Walsall North (UK Parliament constituency)

Walsall North
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Walsall North in West Midlands.
Location of West Midlands within England.
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]}

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 (the civil parishes of Hammerwich, Norton Canes, Ogley Hay, Shire Oak, and Walsall Wood).

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

	Member^[6]	Party
1955	William Wells	Labour
Feb 1974	John Stonehouse	Labour
1976	John Stonehouse	English Nationalist
1976 by-election	Robin Hodgson	Conservative
1979	David Winnick	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Walsall North^[7]
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

General Election 2010: Walsall North^[11]
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

General Election 2005: Walsall North^[12]
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

General Election 2001: Walsall North^[13]
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

General Election 1997: Walsall North^[14]^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	David Winnick	24,517	56.62
	Conservative	Michael Bird	11,929	27.55
	Liberal Democrat	Tracy O'Brien	4,050	9.35
	Referendum	Derek Bennett	1,430	3.3
	Independent	Melvin Pitt	911	2.10
	National Front	Alan Humphries	465	1.07
Majority			12,588	29.07
Turnout			43,302	64.07
	Labour hold		Swing

General Election 1992: Walsall North^[16]^[17]
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

General Election 1987: Walsall North^[18]^[19]
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

General Election 1983: Walsall North^[20]^[21]
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

United Kingdom general election, 1979: Walsall North^[22]
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

Walsall North by-election, 1976
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	11.71
Turnout			37,398
	Conservative gain from English National		Swing

United Kingdom general election, October 1974: Walsall North^[23]
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

United Kingdom general election, February 1974: Walsall North^[24]
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

United Kingdom general election, 1970: Walsall North^[25]
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

United Kingdom general election, 1966: Walsall North^[26]
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

United Kingdom general election, 1964: Walsall North^[27]
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

United Kingdom general election, 1959: Walsall North^[28]
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

United Kingdom general election, 1955: Walsall North^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	William Wells	26,665	62.5
	National Liberal	Dr Francis R Roberts	15,970	37.5
Majority			10,695	25.1
Turnout				77.0
	Labour hold		Swing

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

↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
↑ "Election 2010 - Walsall North". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
↑ "Conservative top target seats to win the 2015 General Election with an overall majority". Mirror. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
↑ "Walsall North parliamentary constituency - Election 2015". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)
↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
↑ http://www.hansenluke.org.uk/
↑ https://www.facebook.com/UKIPWalsall
↑ https://my.greenparty.org.uk/candidates/106265
↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. 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.
↑ http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/constit/246.htm
↑ "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 2010-12-06.
↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1987. Politics Resources. 11 June 1987. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1983. Politics Resources. 9 June 1983. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1979. Politics Resources. 28 May 1979. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1979. Politics Resources. 10 October 1974. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1979. Politics Resources. 28 February 1974. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1970. Politics Resources. 18 June 1970. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1966. Politics Resources. 31 March 1966. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1966. Politics Resources. 15 October 1964. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1959. Politics Resources. 8 October 1959. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1955. Politics Resources. 26 May 1955. Retrieved 2013-01-17.

Constituencies in the West Midlands (59)

Conservative (34)	Aldridge-Brownhills Bromsgrove Burton Cannock Chase Dudley South Halesowen and Rowley Regis Hereford and South Herefordshire Kenilworth and Southam Lichfield Ludlow Meriden Mid Worcestershire North Herefordshire North Shropshire North Warwickshire Nuneaton Redditch Rugby Shrewsbury and Atcham Solihull South Staffordshire Stafford Staffordshire Moorlands Stone Stourbridge Stratford-on-Avon Sutton Coldfield Tamworth Telford The Wrekin Warwick and Leamington West Worcestershire Worcester Wyre Forest

Labour (25)	Birmingham, Edgbaston Birmingham, Erdington Birmingham, Hall Green Birmingham, Hodge Hill Birmingham, Ladywood Birmingham, Northfield Birmingham, Perry Barr Birmingham, Selly Oak Birmingham, Yardley Coventry North East Coventry North West Coventry South Dudley North Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke-on-Trent Central Stoke-on-Trent North Stoke-on-Trent South Walsall North Walsall South Warley West Bromwich East West Bromwich West Wolverhampton North East Wolverhampton South East Wolverhampton South West

West Midlands European constituency: Conservative (2) Labour (2) UKIP (3)

Coordinates: 52°37′N 2°01′W / 52.61°N 2.01°W / 52.61; -2.01

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