West_Worcestershire_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
West Worcestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards
West Worcestershire is a constituency[n 1] in Worcestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Harriett Baldwin, a Conservative.[n 2] The constituency is considered a safe seat for the Conservatives, having been a marginal with the Liberal Democrats from 1997 to 2010. The constituency boundaries roughly correspond with the Malvern Hills District.
| 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) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | South Worcestershire, Leominster |
| 1832–1885 | |
| Seats | Two |
| Type of constituency | County constituency |
| Created from | Worcestershire |
| Replaced by | Bewdley, Droitwich, Evesham, East Worcestershire and North Worcestershire |
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 | |
The constituency boundaries roughly correspond with the Malvern Hills District. 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]
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.
2010–2023: The District of Malvern Hills, and the District of Wychavon wards of Bredon, Eckington, Elmley Castle and Somerville, Pershore, and South Bredon Hill.
2023–present: Following a local government boundary review in the District of Wychavon which came into effect in May 2023,[8][9] the constituency now comprises the following:
- The District of Malvern Hills.
- The District of Wychavon wards of: Bredon; Bredon Hill; Broadway, Sedgeberrow & Childswickham (small part); Eckington; Pershore.[10]
Proposed
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency (based on the ward structure which existed on 1 December 2020) will be unchanged from the next general election (due by January 2025)[11]
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–present
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. After the 2015 UK general election, this marginal profile between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats drastically changed after the Liberal Democrats' share of the vote fell markedly, leaving West Worcestershire as a safe Conservative seat since, with the Conservatives easily achieving 50% of the vote share each election. The seat was broadly in line with the UK average in the 2016 referendum on the UK's status with the EU, with an estimated 52 to 53% voting to Leave.[12]
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Harriett Baldwin[13] | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Dan Boatright[14] | ||||
| Reform UK | Christopher Edmondson[15] | ||||
| Green | Natalie McVey[16] | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
| Swing | |||||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 34,909 | 60.7 | –0.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 10,410 | 18.1 | +8.7 | |
| Labour | Samantha Charles | 9,496 | 16.5 | –7.2 | |
| Green | Martin Allen | 2,715 | 4.7 | +1.9 | |
| Majority | 24,499 | 42.6 | +4.8 | ||
| Turnout | 57,530 | 75.4 | –0.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 76,267 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 34,703 | 61.5 | +5.4 | |
| Labour | Samantha Charles | 13,375 | 23.7 | +10.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Edward McMillan-Scott | 5,307 | 9.4 | –0.3 | |
| Green | Natalie McVey | 1,605 | 2.8 | –3.7 | |
| UKIP | Mike Savage | 1,481 | 2.6 | –11.8 | |
| Majority | 21,328 | 37.8 | –3.9 | ||
| Turnout | 56,471 | 75.9 | +2.2 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 30,342 | 56.1 | +5.7 | |
| UKIP | Richard Chamings[22] | 7,764 | 14.4 | +10.5 | |
| Labour | Daniel Walton | 7,244 | 13.4 | +6.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Dennis Wharton | 5,245 | 9.7 | –28.0 | |
| Green | Julian Roskams | 3,505 | 6.5 | +5.3 | |
| Majority | 22,578 | 41.7 | +29.0 | ||
| Turnout | 54,100 | 73.7 | 0.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Harriett Baldwin | 27,213 | 50.4 | +5.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 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
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Michael Spicer | 20,959 | 44.5 | –1.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 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 | 5.2 | –6.8 | ||
| Turnout | 47,077 | 70.3 | +3.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –3.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Michael Spicer | 20,597 | 46.0 | +1.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Michael Hadley | 15,223 | 34.0 | –3.2 | |
| Labour | Waquar Azmi | 6,275 | 14.0 | –1.7 | |
| UKIP | Ian Morris | 1,574 | 3.5 | New | |
| Green | Malcolm Victory | 1,138 | 2.5 | +0.5 | |
| Majority | 5,374 | 12.0 | +4.2 | ||
| Turnout | 44,807 | 67.1 | –9.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Michael Spicer | 22,223 | 45.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Michael Hadley | 18,377 | 37.2 | ||
| Labour | Neil Stone | 7,738 | 15.7 | ||
| Green | Sue Cameron | 1,006 | 2.0 | ||
| Majority | 3,846 | 7.8 | |||
| Turnout | 49,344 | 76.3 | |||
| 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[29][30] | 1,231 | 17.3 | New | |
| Majority | 1,682 | 23.6 | +9.1 | ||
| Turnout | 4,175 (est) | 60.0 (est) | −9.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 6,962 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
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 | New | |
| 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 Winnington | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 4,654 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Henry Lygon | 1,945 | 34.4 | ||
| Whig | Henry 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 | 3.0 | |||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Henry 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) | |||||
- 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.
- "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.
- 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.
- "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 27 July 2017.
- LGBCE. "Wychavon | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- "New Seat Details - Worcestershire West". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
- "Final estimates of the Leave vote, or "Areal interpolation and the UK's referendum on EU membership"". Medium (Chris Hanretty). Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- "MP Harriett Baldwin announces plan to defend seat at next general election". Worcester News. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- "West Worcestershire Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- "Full list of all Green Party candidates at the next general election". Bright Green. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- "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) (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.
- 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