South Ribble (UK Parliament constituency)

South Ribble
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of South Ribble in Lancashire
Location of Lancashire within England
County	Lancashire
Electorate	75,116 (December 2010) [1]
Major settlements	Leyland and Penwortham
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of Parliament	Katherine Fletcher (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Preston South, Fylde South and Chorley [2]

South Ribble is a constituency ^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Katherine Fletcher, a Conservative. ^{[n 2]}

History

The seat of South Ribble was created for the 1983 general election, following the local government changes in the 1970s which saw the creation of the main constitutive borough of the same name.

Former Preston North MP Robert Atkins won the South Ribble constituency in 1983 and fought the seat in every election up to the 1997 general election. At that time, in dramatic bellwether fashion, Labour's David Borrow gained the seat on a clear majority, with nearly 26,000 votes, 2,000 less than Robert Atkins' victory in 1983 which was the equally unusual landslide result. From the 1997 "landslide year" until 2010, David Borrow's vote total and majority consistently shrunk with a swing back to the Conservatives at every election. In terms of the other parties, Liberal Democrats have not thus far achieved better than third and 2005 saw UKIP nominating a candidate for the first time, and taking just over 1,200 votes. Borrow finally lost South Ribble in 2010 on a large two-party swing to Conservative Lorraine Fullbrook.

Boundaries

Map of current boundaries

1983–1997: The Borough of South Ribble.

1997–2010: The Borough of South Ribble wards of Charnock, Farington, Howick, Hutton and New Longton, Kingsfold, Leyland Central, Leyland St Ambrose, Leyland St John's, Leyland St Mary's, Little Hoole and Much Hoole, Longton Central and West, Lostock Hall, Manor, Middleforth Green, Moss Side, Priory, and Seven Stars, and the District of West Lancashire wards of Hesketh with Becconsall, North Meols, Rufford, and Tarleton.

2010–present: The Borough of South Ribble wards of Broad Oak, Charnock, Earnshaw Bridge, Golden Hill, Howick and Priory, Kingsfold, Leyland Central, Leyland St Ambrose, Leyland St Mary's, Little Hoole and Much Hoole, Longton and Hutton West, Lowerhouse, Middleforth, Moss Side, New Longton and Hutton East, Seven Stars, and Whitefield, the District of West Lancashire wards of Hesketh with Becconsall, North Meols, Rufford, and Tarleton, and the Borough of Chorley wards of Eccleston and Mawdesley, and Lostock.

The seat's original boundaries were coterminous with the South Ribble borough. ^[3] Due to its population figures, the borough of South Ribble and its parliamentary constituency have not shared the same boundaries since, although the towns of Leyland and Penwortham have always featured at the centre of the constituency.

For the 1997 general election, the eastern villages of Bamber Bridge and Walton-le-Dale were moved to the Preston constituency. Following the review of parliamentary representation in Lancashire prior to the 2010 general election, Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge were subsequently transferred into the Ribble Valley seat, along with the villages of Samlesbury, Higher Walton, Coupe Green, Gregson Lane, Lostock Hall, Farington and Farington Moss. This means the borough of South Ribble is now split between the South Ribble and Ribble Valley parliamentary seats.

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 Borough of Chorley wards of: Croston, Mawdesley & Euxton South; Eccleston, Heskin & Charnock Richard.

• The Borough of South Ribble wards of: Broad Oak; Broadfield; Buckshaw & Worden; Charnock; Earnshaw Bridge; Farington East; Farington West; Hoole; Howick & Priory; Leyland Central; Longton & Hutton West; Middleforth; Moss Side; New Longton & Hutton East; St. Ambrose; Seven Stars. ^[4]

The four West Lancashire Borough wards will be transferred to Southport. To compensate, Farington will be transferred from Ribble Valley and there will be a small gain from Chorley due to ward boundary changes.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member [5]	Party
	1983	Robert Atkins	Conservative
	1997	David Borrow	Labour
	2010	Lorraine Fullbrook	Conservative
	2015	Seema Kennedy	Conservative
	2019	Katherine Fletcher	Conservative

Elections

South Ribble election results

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: South Ribble

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Katherine Fletcher [6]
	Labour	Paul Foster [7]
	Liberal Democrats	Angela Turner [8]
	Reform UK	Jonathan Kay [9]
Majority
Turnout
			Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: South Ribble ^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Katherine Fletcher	30,028	55.8	+3.0
	Labour	Kim Snape	18,829	35.0	―4.3
	Liberal Democrats	Jo Barton	3,720	6.9	+3.2
	Green	Andy Fewings	1,207	2.2	+1.3
Majority			11,199	20.8	+7.3
Turnout			53,784	71.4	―0.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.7

^[11]

General election 2017: South Ribble

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Seema Kennedy	28,980	52.8	+6.4
	Labour	Julie Gibson	21,559	39.3	+4.2
	Liberal Democrats	John Wright	2,073	3.7	―0.7
	UKIP	Mark Smith	1,387	2.5	―11.6
	Green	Andrew Wight	494	0.9	New
	NHA	Mark Jamell	341	0.6	New
Majority			7,421	13.5	+2.2
Turnout			54,834	72.0	+3.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.1

General election 2015: South Ribble ^{[12] [13]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Seema Kennedy	24,313	46.4	+0.9
	Labour	Veronica Bennett	18,368	35.1	+0.4
	UKIP	David Gallagher	7,377	14.1	+10.4
	Liberal Democrats	Sue McGuire	2,312	4.4	―9.7
Majority			5,945	11.3	+0.5
Turnout			52,370	68.5	+0.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2010: South Ribble ^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lorraine Fullbrook	23,396	45.5	+7.1
	Labour	David Borrow	17,842	34.7	―9.6
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Fisher	7,271	14.1	―0.6
	UKIP	David Duxbury	1,895	3.7	+1.5
	BNP	Rosalind Gauci	1,054	2.0	New
Majority			5,554	10.8	N/A
Turnout			51,458	67.9	+4.4
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+8.1

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: South Ribble ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Borrow	20,428	43.0	―3.4
	Conservative	Lorraine Fullbrook	18,244	38.4	+0.3
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Alcock	7,634	16.1	+0.6
	UKIP	Kenneth Jones	1,205	2.5	New
Majority			2,184	4.6	―3.7
Turnout			47,511	63.0	+0.5
	Labour hold		Swing	―1.9

General election 2001: South Ribble ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Borrow	21,386	46.4	―0.4
	Conservative	Adrian Owens	17,584	38.1	+0.5
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Alcock	7,150	15.5	+4.9
Majority			3,802	8.3	―0.9
Turnout			46,120	62.5	―14.6
	Labour hold		Swing	―0.5

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: South Ribble ^{[17] [18] [19] [20]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Borrow	25,856	46.8	+12.0
	Conservative	Robert Atkins	20,772	37.6	―12.3
	Liberal Democrats	Tim Farron	5,879	10.6	―4.2
	Referendum	Mark Adams	1,475	2.7	New
	Liberal	Nigel R. Ashton	1,127	2.0	New
	Natural Law	Bibette Leadbetter	122	0.2	―0.2
Majority			5,084	9.2	N/A
Turnout			55,231	77.1	―5.9
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.1

General election 1992: South Ribble ^{[21] [22]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Atkins	30,828	47.5	+0.3
	Labour	Geoffrey Smith	24,855	38.3	+5.2
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Jones	8,928	13.8	―5.9
	Natural Law	Decter Ronald	269	0.4	New
Majority			5,973	9.2	―4.9
Turnout			64,880	83.0	+0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	―2.5

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: South Ribble ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Atkins	28,133	47.2	―1.6
	Labour	David Roebuck	19,703	33.1	+6.6
	Liberal	Joseph Alan Holleran	11,746	19.7	―5.0
Majority			8,430	14.1	―8.2
Turnout			59,582	82.5	+4.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	―4.1

General election 1983: South Ribble ^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Atkins	27,625	48.8
	Labour	Frank Duffy	14,966	26.5
	Liberal	Robert Walker	13,960	24.7
Majority			12,659	22.3
Turnout			56,551	78.0
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire

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. "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.
2. "'South Ribble', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
3. Crewe, Ivor (1983). British Parliamentary Constituencies - a statistical compendium . faber and faber.
4. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
5. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)
6. "South Ribble MP Katherine Fletcher will fight to keep seat at the next general election". Lancashire Post. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
7. "South Ribble Borough Council leader Paul Foster selected as Labour's parliamentary candidate for the area". Lancashire Post. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
8. "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
9. "South Ribble Constituency". Reform UK . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
10. "Statement of persons nominated 2019" (PDF). westlancs.gov.uk.
11. Seema Kennedy MP [@SeemaKennedy] (21 April 2017). "Absolutely delighted to have been re-adopted as @Conservatives candidate for #SouthRibble for #GE2017 Thank you for…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
12. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
13. "South Ribble". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
14. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
15. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
16. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
17. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
19. C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.138 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
20. The 1997 election result is calculated relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.
21. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
22. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
23. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
24. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

53°43′01″N2°41′49″W / 53.717°N 2.697°W / 53.717; -2.697