Heywood and Middleton
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Heywood and Middleton in Greater Manchester
Outline map
Location of Greater Manchester within England
CountyGreater Manchester
Electorate79,636 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsHeywood, Middleton, Alkrington, Castleton
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentChris Clarkson (Conservative Party)
SeatsOne
Created fromHeywood and Royton; Middleton and Prestwich

Heywood and Middleton is a constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Chris Clarkson of the Conservative Party.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies proposes that two of the Middleton wards will be included in a new constituency named Blackley and Middleton South and this seat will be renamed Heywood and Middleton North, to be first contested at the next general election.[2][3]

Constituency profile

The constituency covers the west half of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, including the towns of Heywood and Middleton, and some of the western fringes of Rochdale itself such as Castleton. Norden and Bamford are strong Conservative areas, with several million-pound houses, but all other wards are mostly favourable to Labour. Middleton includes the large overspill council estate of Langley though the South Middleton ward includes a relatively affluent area in Alkrington Garden Village, but even this ward generally returns Labour councillors.

Electoral Calculus categorises the seat as a "Somewhere" demographic, indicating socially conservative, economically soft left views and strong support for Brexit.[4]

Boundaries

Map
Map of current boundaries

1983–1997: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Heywood North, Heywood South, Heywood West, Middleton Central, Middleton East, Middleton North, Middleton South, and Middleton West.

1997–2010: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Castleton, Heywood North, Heywood South, Heywood West, Middleton Central, Middleton East, Middleton North, Middleton South, Middleton West, and Norden and Bamford.

2010–present: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Bamford, Castleton, East Middleton, Hopwood Hall, Norden, North Heywood, North Middleton, South Middleton, West Heywood, and West Middleton.

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 of Heywood and Middleton North will be composed of the following wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

East Middleton and South Middleton wards will now be included in the new constituency of Blackley and Middleton South, partly compensated by the addition of the Spotland and Falinge ward from Rochdale.

History

The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Heywood and Royton and Middleton and Prestwich and had been held by the Labour Party since then until the 2019 Election.

From 1983 until his retirement in 1997, the MP was Jim Callaghan, not to be confused with a former Prime Minister with the same name.

In a 2014 by-election UKIP came within 617 votes of winning the seat, which was on the same day as the Rochester and Strood by-election, and in 2015 it produced one of their largest results in the country, as a result the constituency heavily voted to Leave in the referendum and swung to the Conservatives for the first time in 2019, in line with many other Leave-voting Labour seats in the North and Midlands.

Members of Parliament

Election Member[6] Party
1983 Jim Callaghan Labour
1997 Jim Dobbin Labour Co-op
2014 by-election Liz McInnes Labour
2019 Chris Clarkson Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: Heywood and Middleton North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Laura-Beth Thompson[7]
Labour Elsie Blundell[8]
Liberal Democrats Anthony Smith[9]
Reform UK Steve Potter[10]
Independent Chris Furlong[11]
Majority
Turnout
Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Heywood and Middleton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Clarkson 20,453 43.1 +5.1
Labour Liz McInnes 19,790 41.7 ―11.6
Brexit Party Colin Lambert 3,952 8.3 New
Liberal Democrats Anthony Smith 2,073 4.4 +2.2
Green Nigel Ainsworth-Barnes 1,220 2.6 New
Majority 663 1.4 N/A
Turnout 47,488 59.2 ―3.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +8.4
General election 2017: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Liz McInnes 26,578 53.3 +10.2
Conservative Chris Clarkson 18,961 38.0 +18.9
UKIP Lee Seville 3,239 6.5 ―25.7
Liberal Democrats Bill Winlow 1,087 2.2 ―1.1
Majority 7,617 15.3 +4.4
Turnout 49,865 62.4 +1.7
Labour hold Swing ―4.4

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Heywood and Middleton
General election 2015: Heywood and Middleton[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Liz McInnes 20,926 43.1 +3.0
UKIP John Bickley 15,627 32.2 +29.6
Conservative Iain Gartside 9,268 19.1 ―8.1
Liberal Democrats Anthony Smith 1,607 3.3 ―19.4
Green Abi Jackson 1,110 2.3 N/A
Majority 5,299 10.9 ―2.0
Turnout 48,538 60.7 +3.2
Labour hold Swing ―16.3
2014 Heywood and Middleton by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Liz McInnes 11,633 40.9 +0.8
UKIP John Bickley 11,016 38.7 +36.1
Conservative Iain Gartside[14] 3,496 12.3 ―14.9
Liberal Democrats Anthony Smith[15] 1,457 5.1 ―17.6
Green Abi Jackson[16] 870 3.1 New
Majority 617 2.2 ―10.7
Turnout 28,472 36.0 -21.5
Labour hold Swing ―18.5
General election 2010: Heywood and Middleton[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim Dobbin 18,499 40.1 −8.2
Conservative Mike Holly 12,528 27.2 +5.4
Liberal Democrats Wera Hobhouse 10,474 22.7 +2.5
BNP Peter Greenwood 3,239 7.0 +2.6
UKIP Victoria Cecil 1,215 2.6 +0.7
Independent Chrissy Lee 170 0.4 New
Majority 5,971 12.9 −13.6
Turnout 46,125 57.5 +3.7
Labour Co-op hold Swing −6.8

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim Dobbin 19,438 49.8 −7.9
Conservative Stephen Pathmarajah 8,355 21.4 −6.2
Liberal Democrats Crea Lavin 7,261 18.6 +7.4
BNP Gary Aronsson 1,855 4.7 New
Liberal Philip Burke 1,377 3.5 +0.9
UKIP John Whittaker 767 2.0 New
Majority 11,083 28.4 -1.7
Turnout 39,053 54.6 +1.5
Labour Co-op hold Swing −0.9
General election 2001: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim Dobbin 22,377 57.7 0.0
Conservative Marilyn Hopkins 10,707 27.6 +4.6
Liberal Democrats Ian Greenhalgh 4,329 11.2 −4.4
Liberal Philip Burke 1,021 2.6 +1.1
Christian Democrats Christine West 345 0.9 New
Majority 11,670 30.1 -4.6
Turnout 38,779 53.1 −15.3
Labour Co-op hold Swing −2.3

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim Dobbin 29,179 57.7 +11.2
Conservative Sebastian Grigg 11,637 23.0 −8.6
Liberal Democrats David Clayton 7,908 15.6 -4.3
Referendum Christine West 1,076 2.1 New
Liberal Philip Burke 750 1.5 −0.3
Majority 17,542 34.7 +15.8
Turnout 50,550 68.4 -6.5
Labour Co-op win
General election 1992: Heywood and Middleton[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Callaghan 22,380 52.3 +2.4
Conservative Eric Ollerenshaw 14,306 33.4 −0.9
Liberal Democrats Michael B. Taylor 5,252 12.3 −3.5
Liberal Philip Burke 757 1.8 New
Natural Law Anne-Marie Scott 134 0.3 New
Majority 8,074 18.9 +3.3
Turnout 42,829 74.9 +1.1
Labour hold Swing +1.6

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Heywood and Middleton[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jim Callaghan 21,900 49.9 +6.6
Conservative Roy Walker 15,052 34.3 +0.5
SDP Ian Greenhalgh 6,953 15.8 −6.3
Majority 6,848 15.6 +6.1
Turnout 43,905 73.8 +3.9
Labour hold Swing +3.2
General election 1983: Heywood and Middleton[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jim Callaghan 18,111 43.3
Conservative Christine Hodgson 14,137 33.8
SDP Arthur Rumbelow 9,262 22.1
BNP Kenneth Henderson 316 0.8
Majority 3,974 9.5
Turnout 41,826 69.9
Labour win (new seat)

See also

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. ^ "North West | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Middleton name no longer to be wiped from Parliamentary map under constituency boundary changes as Boundary Commission for England publishes final recommendations". www.rochdaleonline.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ^ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Heywood+and+Middleton
  5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
  7. ^ "Candidates. Cuthbert selected in Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Thompson selected in Heywood and Middleton". ConservativeHome. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Heywood and Middleton: Labour picks general election candidate". Bury Times. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Heywood and Middleton Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Former councillor Chris Furlong to run for MP of Heywood and Middleton as an independent". Rochdale Online. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Statement of persons nominated 2019" (PDF).
  13. ^ "Heywood & Middleton". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Iain Gartside Chosen as By-Election Candidate". Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Conservatives.
  15. ^ "Lib Dems select Anthony Smith for Heywood and Middleton contest". www.rochdaleonline.co.uk.
  16. ^ "Rochdale Green Party Announce Abi Jackson as their candidate for the Heywood & Middleton by-election" (Press release). Green Party of England and Wales. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  17. ^ Council, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough (6 May 2010). "Election results for Heywood & Middleton, 6 May 2010". democracy.rochdale.gov.uk.
  18. ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  19. ^ "UK General Election results: June 1987". Archived from the original on 28 May 2004.
  20. ^ "UK General Election results: June 1983". Archived from the original on 3 January 2004.

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