Westmorland_and_Lonsdale_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

Westmorland and Lonsdale (UK Parliament constituency)

Westmorland and Lonsdale (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards


Westmorland and Lonsdale is a constituency[n 1] in the south of Cumbria, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Tim Farron, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats (2015–2017).

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Since 2017 Westmorland and Lonsdale has been the only Liberal Democrat seat in the whole of Northern England. It is also the Liberal Democrats' longest continuously held seat in England, as the only seat where they have won every election since 2015.

Constituency profile

Map of current boundaries

The constituency mostly overlaps the South Lakeland district of Cumbria. Important towns by size in the constituency include Kendal, Windermere and Kirkby Lonsdale. It is named after the historic county of Westmorland and the Lancashire Hundred of Lonsdale, both of which extend beyond the bounds of the constituency. This is one of a minority of rural seats where residents voted to Remain in the European Union in 2016.

Boundaries

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Cumbria, the Boundary Commission for England created a modified Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, to deal with population changes.

The electoral wards used to create the modified seat, contested for the first time at the 2010 general election, are entirely within the South Lakeland district.

This boundary change removed Broughton-in-Furness from the constituency.

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The District of Eden wards of: Appleby (Appleby); Appleby (Bongate); Askham; Brough; Crosby Ravensworth; Dacre; Eamont; Greystroke; Kirkby Stephen; Kirkby Thore; Long Marton; Morland; Orton and Tebay; Ravenstonedale; Shap; Ullswater; Warcop.
  • The District of South Lakeland wards of: Ambleside & Grasmere; Bowness & Levens; Broughton & Coniston (polling districts AF, AO, AP, AQ, AS, AT, AU, BC, BDA, BDB, CX and DH); Cartmel; Grange; Kendal East; Kendal North; Kendal Rural; Kendal South & Natland; Kendal Town; Kendal West; Windermere.[3]

The constituency will be expanded by adding parts of the (former) District of Eden, including the market towns of Appleby-in-Westmorland and Kirkby Stephen, currently in the (to be abolished) constituency of Penrith and The Border. To partly offset this, the (former) District of South Lakeland wards of Arnside & Milnthorpe, Burton & Crooklands, and Sedbergh & Kirkby Lonsdale will be included in Morecambe and Lunesdale (thereby creating a cross-county boundary constituency).

With effect from 1 April 2023, the Districts of Eden and South Lakeland were abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness.[4] The constituency will therefore now comprise the following wards of Westmorland and Furness from the next general election:

  • Appleby and Brough; Bowness and Lyth; Coniston and Hawkshead (nearly all); Eamont and Shap; Eden and Lyvennet Vale; Grange and Cartmel; Greystoke and Ullswater; Kendal Castle; Kendal Highgate; Kendal Nether; Kendal South (majority); Kendal Strickland and Fell; Kirkby Stephen and Tebay; Levens and Crooklands (majority); Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale (part); Upper Kent; Windermere and Ambleside.[5]

History

Having been a Conservative-dominated seat since its creation in 1983, the 1997 general election saw the Conservatives' majority cut to fewer than 5,000 votes. This was further reduced at the 2001 general election. In 2005, the constituency featured among a list of seats held by high-profile Conservatives (in this case Shadow Education Secretary Tim Collins) targeted by the Liberal Democrats by deploying supporters from across each region in what was referred in the media as a "decapitation strategy".[6] In the 2005 election, Tim Farron gained the seat by a marginal majority of 267 votes.

At the 2010 general election, the local electorate caused the largest Conservative-to-Lib Dem swing nationally, of 11.1% equally the lowest share of the vote for Labour (2.2%, one of five lost deposits for Labour), nationally. With 96.2% of votes cast for either the Conservative or Liberal Democrat candidates, Westmorland and Lonsdale had the highest combined share of the vote cast for the Coalition parties.

Contrasting with its long-term Conservative support, the combined Conservative/UKIP vote narrowly failed to reach 40% in 2015. Equally, Farron, who would become Leader of the Liberal Democrats two months later; was the only member of his party to secure an absolute majority (over 50%) of votes cast, after what was a poor result for the party nationwide with their seat count reduced from 57 seats to 8.[7][8] In 2017 (when Farron was Lib Dem leader), Farron's majority fell to just 777 votes. However, in 2019, he was re-elected with a majority increased to 1,934.

Members of Parliament

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Elections

Westmorland election results

Elections in the 2020s

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Elections in the 2010s

In 2019, Westmorland and Lonsdale was one of five English constituencies, the others being Esher and Walton, East Devon, Cheltenham and Winchester, where Labour failed to obtain over 5% of the vote and lost their deposit.[15]

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Elections in the 2000s

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Elections in the 1990s

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Elections in the 1980s

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Note: The Robert Gibson who stood in this election and the similarly named candidate in 2001 and 2005 are not the same person.

See also

Notes

  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer).

References

  1. "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  3. "New Seat Details - Westmorland and Lonsdale". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. Lyon, Sam (6 May 2005). "Senior Tories avoid Lib Dem "decaptitation"". Evening Standard.
  5. Gosden, Emily (9 May 2015). "Liberal Democrat survivors round on Nick Clegg". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  6. Harris, John (12 July 2015). "The strange death of the Liberal Democrats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  7. "Matty Jackman selected as Conservative Candidate for Westmorland and Lonsdale". Westmorland & Lonsdale. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  8. "Meet Pippa Smith, our candidate for the General Election". Westmorland & Lonsdale Labour Party. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  9. "GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES". SDP. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  10. "Lord Buckethead among candidates to lose deposit". 13 December 2019 via www.bbc.com.
  11. "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (PDF). southlakeland.gov.uk. South Lakeland Council. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  12. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. "Westmorland & Lonsdale". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  14. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. Westmorland and Lonsdale Conservatives, Westmorland and Lonsdale Conservatives
  16. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  21. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

54.312°N 2.880°W / 54.312; -2.880


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