Wansbeck | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Northumberland |
Electorate | 62,395 (December 2010) [1] |
Major settlements | Morpeth, Ashington, Bedlington |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Ian Lavery (Labour) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Morpeth and Blyth [2] |
1885–1950 | |
Seats | One |
Type of constituency | County constituency |
Created from | South Northumberland |
Replaced by | Blyth, Hexham, Morpeth and Tynemouth |
Wansbeck is a constituency [n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Ian Lavery, a member of the Labour Party. [n 2]
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be abolished once again. Morpeth will be included in the re-established constituency of North Northumberland, with the remainder of the seat forming the majority of the newly created seat of Blyth and Ashington , together with the town of Blyth from the (to be abolished) seat of Blyth Valley. The new seat will be first contested at the next general election. [3]
Wansbeck was first created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of four single-member Divisions of the county of Northumberland. [4] It was abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Blyth.
The seat was re-established for the 1983 general election, largely replacing the abolished Morpeth constituency. The new version of the seat had very little in common with the version abolished in 1950; only Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and some rural areas were in both.
The Sessional Districts of:
NB included non-resident freeholders in the parliamentary borough of Morpeth
Gained Newburn and surrounding areas from the abolished Tyneside Division. Ashington transferred to Morpeth and a small area in north (Amble) transferred to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The contents of the constituency were distributed as follows:
The majority of the constituency, including Morpeth, Ashington and Newbiggin had comprised the bulk of the abolished constituency of Morpeth. Bedlington was transferred from Blyth.
In the fifth periodic boundary review of parliamentary representation in Northumberland, which came into effect for the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission for England recommended that no changes be made to the Wansbeck constituency. [10]
In 2009, a government reorganisation resulted in the abolition of all local government boroughs and districts in Northumberland and the establishment of the county as a unitary authority. However, this has not affected the current constituency boundaries.
Named after the River Wansbeck and former district of the same name, the seat has the visitor attractions of a historic main town with a castle, Morpeth and the traditional seaside town of Newbiggin. Workless claimants as registered jobseekers, with high male unemployment, which is widespread but exacerbated in the area, in November 2012, was higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 6.2% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . This was marginally higher than the then regional average of 5.9%. [11]
The seat alternated in accordance with the national trend in strong mining communities outside of South Yorkshire, which as such saw significant early Labour support, and, in the 1931 and 1935 elections, led to a general transfer of loyalty to the Conservative Party, ushering in a return to Labour support at the next contested election in 1945.
Alfred Robens represented the area in the Attlee ministry and towards the end of the year of Attlee's more marginal victory (1950–51) served as Minister of Labour and National Service. He then in 1951 won instead the newly created Blyth seat to the immediate south. In 1955 he became Shadow Foreign Secretary until an unimpressive performance in predicting and reacting to events in the Suez Crisis in 1956. However, in a position which would span the period 1961 until 1971, he became Chairman of the National Coal Board (and Lord Robens) and oversaw substantial cuts in the mining industry. During this period he co-authored the Robens Report that followed his difficult but practical risk management of the coal mining sector, including accepting some culpability in the Aberfan Disaster. This led, with the ministry of Barbara Castle's adjustments, to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which set up the Health and Safety Executive and remains the foundation of this area of English law.
The constituency has been held solely by Labour since its recreation, during which time its history presents a safe seat. However, in 2019 - in line with the huge swing in their favour in traditional Labour seats in the North and Midlands - the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority to an unprecedentedly low three-figure total.
Election | Member [12] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | Charles Fenwick | Liberal | |
1918 | Robert Mason | Liberal | |
1919 | Coalition Liberal | ||
1922 | George Warne | Labour | |
1929 | George Shield | Labour | |
1931 | Bernard Cruddas | Conservative | |
1940 | Donald Scott | Conservative | |
1945 | Alfred Robens | Labour | |
1950 | Constituency abolished |
Election | Member [12] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Jack Thompson | Labour | |
1997 | Denis Murphy | Labour | |
2010 | Ian Lavery | Labour |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Ian Lavery | 17,124 | 42.3 | −15.0 | |
Conservative | Jack Gebhard | 16,310 | 40.3 | +7.6 | |
Brexit Party | Eden Webley | 3,141 | 7.8 | New | |
Liberal Democrats | Stephen Psallidas | 2,539 | 6.3 | +1.6 | |
Green | Steven Leyland | 1,217 | 3.0 | +1.3 | |
CPA | Michael Flynn | 178 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 814 | 2.0 | −22.6 | ||
Turnout | 40,509 | 64.0 | −4.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −11.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Ian Lavery | 24,338 | 57.3 | +7.3 | |
Conservative | Chris Galley | 13,903 | 32.7 | +10.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Joan Tebbutt | 2,015 | 4.7 | −1.5 | |
UKIP | Melanie Hurst | 1,483 | 3.5 | -14.7 | |
Green | Steven Leyland | 715 | 1.7 | −2.1 | |
Majority | 10,435 | 24.6 | −3.6 | ||
Turnout | 42,454 | 68.4 | +4.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −1.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Ian Lavery | 19,267 | 50.0 | +4.1 | |
Conservative | Chris Galley | 8,386 | 21.8 | +4.3 | |
UKIP | Melanie Hurst | 7,014 | 18.2 | +15.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Tom Hancock | 2,407 | 6.2 | −21.3 | |
Green | Christopher Hedley | 1,454 | 3.8 | +2.2 | |
Majority | 10,881 | 28.2 | +9.8 | ||
Turnout | 38,528 | 63.6 | +2.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | 0.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Ian Lavery | 17,548 | 45.9 | −9.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Simon Reed | 10,517 | 27.5 | +1.1 | |
Conservative | Campbell Storey | 6,714 | 17.5 | +2.5 | |
BNP | Stephen Finlay | 1,481 | 3.7 | New | |
UKIP | Linda-Lee Stokoe | 974 | 2.5 | New | |
Green | Nic Best | 601 | 1.6 | −1.8 | |
Independent | Malcolm Reid | 359 | 0.9 | New | |
Christian | Michael Flynn | 142 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 7,031 | 18.4 | −10.4 | ||
Turnout | 38,273 | 60.7 | +2.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −5.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Denis Murphy | 20,315 | 55.2 | −2.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Simon Reed | 9,734 | 26.4 | +3.6 | |
Conservative | Ginny Scrope | 5,515 | 15.0 | +2.2 | |
Green | Nic Best | 1,245 | 3.4 | +0.9 | |
Majority | 10,581 | 28.8 | −6.2 | ||
Turnout | 36,809 | 58.4 | −0.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −3.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Denis Murphy | 21,617 | 57.8 | −7.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Alan Thompson | 8,516 | 22.8 | +6.9 | |
Conservative | Rachael Lake | 4,774 | 12.8 | −1.1 | |
Independent | Michael Kirkup | 1,076 | 2.9 | New | |
Green | Nic Best | 954 | 2.5 | +0.4 | |
UKIP | Gavin Attwell | 482 | 1.3 | New | |
Majority | 13,101 | 35.0 | −14.6 | ||
Turnout | 37,419 | 59.3 | −12.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −7.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Denis Murphy | 29,569 | 65.5 | +5.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Alan Thompson | 7,202 | 15.9 | +0.6 | |
Conservative | Paul V. Green | 6,299 | 13.9 | −9.7 | |
Referendum | Peter H. Gompertz | 1,146 | 2.5 | New | |
Green | Nic Best | 956 | 2.1 | +0.7 | |
Majority | 22,367 | 49.6 | +13.5 | ||
Turnout | 45,172 | 71.7 | −7.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +7.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jack Thompson | 30,046 | 59.7 | +2.2 | |
Conservative | Glen Sanderson | 11,872 | 23.6 | +4.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Brian C. Priestley | 7,691 | 15.3 | −7.8 | |
Green | Nic Best | 710 | 1.4 | New | |
Majority | 18,174 | 36.1 | +1.7 | ||
Turnout | 50,319 | 79.3 | +1.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jack Thompson | 28,080 | 57.5 | +10.5 | |
Liberal | Sarah Mitchell | 11,291 | 23.1 | −7.0 | |
Conservative | David Walton | 9,490 | 19.4 | −3.5 | |
Majority | 16,789 | 34.4 | +17.4 | ||
Turnout | 48,861 | 78.0 | +5.2 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +8.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jack Thompson | 21,732 | 47.0 | ||
Liberal | Alan Thompson | 13,901 | 30.1 | ||
Conservative | Charles Mitchell | 10,563 | 22.9 | ||
Majority | 7,831 | 17.0 | |||
Turnout | 46,196 | 72.8 | |||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alfred Robens | 40,948 | 60.00 | ||
Conservative | Donald Scott | 27,295 | 40.00 | ||
Majority | 13,653 | 20.00 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 67,793 | 77.69 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Donald Scott | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Bernard Cruddas | 30,859 | 50.79 | ||
Labour | Edward Dowling | 29,904 | 49.21 | ||
Majority | 955 | 1.58 | |||
Turnout | 60,763 | 79.59 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Bernard Cruddas | 33,659 | 58.25 | ||
Labour | George Shield | 24,126 | 41.75 | ||
Majority | 9,533 | 16.50 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 57,785 | 81.86 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Shield | 27,930 | 54.5 | +1.6 | |
Unionist | Bernard Cruddas | 17,056 | 33.2 | −13.9 | |
Liberal | Frederick Waudby | 6,330 | 12.3 | New | |
Majority | 10,874 | 21.2 | +15.4 | ||
Turnout | 34,260 | 76.1 | −3.3 | ||
Registered electors | 67,390 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +7.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Shield | 20,398 | 58.0 | +5.1 | |
Unionist | Ian Moffat-Pender | 9,612 | 27.3 | −19.8 | |
Liberal | Harry Briggs | 5,183 | 14.7 | New | |
Majority | 10,786 | 30.7 | +24.9 | ||
Turnout | 35,193 | 65.3 | −14.1 | ||
Registered electors | 53,886 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +12.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Warne | 21,159 | 52.9 | −3.9 | |
Unionist | M.K. Middleton | 18,875 | 47.1 | +3.9 | |
Majority | 2,284 | 5.8 | −7.8 | ||
Turnout | 40,034 | 79.4 | +11.0 | ||
Registered electors | 50,446 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −3.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Warne | 18,583 | 56.8 | +11.6 | |
Unionist | Hilton Philipson | 14,131 | 43.2 | +11.8 | |
Majority | 4,452 | 13.6 | −0.2 | ||
Turnout | 32,714 | 68.4 | −8.2 | ||
Registered electors | 47,828 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −0.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Warne | 16,032 | 45.2 | +2.1 | |
Unionist | R. White | 11,149 | 31.4 | New | |
National Liberal | John Neal | 5,192 | 14.6 | New | |
Liberal | Matthew Davey | 3,134 | 8.8 | −48.1 | |
Majority | 4,883 | 13.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 35,507 | 76.6 | +18.7 | ||
Registered electors | 46,354 | ||||
Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +25.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,858 | 68.4 | ||
Conservative | John Blencowe Cookson | 2,703 | 31.6 | ||
Majority | 3,155 | 36.8 | |||
Turnout | 8,561 | 82.4 | |||
Registered electors | 10,392 | ||||
Lib-Lab win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,235 | 75.4 | +7.0 | |
Liberal Unionist | William Wight | 1,710 | 24.6 | −7.0 | |
Majority | 3,525 | 50.8 | +14.0 | ||
Turnout | 6,945 | 66.8 | −15.6 | ||
Registered electors | 10,392 | ||||
Lib-Lab hold | Swing | +7.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,696 | 66.1 | −9.3 | |
Conservative | Seymour McCalmont Hill | 2,920 | 33.9 | +9.3 | |
Majority | 2,776 | 32.2 | −18.6 | ||
Turnout | 8,616 | 76.2 | +9.4 | ||
Registered electors | 11,304 | ||||
Lib-Lab hold | Swing | −9.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,629 | 69.9 | +3.8 | |
Conservative | Joseph John Harris | 2,422 | 30.1 | −3.8 | |
Majority | 3,207 | 39.8 | +7.6 | ||
Turnout | 8,051 | 65.8 | −10.4 | ||
Registered electors | 12,234 | ||||
Lib-Lab hold | Swing | +3.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,474 | 56.1 | −13.8 | |
Conservative | J Stanley Appleby | 4,283 | 43.9 | +13.8 | |
Majority | 1,191 | 12.2 | −27.6 | ||
Turnout | 9,757 | 68.8 | +3.0 | ||
Registered electors | 14,179 | ||||
Lib-Lab hold | Swing | −13.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 10,386 | 76.4 | +20.3 | |
Conservative | Walter Riddell | 3,210 | 23.6 | −20.3 | |
Majority | 7,176 | 52.8 | +40.6 | ||
Turnout | 13,596 | 77.6 | +8.8 | ||
Registered electors | 17,529 | ||||
Lib-Lab hold | Swing | +20.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 10,872 | 70.0 | −6.4 | |
Conservative | Charles Percy | 4,650 | 30.0 | +6.4 | |
Majority | 6,222 | 40.0 | −12.8 | ||
Turnout | 15,522 | 81.6 | +4.0 | ||
Registered electors | 19,028 | ||||
Lib-Lab hold | Swing | −6.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | Unopposed | |||
Lib-Lab hold | |||||
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Robert Mason | 5,814 | 52.5 | N/A | |
Independent Labour | Ebenezer Edwards [n 3] | 5,267 | 47.5 | New | |
Majority | 547 | 5.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 11,081 | 51.3 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 21,602 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Liberal | Robert Mason | 14,065 | 56.9 | N/A |
Labour | Ebby Edwards | 10,666 | 43.1 | New | |
Majority | 3,399 | 13.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 24,731 | 57.9 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 42,750 | ||||
Liberal gain from Lib-Lab | Swing | N/A | |||
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Bedlington is a town and former civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census.
Wansbeck was a local government district in south-east Northumberland, England. Its main population centres were Ashington, Bedlington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
Hexham is a constituency in Northumberland represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Guy Opperman, a Conservative. 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 River Wansbeck runs through the county of Northumberland, England. It rises above Sweethope Lough on the edge of Fourlaws Forest in the area known locally as The Wanneys ; runs through the town of Ashington before discharging into the North Sea at Sandy Bay near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
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Morpeth was a constituency centred on the town of Morpeth in Northumberland represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1553 to 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1800 to 1983.
The Blyth and Tyne Railway was a railway company in Northumberland, England, incorporated by Act of Parliament on 30 June 1852. It was created to unify the various private railways and waggonways built to carry coal from the Northumberland coalfield to Blyth and the River Tyne, which it took control of on 1st January 1853. Over time, the railway expanded its network to reach Morpeth (1857/8), North Seaton (1859), Tynemouth (1860/1), Newcastle upon Tyne (1864), and finally Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (1872). It became part of the much larger North Eastern Railway in 1874.
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Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is 15 miles (24 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the south by the River Wansbeck. The North Sea coast at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is 3 miles (5 km) away.
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The Northumberland Line is a planned railway project in North East England aimed at reintroducing passenger rail services to freight-only lines in South East Northumberland. Under the scheme, a new passenger service would link some of Northumberland's major population centres in Ashington and Blyth to the nearby city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Construction of new stations and works to upgrade the existing rail infrastructure to bring it up to passenger-carrying standards is reported as having begun by late August 2022, ahead of the anticipated launch of the new passenger service in December 2023. This was later pushed back to November 2024.
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Blyth and Ashington is a proposed constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it will first be contested at the next general election.