West Worcestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

West Worcestershire
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of West Worcestershire in Worcestershire.

Outline map

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
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency West Midlands

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]

Boundaries

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.

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.[2]

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.

Constituency profile

The seat is known nationally 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, 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.[3]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

Worcestershire West
Election1st Member[4] 1st Party2nd Member[4]2nd Party
1832 Hon. Henry Lygon[n 3] Tory Hon. Thomas Foley Whig
1833 by-election Henry Winnington Liberal
1834 Conservative
1841 Frederick Knight Conservative
1853 by-election The Viscount Elmley[n 4] Conservative
1863 by-election Hon. Frederick Lygon Conservative
1866 by-election William Edward Dowdeswell Conservative
1876 by-election Sir Edmund Lechmere, Bt Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

MPs since 1997

ElectionMember[4] Party
1997 Sir Michael Spicer Conservative
2010 Harriett Baldwin Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: West Worcestershire[5][6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Harriett Baldwin 30,342 56.1 +5.8
UKIP Richard Chamings[8] 7,764 14.4 +10.4
Labour Daniel Walton 7,244 13.4 +6.6
Liberal Democrat Dennis Wharton 5,245 9.7 -28.1
Green Julian Roskams 3,505 6.5 +5.3
Majority 22,578 41.7 +29.0
Turnout 54,100 73.7 +0
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 2010: West Worcestershire[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Harriett Baldwin 27,213 50.4 +5.4
Liberal Democrat Richard Burt 20,459 37.7 −1.2
Labour Penelope Barber 3,661 6.8 −3.7
UKIP Caroline Bovey 2,119 3.9 +0.7
Green Malcolm Victory 641 1.2 −1.2
Majority 6,754 12.7 +6.7
Turnout 53,993 73.7 +3.7
Conservative hold Swing +3.3

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: West Worcestershire[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir Michael Spicer 20,959 44.5 −1.5
Liberal Democrat Tom Wells 18,484 39.3 +5.3
Labour Qamar Bhatti 4,945 10.5 −3.5
UKIP Caroline Bovey 1,590 3.4 −0.1
Green Malcolm Victory 1,099 2.3 −0.2
Majority 2,475 5.3
Turnout 47,077 70.3 +3.2
Conservative hold Swing −3.4
General Election 2001: West Worcestershire[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir Michael Spicer 20,597 46.0
Liberal Democrat Michael Hadley 15,223 34.0
Labour Waquar Azmi 6,275 14.0
UKIP Ian Morris 1,574 3.5
Green Malcolm Victory 1,138 2.5
Majority 5,374 12.0
Turnout 67.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: West Worcestershire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir Michael Spicer 22,223 45.0 N/A
Liberal Democrat 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 hold Swing N/A

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Later Earl Beauchamp
  4. ↑ Viscount Elmley is a courtesy title given by the Earl Beauchamp to his eldest son, as his main subsidiary title.
References
  1. ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ↑ 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England
  3. ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  4. 1 2 3 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
  5. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "WORCESTERSHIRE WEST". Sky News. Sky UK. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "West Worcestershire Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  8. ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/worcestershirewest/
  9. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. ↑ BBC - Election 2010 - West Worcestershire
  11. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Sources

Reference: Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 2208 The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) (Miscellaneous Changes) (No. 3) Order 1987

External links

Coordinates: 52°09′N 2°18′W / 52.15°N 2.30°W / 52.15; -2.30

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