West Worcestershire
County
Parliamentuk
Caption 2Boundary of West Worcestershire in West Midlands region
Year1997
Elects howmanyOne
PreviousSouth Worcestershire, Leominster
Year 21832
Abolished 21885
Type 2County
Elects howmany 2Two
Previous 2Worcestershire
Next 2Bewdley, Droitwich, Evesham, East Worcestershire and North Worcestershire
Electorate73,001 (December 2010)[1]
RegionEngland
CountyWorcestershire
MpHarriett Baldwin (Conservative)
TownsMalvern, Pershore, Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Severn

West Worcestershire is a constituency[n 1] in Worcestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Harriett Baldwin, a Conservative.[n 2]

The constituency first existed from 1832 to 1885, formally known as the Western Division of Worcestershire, electing two MPs.

The current constituency, created in 1997, is considered a safe seat for the Conservatives, having been a marginal with the Liberal Democrats from 1997 to 2010. The constituency boundaries roughly correspond with the Malvern Hills District.

Boundaries

1832–1885

The Petty Sessional Divisions of Upton, Worcester, Hundred House and Kidderminster, and the City and County of the City of Worcester.[2]

1997–2010

  • The District of Malvern Hills wards of Baldwin, Broadheath, Chase, Hallow, Kempsey, Langland, Laugherne Hill, Leigh and Bransford, Link, Longdon, Martley, Morton, Powick, Priory, Ripple, Temeside, The Hanleys, Trinity, Upton-on-Severn, Wells, West, and Woodbury; and
  • The District of Wychavon wards of Bredon, Eckington, Elmley Castle, Pershore Holy Cross, Pershore St Andrew's, Somerville, and South Bredon Hill.

2010–present

Under the Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was defined as comprising:

  • The District of Malvern Hills; and
  • the District of Wychavon wards of: Bredon, Eckington, Elmley Castle and Somerville, Pershore, and South Bredon Hill.

Boundary changes added an area including Tenbury Wells to the seat (formerly in the Leominster constituency) and transferred the small shared part of the Fladbury ward to the Mid Worcestershire seat.[3]

As a result of a local government boundary review in Wychavon,[4][5] which did not affect the parliamentary boundaries, the seat now comprises the following from May 2023:

  • The District of Malvern Hills; and
  • the District of Wychavon wards of: Bredon; Bredon Hill; Broadway, Sedgeberrow & Childswickham (small part); Eckington; Pershore;[6]

The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.[7]

West Worcestershire stretches from the Gloucestershire border in the south almost to Shropshire in the north, taking in Pershore and Bredon Hill in its eastern side. Its other major towns are Malvern in the west and Upton-upon-Severn in the centre.

Constituency profile

The constituency boundaries roughly correspond with the Malvern Hills District. The seat is known for its hilly landscape: with products such as regional speciality cheeses, drinks and mineral water, a major economic sector is tourism and leisure. However, the principal industries are in agriculture; food; chemicals; distribution; waste and mineral processing; printing and publishing; and transport and retail.

Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.1% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[8]

The seat was broadly in line with the UK average in the 2016 referendum on the UK's status with the EU, with an estimated 52 to 53% voting to Leave.[9]

History

1832–1885

West Worcestershire formally, the Western division of Worcestershire, was created the first time for the 1832 general election, by the Reform Act 1832 which radically changed the boundaries of many British parliamentary constituencies. It was created by the division of the old Worcestershire constituency (which had existed since 1290) into two new two-member constituencies: West Worcestershire and East Worcestershire.

During this first creation, three members of the Lygon family, the Earls Beauchamp (pronounced Beecham) represented the constituency – their large country estate in the county had its seat at Madresfield Court near the heart of Madresfield village.

The constituency then existed, basically unchanged, until its abolition by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, when the constituency's territory was variously incorporated into the seats of Bewdley, Droitwich, Evesham, East Worcestershire and North Worcestershire.

1997–present

The seat was re-established for the 1997 general election on Parliament's approval of the Boundary Commission's fourth periodic review. It comprised the majority of the abolished constituency of South Worcestershire (excluding the town of Evesham), together with a small area transferred from Leominster.

Political history

In the first four elections the seat (in this modern creation) alternated between Conservative majorities that were quite marginal (7.8% and 5.3%) and those that were greater than 10%, at 12% and 12.7%, close to average in terms of security for any of the three largest parties. As never having had a majority that exceeded 15% of the vote and having had two marginal majorities to date, the seat could not be classified as safe.

Following the 2015 general election, this marginal profile between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats drastically changed after the Liberal Democrats' share of the vote fell markedly, leaving West Worcestershire as a safe Conservative seat since, with the Conservatives easily achieving 50% of the vote share each election. However, by the time of the 2024 general election, the Liberal Democrats had recovered to come within 12% of the Conservatives once again, after the latter's vote share slumped to 36.2%.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

Worcestershire West
ElectionFirst member[10]First partySecond member[10]Second party
1832Hon. Henry Lygon[n 3]Tory[11]Hon. Thomas FoleyWhig[11]
1833 by-electionHenry WinningtonWhig[11][12]
1834Conservative[11]
1841Frederick KnightConservative[11]
1853 by-electionThe Viscount Elmley[n 4]Conservative
1863 by-electionHon. Frederick LygonConservative
1866 by-electionWilliam DowdeswellConservative
1876 by-electionSir Edmund Lechmere, BtConservative
1885constituency abolished

MPs since 1997

South Worcestershire prior to 1997

ElectionMember[10]Party
1997Sir Michael SpicerConservative
2010Harriett BaldwinConservative

Elections

Elections in the 1870s

  • Caused by Dowdeswell's resignation.

Elections in the 1860s

  • Caused by Lygon's succession to the peerage, becoming 6th Earl Beauchamp.
  • Caused by Lygon's succession to the peerage, becoming 5th Earl Beauchamp.

Elections in the 1850s

  • Caused by Lygon's succession to the peerage, becoming 4th Earl Beauchamp

Elections in the 1830s

  • Caused by Foley's succession to the peerage, becoming 4th Baron Foley

See also

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.
  3. ^ Later Earl Beauchamp
  4. ^ Viscount Elmley is a courtesy title given by the Earl Beauchamp to his eldest son, as his main subsidiary title.

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. ^ "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament.". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  3. ^ 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England Archived 2013-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ LGBCE. "Wychavon | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  5. ^ "The Wychavon (Electoral Changes) Order 2023"
  6. ^ "New Seat Details – Worcestershire West". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  7. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
  8. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  9. ^ "Final estimates of the Leave vote, or "Areal interpolation and the UK's referendum on EU membership"". Medium (Chris Hanretty). Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  10. ^
  11. ^ Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 127. Retrieved 11 August 2019. – via Google Books
  12. ^ Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer. p. 239. Retrieved 11 August 2019. – via Google Books

Sources

Reference: Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 2208 The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) (Miscellaneous Changes) (No. 3) Order 1987 [1]