Makerfield
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Makerfield in Greater Manchester
Outline map
Location of Greater Manchester within England
CountyGreater Manchester
Electorate74,856 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsWigan (part) and Ashton-in-Makerfield
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentYvonne Fovargue (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromInce, Wigan, Newton and Westhoughton[2]

Makerfield /ˈmeɪkərfiːld/ is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Yvonne Fovargue of the Labour Party.[n 2]

History

This seat was formed in 1983 mostly from the Ince and Wigan seats however with some of the Leigh seat.

Constituency profile

Makerfield is on some calculations, particularly a historical measure based on the period of time since a previous party served the area, the safest Labour seat in the country — with its predecessor constituencies, the area has been held by Labour since the Parliamentary Labour Party was formed in 1906.[1] In 2010 the constituency, of the 650 nationally, polled the 105th highest share of the vote for the Labour Party. However, Labour's majority fell significantly in 2019 as with many "Red Wall" seats.

There is no town called Makerfield itself; instead, the name refers to the suffix of 'in-Makerfield' of the towns Ashton-in-Makerfield and Ince-in-Makerfield, though since 2010 the latter is now part of the Wigan seat. The seat comprises mostly working-class residential suburbs south of Wigan and to the west of Leigh. Deprivation however is relatively lower than that of neighbouring towns and home-ownership is higher, with a mostly skilled working-class population and a lower than average proportion of ethnic minorities.[3] There is some semi-rural land towards the west of the constituency where it borders St Helens and green buffers separating the constituent towns and villages. Formerly a coal-mining area, there is now a small amount of light industry remaining, though not as much as Wigan, and the area is mostly residential as the towns continue to grow. The area is also home to Winstanley College, one of the highest performing sixth-form colleges in the country, enrolling around 1800 students.[4][circular reference]

Boundaries

Map
Map of current boundaries

1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Abram, Ashton-Golborne, Bryn, Lightshaw, Orrell, Winstanley, and Worsley Mesnes.

1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Abram, Ashton-Golborne, Bryn, Ince, Orrell, Winstanley, and Worsley Mesnes.

2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Abram, Ashton, Bryn, Hindley, Hindley Green, Orrell, Winstanley, and Worsley Mesnes.

Makerfield consists of the western and central section of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester. It comprises the wards to the south and to the west of Wigan and to the west of Leigh.

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be expanded slightly by adding small areas of the Atherleigh ward (part of polling district LCA) and the Leigh West ward (polling district LDA).[5]

Members of Parliament

Election Member[6] Party
1983 Michael McGuire Labour
1987 Ian McCartney Labour
2010 Yvonne Fovargue Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Makerfield[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Yvonne Fovargue 19,954 45.1 –15.0
Conservative Nick King 15,214 34.4 +3.1
Brexit Party Ross Wright 5,817 13.1 New
Liberal Democrats John Skipworth 2,108 4.8 +2.0
Green Sheila Shaw 1,166 2.6 New
Majority 4,740 10.7 –18.1
Turnout 44,259 59.7 –4.1
Labour hold Swing –9.2
General election 2017: Makerfield[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Yvonne Fovargue 28,245 60.1 +8.3
Conservative Adam Carney 14,703 31.3 +11.8
Independent Bob Brierley 2,663 5.7 New
Liberal Democrats John Skipworth 1,322 2.8 –0.9
Majority 13,542 28.8 –0.6
Turnout 46,933 63.8 +3.6
Labour hold Swing –1.7
General election 2015: Makerfield[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Yvonne Fovargue 23,208 51.8 +4.5
UKIP Andrew Collinson 10,053 22.4 New
Conservative Syeda Zaidi 8,752 19.5 +0.7
Liberal Democrats John Skipworth 1,639 3.7 −12.5
Green Philip Mitchell 1,136 2.5 New
Majority 13,155 29.4 +0.9
Turnout 44,788 60.2 +0.8
Labour hold Swing
General election 2010: Makerfield[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Yvonne Fovargue 20,700 47.3 −14.8
Conservative Itrat Ali 8,210 18.8 +5.2
Liberal Democrats Dave Crowther 7,082 16.2 +4.8
Independent Bob Brierley 3,424 7.8 New
BNP Ken Haslam 3,229 7.4 +4.1
Independent John Mather 1,126 2.6 New
Majority 12,490 28.5 -22.5
Turnout 43,771 59.4 +9.8
Labour hold Swing −10.0

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Makerfield[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ian McCartney 22,494 63.2 −5.3
Conservative Kulveer Ranger 4,345 12.2 −5.4
Liberal Democrats Trevor Beswick 3,789 10.6 −0.8
Community Action Peter Franzen 2,769 7.8 New
BNP Dennis Shambley 1,221 3.4 New
UKIP Gregory Atherton 962 2.7 New
Majority 18,149 51.0 +0.1
Turnout 35,580 51.5 +0.6
Labour hold Swing +0.1
General election 2001: Makerfield[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ian McCartney 23,879 68.5 −5.2
Conservative Jane Brooks 6,129 17.6 +2.2
Liberal Democrats David Crowther 3,990 11.4 +3.1
Socialist Alliance Malcolm Jones 858 2.5 New
Majority 17,750 50.9 -7.0
Turnout 34,856 50.9 −15.9
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Makerfield[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ian McCartney 33,119 73.3 +12.9
Conservative Michael Winstanley 6,942 15.4 −11.7
Liberal Democrats Bruce Hubbard 3,743 8.3 −1.1
Referendum Andrew Seed 1,210 2.7 New
Majority 26,177 57.9 +24.6
Turnout 45,014 66.8 -9.3
Labour hold Swing +12.3
General election 1992: Makerfield[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ian McCartney 32,832 60.4 +4.1
Conservative Davina Dickson 14,714 27.1 −0.2
Liberal Democrats Stephen Jeffers 5,097 9.4 −7.1
Liberal Stella Cairns 1,309 2.4 New
Natural Law Christopher Davies 397 0.7 New
Majority 18,118 33.3 +4.3
Turnout 54,349 76.1 +0.3
Labour hold Swing +2.2

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Makerfield[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ian McCartney 30,190 56.3 +7.0
Conservative Laurence Robertson 14,632 27.3 −0.6
Liberal William Hewer 8,838 16.5 −6.3
Majority 15,558 29.0 +7.6
Turnout 53,660 75.8 +2.1
Labour hold Swing +3.8
General election 1983: Makerfield[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael McGuire 25,114 49.3
Conservative Edward Hay 14,238 27.9
Liberal Robin Grayson 11,633 22.8
Majority 10,876 21.4
Turnout 50,985 73.7
Labour win (new seat)

See also

Notes

^ Manchester Evening News: "McCartney makes it a century"

  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. ^ "'Makerfield', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Makerfield". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2004. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  4. ^ Winstanley College
  5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)
  7. ^ "Statement of persons nominated 2019" (PDF).
  8. ^ "Makerfield parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
  9. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Makerfield". BBC News.
  11. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. ^ "BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Makerfield". BBC News.
  13. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  18. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

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