Waveney_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Waveney (UK Parliament constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards
Waveney is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Peter Aldous, a Conservative.[n 2] It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
| Waveney | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Waveney in Suffolk | |
Location of Suffolk within England | |
| County | Suffolk |
| Electorate | 79,132 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Lowestoft |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1983 |
| Member of Parliament | Peter Aldous (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Lowestoft |
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency will revert to its previous name of Lowestoft.[2] This bears little resemblance to the new ‘Waveney Valley’ seat, which covers a predominantly rural area bridging Norfolk and Suffolk. The town of Bungay will be transferred to Waveney Valley.
The seat is based around the coastal town of Lowestoft and includes several smaller market towns and seaside resorts in northeast Suffolk. Electoral Calculus describes the seat as a "Somewhere", characterised by older, less educated voters and support for Brexit.[3]
Lowestoft is generally Labour-voting, because of its recent history as a declining seaside resort, fishing and industrial town.[citation needed] However, the constituency also takes in the small towns of Beccles and Bungay. The Green Party overtook the Conservatives in the overlapping East Suffolk Council in 2023 for the first time.
This corner of Suffolk arguably has stronger connections with Norfolk[citation needed] – Norwich is an easier centre to reach than Ipswich – and there have been unsuccessful proposals to alter the county boundary to reflect this.
The seat was created for the 1983 general election following the implementation of the third periodic review of Westminster constituencies, broadly replacing Lowestoft, which the first victor of the new seat had served since 1959.
Political history
Waveney has been a bellwether since its creation, swinging heavily in line with the mood of the nation. Labour's big majority in 1997 reflected the large overall majority in the Commons, and by the 2010 election it had become touted by one published analysis as the seat that the Conservatives needed to win to secure an overall majority.[citation needed] Fittingly, 2010 saw a marginal majority and the national result was a hung parliament with the Conservative Party the largest party. 2010 here was the Labour Party's second highest share of the vote in the narrow, traditional grouping of East Anglia (Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex).
Prominent frontbenchers
Waveney had been held for many years by James Prior, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1970–1972), Leader of the House of Commons[n 3] (1972–1974), Secretary of State for Employment (1979–1981), then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland during the Thatcher ministry, with an economic politics considered more centre-ground, then known as forming the wets' ideology.
Bob Blizzard served as a senior Government Whip from 2008 until 2010 when he lost at the election that May.
1983–1997
- The District of Waveney.[4]
The constituency was formed from the abolished constituency of Lowestoft, with the exception of a small part in the north which was now part of Norfolk.
1997–2010
- The District of Waveney except the wards of Blything, Halesworth, and Southwold.[5]
Three wards transferred to Suffolk Coastal.
2010–present
- The District of Waveney wards of Beccles North, Beccles South, Bungay, Carlton, Carlton Colville, Gunton and Corton, Harbour, Kessingland, Kirkley, Lothingland, Normanston, Oulton, Oulton Broad, Pakefield, St Margaret's, The Saints, Wainford, Whitton, and Worlingham.[6]
Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.
| Election | Member[7] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Jim Prior | Conservative | |
| 1987 | David Porter | Conservative | |
| 1997 | Bob Blizzard | Labour | |
| 2010 | Peter Aldous | Conservative | |
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Aldous | 31,778 | 62.2 | +7.8 | |
| Labour | Sonia Barker | 13,776 | 26.9 | -10.0 | |
| Green | Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw | 2,727 | 5.3 | +2.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Helen Korfanty | 2,603 | 5.1 | +3.2 | |
| CPA | Dave Brennan | 245 | 0.5 | New | |
| Majority | 18,002 | 35.3 | +17.8 | ||
| Turnout | 51,129 | 61.8 | -3.4 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Aldous | 28,643 | 54.4 | +12.1 | |
| Labour | Sonia Barker | 19,428 | 36.9 | −0.8 | |
| UKIP | Bert Poole | 1,933 | 3.7 | −10.8 | |
| Green | Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw | 1,332 | 2.5 | −0.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jacky Howe | 1,012 | 1.9 | −0.1 | |
| Independent | Allyson Barron | 326 | 0.6 | New | |
| Majority | 9,215 | 17.5 | +12.9 | ||
| Turnout | 52,674 | 65.2 | +0.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +6.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Aldous | 22,104 | 42.3 | +2.1 | |
| Labour | Bob Blizzard | 19,696 | 37.7 | −1.0 | |
| UKIP | Simon Tobin | 7,580 | 14.5 | +9.3 | |
| Green | Graham Elliott | 1,761 | 3.4 | +1.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Gordon | 1,055 | 2.0 | −11.3 | |
| Majority | 2,408 | 4.6 | +3.1 | ||
| Turnout | 52,196 | 65.1 | 0.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Aldous | 20,571 | 40.2 | +6.9 | |
| Labour | Bob Blizzard | 19,802 | 38.7 | −6.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Alan Dean | 6,811 | 13.3 | −1.8 | |
| UKIP | Jack Tyler | 2,684 | 5.2 | +1.5 | |
| Green | Graham Elliott | 1,167 | 2.3 | −0.1 | |
| NOTA | Louis Barfe | 106 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 769 | 1.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 51,141 | 65.1 | +1.5 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +6.8 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bob Blizzard | 22,505 | 45.3 | −5.4 | |
| Conservative | Peter Aldous | 16,590 | 33.4 | +0.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Nick Bromley | 7,497 | 15.1 | +3.7 | |
| UKIP | Brian Aylett | 1,861 | 3.7 | +1.4 | |
| Green | Graham Elliott | 1,200 | 2.4 | +0.3 | |
| Majority | 5,915 | 11.9 | −6.2 | ||
| Turnout | 49,653 | 64.4 | +3.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | −3.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bob Blizzard | 23,914 | 50.7 | −5.3 | |
| Conservative | Lee Scott | 15,361 | 32.6 | −1.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | David Young | 5,370 | 11.4 | +2.4 | |
| UKIP | Bryan Aylett | 1,097 | 2.3 | New | |
| Green | Graham Elliott | 983 | 2.1 | New | |
| Socialist Alliance | Rupert Mallin | 442 | 0.9 | New | |
| Majority | 8,553 | 18.1 | −3.4 | ||
| Turnout | 47,167 | 60.8 | −13.9 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | −1.7 | |||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bob Blizzard | 31,486 | 56.0 | +16.2 | |
| Conservative | David Porter | 19,393 | 34.5 | −12.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Thomas | 5,054 | 9.0 | −3.8 | |
| Independent | Neil Clark | 318 | 0.6 | New | |
| Majority | 12,093 | 21.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 56,251 | 74.7 | −7.1 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | David Porter | 33,174 | 48.2 | −0.2 | |
| Labour | Ezra Leverett | 26,472 | 38.4 | +8.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Adrian Rogers | 8,925 | 13.0 | −8.6 | |
| Natural Law | David Hook | 302 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 6,702 | 9.8 | −8.4 | ||
| Turnout | 68,873 | 81.8 | +3.4 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −4.3 | |||
Elections in the 1980s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | David Porter | 31,067 | 48.4 | −3.4 | |
| Labour | Jack Lark | 19,284 | 30.0 | +2.6 | |
| SDP | David Beavan | 13,845 | 21.6 | +0.7 | |
| Majority | 11,783 | 18.4 | −6.0 | ||
| Turnout | 81,889 | 78.4 | +3.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −3.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Jim Prior | 30,371 | 51.8 | ||
| Labour | Jack Lark | 16,073 | 27.4 | ||
| SDP | Gillian Artis | 12,234 | 20.9 | ||
| Majority | 14,298 | 24.4 | |||
| Turnout | 77,960 | 75.3 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
- 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 ejwiod five years.
- "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.
- "Eastern | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Waveney
- "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- "Waveney Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations" (PDF). Waveney District Council. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "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.
- "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.