Redditch (UK Parliament constituency)

Redditch
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Redditch in West Midlands region
County	Worcestershire
Electorate	69,921 (2023) [1]
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Chris Bloore (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Mid Worcestershire (part)

Redditch is a constituency ^{[n 1]} in Worcestershire, England, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Chris Bloore of the Labour Party. ^{[n 2]}

Boundaries

This seat is located in Worcestershire and contains the whole borough of Redditch and parts of the district of Wychavon.

1997–2024: The Borough of Redditch and the District of Wychavon ward of Inkberrow.

To make the size of the constituency's electorate suitable, the nearby villages of Inkberrow, Callow Hill, Cookhill, Feckenham, and Astwood Bank were included upon the constituency's creation in 1997. For the 2010 general election the seat was expanded slightly in line with the revised boundaries of the Inkberrow ward. The villages of Hanbury and the Lenches were included, and the constituency reclassified from Borough to County. ^[2]

2024–present: Under the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

• The Borough of Redditch; and
• The District of Wychavon wards of: Dodderhill; Harvington and Norton; Inkberrow. ^[3]

In addition to the Wychavon Borough ward of Inkberrow, which was already part of the seat, the two wards of Dodderhill to the north, and Harvington and Norton to the south, were transferred from Mid Worcestershire (renamed Droitwich and Evesham).

History

For the 1997 general election, the Boundary Commission recommended the creation of a separate constituency for the town of Redditch. From 1983 to 1997, the borough had comprised the majority of the Mid Worcestershire constituency, which was consequently subject to major changes. Before 1983 Redditch had been included in the Bromsgrove and Redditch seat (Bromsgrove prior to 1955). The Mid Worcestershire seat was a much safer seat for the Conservatives since 1997 than beforehand, due to the Labour-voting wards within Redditch being taken out and made into its own constituency as it is today. There are nonetheless some Conservative-voting wards in the town, and the rural areas of the constituency are also strongly Conservative.

Since its creation in 1997, Redditch has been a bellwether seat, electing MPs from the party that formed the government at each general election. Its first MP was Labour's Jacqui Smith who served as Home Secretary under Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2009 and was the first woman to hold the position. She resigned as Home Secretary in June 2009 following her involvement in the parliamentary expenses scandal and went on to lose the seat to Karen Lumley at the 2010 general election. Lumley was succeeded by fellow Conservative Rachel Maclean in 2017; who then lost the seat in 2024 to Chris Bloore of the Labour Party, with a slim majority of 1.8%.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member [4]	Party
	1997	Jacqui Smith	Labour
	2010	Karen Lumley	Conservative
	2017	Rachel Maclean	Conservative
	2024	Chris Bloore	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Redditch ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Bloore	14,810	34.9	+9.0
	Conservative	Rachel Maclean	14,021	33.1	−31.6
	Reform UK	Julie Allison	8,516	20.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Fieldsend-Roxborough	2,165	5.1	−1.3
	Green	David Thain	2,098	5.0	+2.0
	Workers Party	Mohammed Amin	765	1.8	N/A
Majority			789	1.8	N/A
Turnout			42,375	59.7	−7.7
Registered electors			71,038
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+20.4

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Redditch ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rachel Maclean	27,907	63.3	+11.0
	Labour	Rebecca Jenkins	11,871	26.9	−9.1
	Liberal Democrats	Bruce Horton	2,905	6.6	+4.0
	Green	Claire Davies	1,384	3.1	+2.3
Majority			16,036	36.4	+20.1
Turnout			44,067	67.4	−2.9
Registered electors			65,391
	Conservative hold		Swing	+10.0

General election 2017: Redditch ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rachel Maclean	23,652	52.3	+5.2
	Labour	Rebecca Blake	16,289	36.0	+4.9
	NHA	Neal Stote	2,239	5.0	New
	UKIP	Paul Swansborough	1,371	3.0	−13.2
	Liberal Democrats	Susan Juned	1,173	2.6	−0.5
	Green	Kevin White	380	0.8	−1.4
	Independent	Sally Woodhall	99	0.2	New
Majority			7,363	16.3	+0.3
Turnout			45,213	70.3	+2.8
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.15

General election 2015: Redditch ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Karen Lumley	20,771	47.1	+3.6
	Labour	Rebecca Blake	13,717	31.1	+0.8
	UKIP	Peter Jewell	7,133	16.2	+12.8
	Liberal Democrats	Hilary Myers	1,349	3.1	−14.5
	Green	Kevin White	960	2.2	+1.3
	Independent	Seth Colton	168	0.4	New
Majority			7,054	16.0	+2.8
Turnout			44,222	67.5	+3.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.4

General election 2010: Redditch ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Karen Lumley	19,138	43.5	+5.0
	Labour	Jacqui Smith	13,317	30.3	−13.4
	Liberal Democrats	Nicholas Lane	7,750	17.6	+3.2
	UKIP	Anne Davis	1,497	3.4	0.0
	BNP	Andy Ingram	1,394	3.2	New
	Green	Kevin White	393	0.9	New
	English Democrat	Vincent Schittone	255	0.6	New
	Christian	Scott Beverley	101	0.2	New
	Independent	Paul Swansborough	100	0.2	New
	Independent	Derek Fletcher	73	0.2	New
Majority			5,821	13.2	N/A
Turnout			44,018	64.2	+1.4
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+9.2

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Redditch ^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jacqui Smith	18,012	44.7	−0.9
	Conservative	Karen Lumley	15,296	38.0	−0.9
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel Hicks	5,602	13.9	+3.6
	UKIP	John Paul Ison	1,381	3.4	0.0
Majority			2,716	6.7	0.0
Turnout			40,291	62.8	+3.6
	Labour hold		Swing	0.0

General election 2001: Redditch ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jacqui Smith	16,899	45.6	−4.2
	Conservative	Karen Lumley	14,415	38.9	+2.8
	Liberal Democrats	Michael Ashall	3,808	10.3	−0.7
	UKIP	George Flynn	1,259	3.4	New
	Green	Richard Armstrong	651	1.8	New
Majority			2,484	6.7	−7.0
Turnout			37,032	59.2	−14.3
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.5

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Redditch ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jacqui Smith	22,280	49.8
	Conservative	Anthea McIntyre	16,155	36.1
	Liberal Democrats	Malcolm Hall	4,935	11.0
	Referendum	Richard Cox	1,151	3.4
	Natural Law	Paul Davis	227	0.5
Majority			6,125	13.7
Turnout			44,748	73.5
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	10.2

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire
• List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region)

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. 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.

References

1. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – West Midlands". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
2. Letter from Jacqui Smith to the Boundary Commission
3. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
5. "Redditch". BBC News. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
6. "Redditch Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
7. "Candidates confirmed for General Election". Stratford-upon-Avon Herald. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
8. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
9. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
10. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
11. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
12. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

External links

• Redditch UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Redditch UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Redditch UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

52°14′N1°59′W / 52.24°N 1.98°W / 52.24; -1.98