat | Nigel Jones | 840 | 2.3 | -10.8 | |
TUSC | Peter Smith | 545 | 1.5 | −0.8 | |
Green | Mike Harrison[10] | 529 | 1.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,937 | 5.2 | +2.5 | ||
Turnout | 36,883 | 55.0 | -0.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 13,385 | 37.0 | -11.2 | |
Conservative | Helyn Clack | 12,395 | 34.3 | +6.8 | |
Liberal Democrat | Nadia Fazal | 4,754 | 13.1 | +0.8 | |
BNP | Christopher Woodall | 2,930 | 8.1 | +2.1 | |
UKIP | Elizabeth Hazell | 1,737 | 4.8 | +1.1 | |
Democratic Labour | Peter Smith | 842 | 2.3 | ± | |
Christian | Babar Shakir | 144 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 990 | 2.7 | |||
Turnout | 36,187 | 55.5 | +3.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −9.0 |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 15,990 | 47.8 | −10.3 | |
Conservative | Ian Lucas | 9,350 | 28.0 | −1.1 | |
Liberal Democrat | Douglas Taylor | 4,144 | 12.4 | +3.4 | |
BNP | William Locke | 1,992 | 6.0 | N/A | |
UKIP | Anthony Lenton | 1,182 | 3.5 | +1.0 | |
Democratic Labour | Peter Smith | 770 | 2.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 6,640 | 19.9 | |||
Turnout | 33,428 | 52.8 | +3.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −4.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 18,779 | 58.1 | +1.5 | |
Conservative | Melvin Pitt | 9,388 | 29.1 | +1.5 | |
Liberal Democrat | Michael Heap | 2,923 | 9.0 | -0.3 | |
UKIP | Jenny Mayo | 812 | 2.5 | N/A | |
Socialist Alliance | David Church | 410 | 1.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 9,391 | 29.0 | |||
Turnout | 32,312 | 49.0 | -15.1 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 24,517 | 56.62 | ||
Conservative | M Bird | 11,929 | 27.55 | ||
Liberal Democrat | T O'Brien | 4,050 | 9.35 | ||
Referendum | D Bennett | 1,430 | 3.3 | ||
Independent | M Pitt | 911 | 2.10 | ||
National Front | Alan Humphries | 465 | 1.07 | ||
Majority | 12,588 | 29.07 | |||
Turnout | 43,302 | 64.07 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 24,387 | 46.7 | +4.2 | |
Conservative | Robert Syms | 20,563 | 39.4 | +0.4 | |
Liberal Democrat | AR Powis | 6,629 | 12.7 | −5.7 | |
National Front | KA Reynolds | 614 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,824 | 7.3 | +3.8 | ||
Turnout | 52,193 | 75.0 | +1.2 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.9 |
Elections in the 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 21,458 | 42.6 | ||
Conservative | L Hertz | 19,668 | 39.0 | ||
Liberal | I Shires | 9,285 | 18.4 | ||
Majority | 1,790 | 3.6 | |||
Turnout | 73.8 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 20,782 | 42.5 | ||
Conservative | N. Stephens | 17,958 | 36.7 | ||
Liberal | A. Bentley | 10,141 | 20.7 | ||
Majority | 2,824 | 5.8 | |||
Turnout | 71.0 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 26,913 | 50.9 | ||
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 21,047 | 39.8 | ||
Liberal | A Bentley | 3,778 | 7.1 | ||
National Front | C Parker | 1,098 | 2.1 | ||
Majority | 5,866 | 11.1 | |||
Turnout | 72.3 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 16,212 | 43.35 | +17.2 | |
Labour | David Winnick | 11,833 | 31.64 | -27.85 | |
Independent | Sidney Wright | 4,374 | 11.70 | N/A | |
National Front | Joseph Parker | 2,724 | 7.28 | N/A | |
Liberal | Frances Oborski | 1,212 | 3.24 | -13.1 | |
Socialist Workers | James McCallum | 574 | 1.53 | N/A | |
National Party | Marian Powell | 258 | 0.69 | N/A | |
Ecology | Jonathan Tyler | 181 | 0.48 | N/A | |
Air, Road, Public Safety, White Resident | Bill Boaks | 30 | 0.08 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,379 | ||||
Turnout | 37,398 | ||||
Conservative gain from English National | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Stonehouse | 28,340 | 59.5 | ||
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 12,455 | 26.1 | ||
Liberal | W Gill | 6,337 | 13.4 | ||
Communist | J Richards | 465 | 1.0 | ||
Majority | 15,885 | 33.4 | |||
Turnout | 66.6 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Stonehouse | 32,458 | 63.6 | ||
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 17,754 | 34.8 | ||
Communist | J Richards | 819 | 1.6 | ||
Majority | 14,704 | 28.8 | |||
Turnout | 72.1 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 27,543 | 57.1 | ||
Conservative | AJL Barnes | 20,128 | 41.7 | ||
Communist | D Brayford | 597 | 1.2 | ||
Majority | 7,415 | 15.4 | |||
Turnout | 66.8 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 29,710 | 65.1 | ||
Conservative | AJL Barnes | 15,953 | 34.9 | ||
Majority | 13,757 | 30.1 | |||
Turnout | 70.9 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 27,842 | 61.4 | ||
Conservative | AJL Barnes | 17,518 | 38.6 | ||
Majority | 10,324 | 22.8 | |||
Turnout | 71.9 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 27,693 | 61.0 | ||
Conservative | JG Ackers | 17,741 | 39.0 | ||
Majority | 9,952 | 21.9 | |||
Turnout | 76.7 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 26,665 | 62.5 | ||
National Liberal | FM Roberts | 15,970 | 37.5 | ||
Majority | 10,695 | 25.1 | |||
Turnout | 77.0 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
See also
Notes and references
- Notes
- ↑ A borough 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.
- ↑ The others being: Walsall South and Aldridge-Brownhills
- References
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- ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)[self-published source][better source needed]
- ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/walsallnorth/
- ↑ http://www.hansenluke.org.uk/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/UKIPWalsall
- ↑ https://my.greenparty.org.uk/candidates/106265
- ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/walsallnorth
- ↑ http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/constit/246.htm
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- Accuracy disputes from March 2012
- Articles lacking reliable references from March 2012
- Wikipedia articles incorporating an LRPP-MP template with two unnamed parameters
- Politics of Walsall
- Parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)
- United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1955