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The ceremonial county of Cheshire, which comprises the unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington, has returned 11 MPs to the UK Parliament since 1997.

Under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, the boundaries of the historic/administrative county of Cheshire were significantly altered. Over half the electorate was transferred to the new metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, partly compensated by the addition of Warrington, Widnes and surrounding areas to the north which were transferred in from Lancashire. These changes were reflected in the following redistribution of parliamentary seats which did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, resulting in a net reduction in the county's representation from 17 to 10 MPs.

Number of seats

The table below shows the number of MPs representing Cheshire at each major redistribution of seats affecting the county.

Year County

seats1

Borough

seats1

Total
Historic county
Prior to 1832 2 2 4
1832–1865 4 6 10
1865–18682 4 7 11
1868–1885 6 8 14
1885–1918 8 5 13
1918–1945 9 5 14
1945–1950 9 6 15
1950–1955 9 6 15
1955–1974 10 6 16
1974 9 8 17
Current county
1974–19833 8 1 9
1983–1997 8 2 10
1997–present 9 2 11

1Prior to 1950, seats were classified as County Divisions or Parliamentary Boroughs. Since 1950, they have been classified as County or Borough Constituencies.

2Borough of Birkenhead (1 member) enfranchised by Act of Parliament to replace disenfranchised boroughs.[1]

3Approximate equivalent number of constituencies. Prior to the redistribution coming into effect for the 1983 general election, 6 constituencies were split between Cheshire and the new counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside and 7 were wholly within the reconfigured county.

Constituency timeline

  County seat   Borough seat

Historic county to 1974

Constituency Prior to 1832 1832–1865 1865–1868 1868–1885 1885–1918 1918–1945 1945–1950 1950–1955 1955–1974 1974
Cheshire 1545–1832 (2 MPs)
South Cheshire 1832–1868 (2 MPs)
West Cheshire 1868–1885 (2 MPs)
Wallasey 1918→
Birkenhead 1865–1918 1950→
Birkenhead East 1918–1950
Birkenhead West 1918–1950
Wirral 1885→
Bebington 1950–1974
Bebington and Ellesmere Port 1974→
City of Chester 1545–1885 (2 MPs) 1885–1918 1918→
Eddisbury 1885–1950
Nantwich 1955→
Mid Cheshire 1868–1885 (2 MPs)
Northwich 1885→
North Cheshire 1832–1868 (2 MPs)
Runcorn 1950→
Knutsford 1885→
Bucklow 1945–1950
Altrincham 1885–1945
Altrincham and Sale 1945→
East Cheshire 1868–1885 (2 MPs)
Cheadle 1950–1974 1974→
Hazel Grove 1974→
Stockport 1832–1950 (2 MPs)
Stockport North 1950→
Stockport South 1950→
Stalybridge 1868–1918
Hyde 1885–1918
Stalybridge and Hyde 1918→
Macclesfield 1832–1885 (2 MPs) 1885→
Crewe 1885→
Constituency Prior to 1832 1832–1865 1865–1868 1868–1885 1885–1918 1918–1945 1945–1950 1950–1955 1955–1974 1974

Current ceremonial county from 1974

Constituency 1974–1983 1983–1997 1997–present
Wirral (part) <--1983
Bebington and Ellesmere Port (part) <--1983
Ellesmere Port and Neston 1983–present
City of Chester <--present
Nantwich <--1983
Eddisbury 1983–present
Weaver Vale 1997–present
Northwich <--1983
Runcorn <--1983
Widnes (part) <--1983
Halton 1983–present
Newton (part) <--1983
Warrington <--1983
Warrington North 1983–present
Warrington South 1983–present
Knutsford (part) <--1983
Tatton 1983–present
Cheadle (part) <--1983
Macclesfield <--present
Congleton 1983–present
Crewe <--1983
Crewe and Nantwich 1983–present
Constituency 1974-1983 1983-1997 1997–present

Boundary reviews

Historic county

Prior to 1832

As a county palatine, Cheshire was unrepresented in the House of Commons until 1545. Under the terms of the Chester and Cheshire (Constituencies) Act 1542, the County of Chester (Cheshire) was thereafter represented by two Knights of the Shire and the City of Chester was represented by 2 burgesses.

1832

The Great Reform Act of 1832[2] radically changed the representation of the House of Commons, with the County being divided into the Northern and Southern Divisions, both returning 2 MPs. North Cheshire covered the northern and eastern parts of the county, comprising the Hundreds of Bucklow and Macclesfield; South Cheshire covered the southern and western parts, comprising the Hundreds of Broxton, Eddisbury, Nantwich, Northwich and Wirral. In addition to Chester, the Parliamentary Boroughs of Macclesfield and Stockport were established, both returning 2 MPs.

1865

Under the terms of the Appropriation of Seats (Sudbury and Saint Alban's) Act 1861,[1] Birkenhead was enfranchised as a single-member Parliamentary Borough. It was first contested at the 1865 general election.

1868

Under the Reform Act of 1867,[3] the county was further divided, with the creation of Mid Cheshire, comprising the Bucklow and Northwich Hundreds, transferred from North Cheshire and South Cheshire respectively. Stalybridge was established as a single-member Borough.

Subsequently, the Boundary Act 1868[4] renamed the Northern and Southern Divisions as East Cheshire and West Cheshire respectively.

1885

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885,[5] the three 2-member county divisions were replaced by eight single-member constituencies, namely Altrincham, Crewe, Eddisbury, Hyde, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Northwich and Wirral. The Parliamentary Borough of Macclesfield was disenfranchised due to corruption. The representation of the City of Chester was reduced to one MP.

1918

Under the Representation of the People Act 1918, the number of constituencies in Cheshire was increased by one. The major changes were:

Other boundary changes included:

1945

The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944 set up Boundary Commissions to carry out periodic reviews of the distribution of parliamentary constituencies. It also authorised an initial review to subdivide abnormally large constituencies (those exceeding an electorate of 100,000) in time for the 1945 election.[6] This was implemented by the Redistribution of Seats Order 1945 under which Cheshire was allocated one additional seat, by splitting the Altrincham Division into two seats:

Handforth, which had been absorbed into the Urban District of Wilmslow, now included in the Knutsford seat.

1950

As a result of the redistribution enacted by the Representation of the People Act 1948,[7] Cheshire's representation remained at 15 seats. However, there were significant changes to the make-up of the constituencies as follows:

1955

The First Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies resulted in the creation of Nantwich, formed from parts of the constituencies of Crewe (the urban district of Nantwich and most of the rural district of Nantwich) and Northwich (the urban districts of Middlewich and Winsford and parts of the rural districts of Northwich and Tarvin).

The only other change was the transfer of the urban districts of Alsager and Sandbach from Knutsford to Crewe.[8]

1974 (Feb)

The Second Periodic Review,[9] which came into effect for the February 1974 election, resulted in the creation of Hazel Grove. This constituency was carved out of the Cheadle constituency, leaving the urban district of Cheadle and Gatley, to which the urban district of Wilmslow was added, transferred from Knutsford. Alderley Edge was transferred from Knutsford to Macclesfield.

In the Wirral, Bebington was abolished, being replaced by Bebington and Ellesmere Port, with the latter transferred from the Wirral constituency. The parts of the county borough of Birkenhead previously in Bebington were transferred back to the Birkenhead constituency, with the exception of Prenton ward, which was transferred to Wirral. Upton ward was also transferred to Wirral, from Birkenhead.

Current ceremonial county

1974 (Apr)

Shortly after the Second Periodic Review came into effect, the county was subject to a major reconfiguration under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972. As a result, with effect from 1 April 1974, the constituencies of Altrincham and Sale, Hazel Grove, Stalybridge and Hyde1, Stockport North and Stockport South, most of Cheadle and northern parts of Knutsford were now part of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester; and the constituencies of Birkenhead and Wallasey and the majority of Bebington and Ellesmere Port, and Wirral were now part of the new metropolitan county of Merseyside.

1Except the small part comprising the former rural district of Tintwistle, which was transferred to Derbyshire.

1983

The next change to parliamentary constituency boundaries, following the recommendations of the Third Periodic Review,[10] reflected the change in county boundaries and reorganisation of local government authorities in 1974. This review did not come into effect for a further nine years, at the 1983 general election, and resulted in wholescale changes, with only the constituencies of City of Chester and Macclesfield being retained in the reconfigured county. Bebington and Ellesmere Port, Crewe, Knutsford, Nantwich, Newton, Northwich, Runcorn, Warrington, Widnes and Wirral were abolished and the following new constituencies were created:

1997

The Fourth Review[11] saw another increase in the number of constituencies, with the creation Weaver Vale, which was made up as follows:

Other changes included:

2010

At the Fifth Periodic Review[12] there were no changes to Cheshire's representation, with only minor changes to boundaries due primarily to the revision of local authority ward boundaries. The Halton Borough ward of Castlefield was transferred from Weaver Vale to Halton.

Maps

Historic county

Current county

Communities timeline

The table below shows which constituencies represented major communities within the current county from 1885 onwards.

Community 1885–1918 1918–1945 1945–1950 1950–1955 1955–1974 1974–1983 1983–1997 1997–present
Alderley Edge Knutsford Macclesfield Tatton
Alsager Crewe Knutsford Crewe Congleton
Bollington Knutsford Macclesfield
Chester City of Chester
Congleton Macclesfield Congleton
Crewe Crewe Crewe and Nantwich
Culcheth Leigh Newton Warrington North
Disley Knutsford Macclesfield
Ellesmere Port Wirral Bebbington and

Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port and Neston
Frodsham Eddisbury Runcorn Eddisbury Weaver Vale
Handforth Altrincham Knutsford Cheadle Tatton
Haslington Crewe Congleton Crewe and Nantwich
Holmes Chapel Knutsford Congleton
Knutsford Knutsford Tatton
Lymm Altrincham Bucklow Runcorn Warrington South
Macclesfield Macclesfield
Middlewich Northwich Nantwich Congleton
Nantwich Crewe Nantwich Crewe and Nantwich
Neston Wirral Ellesmere Port and Neston
Northwich Northwich Tatton Weaver Vale
Poynton Knutsford Macclesfield
Runcorn Northwich Runcorn Halton
Sandbach Crewe Northwich Knutsford Crewe Congleton
Warrington Central Warrington Warrington North
North/East1 Newton Warrington North
South2 Knutsford Runcorn Warrington South
West3 Newton Warrington South
Weaverham Northwich Eddisbury Weaver Vale
Widnes Widnes Halton
Wilmslow Knutsford Cheadle Tatton
Winsford Northwich Nantwich Eddisbury
Community 1885–1918 1918–1945 1945–1950 1950–1955 1955–1974 1974–1983 1983–1997 1997–present

1 Birchwood, Burtonwood, Poulton-with-Fearnhead, Winwick, Woolston

2 Appleton, Grappenhall, Stockton Heath

3 Great Sankey, Penketh

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Great Britain; Rickards, George K. (George Kettilby) (1807). The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69]. unknown library. London, His Majesty's statute and law printers.
  2. ^ Kingdom, Parliament of the United. Reform Act.
  3. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF).
  4. ^ Great Britain (1868). The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69]. unknown library. His Majesty's statute and law printers.
  5. ^ Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
  6. ^ Gay, Oonagh (27 December 2020). "The Rules for the Redistribution of Seats- history and reform". ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1948". www.legislation.gov.uk.
  8. ^ Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885–1972. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
  9. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970".
  10. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983".
  11. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995".
  12. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007".
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