Gateshead Central and Whickham

Gateshead Central and Whickham
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Gateshead Central and Whickham in the North East England
County	Tyne and Wear
Electorate	69,827 (2024)
Major settlements	Gateshead and Whickham
Current constituency
Created	2024
Member of Parliament	Mark Ferguson (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Gateshead Blaydon (part)

Gateshead Central and Whickham is a constituency in Tyne and Wear represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Mark Ferguson of the Labour Party. The constituency was created by the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, and was first contested at the 2024 general election. ^{[1] [2]}

Constituency profile

Gateshead Central and Whickham is an urban and suburban constituency located in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in the county of Tyne and Wear. It lies on the south bank of the River Tyne opposite the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and forms part of the city's wider urban area. The constituency covers the central and western parts of the large town of Gateshead and the villages of Whickham and Sunniside. The area has an industrial heritage in ironworking and engineering. High levels of deprivation are present in Gateshead whilst Whickham and Sunniside are comparatively wealthier. ^[3] House prices are similar to the rest of North East England but low compared to national averages. ^[4]

In general, residents of the constituency have average levels of education and professional employment. Average household income is lower than the rest of the country but similar to the rest of North East England. White people made up 91% of the population at the 2021 census. ^[4] At the local borough council, most of Gateshead is represented by the Labour Party whilst Whickham and Sunniside elected Liberal Democrats. An estimated 55% of voters in the constituency supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, marginally higher than the nationwide figure of 52%. ^[4]

History

The seat was formed from the majority of the abolished Gateshead constituency, with the addition of the three wards which incorporate the community of Whickham from the abolished constituency of Blaydon. ^[5]

Boundaries

The constituency is composed of the following wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• Bridges; Chowdene; Deckham; Dunston and Teams; Dunston Hill and Whickham East; High Fell; Lobley Hill and Bensham; Low Fell; Saltwell; Whickham North; Whickham South and Sunniside ^[6]

Members of Parliament

Gateshead prior to 2024

Election		Member	Party
	2024	Mark Ferguson	Labour Party

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Changes in vote share based on notional 2019 result

General election 2024: Gateshead Central and Whickham ^{[7] [8]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mark Ferguson	18,245	45.4	−1.7
	Reform	Damian Heslop	8,601	21.4	+17.5
	Liberal Democrats	Ron Beadle	4,987	12.4	+0.2
	Conservative	Nick Oliver	4,628	11.5	−21.5
	Green	Rachel Cabral	3,217	8.0	+4.2
	TUSC	Norman Hall	369	0.9	N/A
	Save Us Now	Graham Steele	170	0.4	N/A
Majority			9,644	24.0	+9.9
Turnout			40,217	57.6	−1.6
Registered electors			69,827
	Labour hold		Swing

See also

• parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear
• List of parliamentary constituencies in North East England (region)

References

1. "North East | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England . Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
2. "Hexham parliamentary constituency to expand after review". Hexham Courant. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
3. "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
4. "Seat Details - Gateshead Central and Whickham". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
5. "MP 'gutted' as boundary review confirms County Durham seat is likely to be removed". The Northern Echo. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 4 North East region. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
7. "General election results 2024". Gateshead Council. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
8. "Gateshead Central and Whickham results". BBC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.

External links

• Gateshead Central and Whickham UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

54°57′N1°38′W / 54.95°N 1.64°W / 54.95; -1.64