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Heywood and Middleton North (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 53°34′N2°13′W / 53.57°N 2.21°W / 53.57; -2.21
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Heywood and Middleton North
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Map of constituency
Boundary of within North West England
CountyGreater Manchester
Electorate73,306 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsHeywood, Middleton, Alkrington, Castleton
Current constituency
Created1983 (as Heywood and Middleton)
Member of ParliamentElsie Blundell (Labour Party)
SeatsOne
Created fromHeywood and Royton; Middleton and Prestwich

Heywood and Middleton North is a constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Elsie Blundell of the Labour Party.

Prior to the 2024 general election, the constituency was known as Heywood and Middleton. The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies proposed that two of the Middleton wards be included in a new constituency named Blackley and Middleton South and this seat be renamed Heywood and Middleton North.[2][3]

Constituency profile

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The constituency covers the west half of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, including the towns of Heywood and half of the town of Middleton, and some of the western fringes of Rochdale itself such as Castleton, and Spotland and Falinge. Norden and Bamford are strong Conservative areas, with several million-pound houses, but all other wards are mostly favourable to Labour. The part of Middleton in this constituency includes the large overspill council estate of Langley.

The 2024 boundary changes added the ward of Spotland and Falinge, a ward close to Rochdale town centre, to the constituency, in place of East and South Middleton, which included the relatively affluent area of Alkrington Garden Village which were added to the new Blackley and Middleton South constituency.

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

History

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The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Heywood and Royton and Middleton and Prestwich and was 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. Subsequently, the constituency heavily voted to Leave in the EU 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.

Under the 2023 boundary changes, it was estimated that the newly named seat would notionally have been held by Labour on a slim majority.[5] As a result, the sitting Conservative MP, Chris Clarkson, decided not to stand in 2024 and he was selected for the previously safe seat of Stratford-on-Avon, where he was defeated. The Labour Party candidate, Elsie Blundell, duly won this seat with a majority of 16.4% over Reform UK, with the Conservatives dropping down to third place.

Boundaries

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Map
Map of boundaries 2010–2024

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.

2010–2024: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Bamford, Castleton, East Middleton, Hopwood Hall, Norden, North Heywood, North Middleton, South Middleton, West Heywood, and West Middleton.

2024–present: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Bamford, Castleton, Hopwood Hall, Norden, North Heywood, North Middleton, Spotland and Falinge, West Heywood, and West Middleton.[6]

East Middleton and South Middleton wards were transferred to the new constituency of Blackley and Middleton South, partly compensated by the addition of the Spotland and Falinge ward from Rochdale.

Members of Parliament

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ElectionMember[7]Party
1983Jim CallaghanLabour
1997Jim DobbinLabour Co-op
2014 by-electionLiz McInnesLabour
2019Chris ClarksonConservative
2024Elsie BlundellLabour

Elections

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Elections in the 2020s

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General election 2024: Heywood and Middleton North [8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LabourElsie Blundell15,069 40.6 −2.5
Reform UKSteve Potter 8,987 24.2 +15.8
ConservativeLaura-Beth Thompson 6,423 17.3 −24.2
IndependentChris Furlong 4,349 11.7 N/A
Liberal DemocratsTom Shaw 2,302 6.2 +2.0
Majority 6,082 16.4 +14.8
Turnout37,130 49.6 −8.3
Registered electors74,786
LabourholdSwing−9.1

Heywood and Middleton North is the only constituency (in England or Wales) where the Green Party of England and Wales didn't stand a 2024 candidate.[10][better source needed]

Elections in the 2010s

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2019notional result[5]
Party Vote %
Labour18,28143.1
Conservative17,60141.5
Brexit Party3,5818.4
Liberal Democrats1,7874.2
Green1,1962.8
Turnout42,446 57.9
Electorate73,306
General election 2019: Heywood and Middleton[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
ConservativeChris Clarkson20,453 43.1 +5.1
LabourLiz McInnes19,790 41.7 −11.6
Brexit PartyColin Lambert3,952 8.3 N/A
Liberal DemocratsAnthony Smith 2,073 4.4 +2.2
GreenNigel Ainsworth-Barnes 1,220 2.6 N/A
Majority 663 1.4
Turnout47,488 59.2 –3.2
Conservativegain from LabourSwing+8.4
General election 2017: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LabourLiz McInnes26,578 53.3 +10.2
ConservativeChris Clarkson18,961 38.0 +18.9
UKIPLee Seville 3,239 6.5 −25.7
Liberal DemocratsBill Winlow 1,087 2.2 −1.1
Majority 7,617 15.3 +4.4
Turnout49,865 62.4 +1.7
LabourholdSwing−4.4
See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Heywood and Middleton
General election 2015: Heywood and Middleton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LabourLiz McInnes20,926 43.1 +3.0
UKIPJohn Bickley 15,627 32.2 +29.6
ConservativeIain Gartside 9,268 19.1 −8.1
Liberal DemocratsAnthony Smith 1,607 3.3 −19.4
GreenAbi Jackson 1,110 2.3 N/A
Majority 5,299 10.9 −2.0
Turnout48,538 60.7 +3.2
LabourholdSwing−16.3
2014 Heywood and Middleton by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LabourLiz McInnes11,633 40.9 +0.8
UKIPJohn Bickley 11,016 38.7 +36.1
ConservativeIain Gartside[13]3,496 12.3 −14.9
Liberal DemocratsAnthony Smith[14]1,457 5.1 −17.6
GreenAbi Jackson[15]870 3.1 N/A
Majority 617 2.2 −10.7
Turnout28,472 36.0 −21.5
LabourholdSwing−18.5
General election 2010: Heywood and Middleton[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-opJim Dobbin18,499 40.1 −8.2
ConservativeMike Holly 12,528 27.2 +5.4
Liberal DemocratsWera Hobhouse10,474 22.7 +2.5
BNPPeter Greenwood 3,239 7.0 +2.6
UKIPVictoria Cecil 1,215 2.6 +0.7
IndependentChrissy Lee 170 0.4 N/A
Majority 5,971 12.9 −13.6
Turnout46,125 57.5 +3.7
Labour Co-opholdSwing−6.8

Elections in the 2000s

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General election 2005: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-opJim Dobbin19,438 49.8 −7.9
ConservativeStephen Pathmarajah 8,355 21.4 −6.2
Liberal DemocratsCrea Lavin 7,261 18.6 +7.4
BNPGary Aronsson 1,855 4.7 N/A
LiberalPhilip Burke 1,377 3.5 +0.9
UKIPJohn Whittaker767 2.0 N/A
Majority 11,083 28.4 −1.7
Turnout39,053 54.6 +1.5
Labour Co-opholdSwing−0.9
General election 2001: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-opJim Dobbin22,377 57.7 ±0.0
ConservativeMarilyn Hopkins 10,707 27.6 +4.6
Liberal DemocratsIan Greenhalgh 4,329 11.2 −4.4
LiberalPhilip Burke 1,021 2.6 +1.1
Christian Democrats Christine West 345 0.9 N/A
Majority 11,670 30.1 −4.6
Turnout38,779 53.1 −15.3
Labour Co-opholdSwing−2.3

Elections in the 1990s

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General election 1997: Heywood and Middleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-opJim Dobbin29,179 57.7 +11.2
ConservativeSebastian Grigg11,637 23.0 −8.6
Liberal DemocratsDavid Clayton 7,908 15.6 −4.3
ReferendumChristine West 1,076 2.1 N/A
LiberalPhilip Burke 750 1.5 −0.3
Majority 17,542 34.7 +15.8
Turnout50,550 68.4 −6.5
Labour Co-opholdSwing
General election 1992: Heywood and Middleton[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LabourJim Callaghan22,380 52.3 +2.4
ConservativeEric Ollerenshaw14,306 33.4 −0.9
Liberal DemocratsMichael B. Taylor 5,252 12.3 −3.5
LiberalPhilip Burke 757 1.8 N/A
Natural LawAnne-Marie Scott 134 0.3 N/A
Majority 8,074 18.9 +3.3
Turnout42,829 74.9 +1.1
LabourholdSwing+1.6

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1987: Heywood and Middleton[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LabourJim Callaghan21,900 49.9 +6.6
ConservativeRoy Walker 15,052 34.3 +0.5
SDPIan Greenhalgh 6,953 15.8 −6.3
Majority 6,848 15.6 +6.1
Turnout43,905 73.8 +3.9
LabourholdSwing+3.2
General election 1983: Heywood and Middleton[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LabourJim Callaghan18,111 43.3
ConservativeChristine Hodgson 14,137 33.8
SDPArthur Rumbelow 9,262 22.1
BNPKenneth Henderson 316 0.8
Majority 3,974 9.5
Turnout41,826 69.9
Labourwin (new seat)

See also

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References

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  1. ^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  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. ^ ab"Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  6. ^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  7. ^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
  8. ^"Statement of persons nominated – Heywood and Middleton North". Rochdale Council. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  9. ^"Heywood and Middleton North - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  10. ^"Our candidates".
  11. ^"Statement of persons nominated 2019"(PDF).
  12. ^"Heywood & Middleton". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  13. ^"Iain Gartside Chosen as By-Election Candidate". Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Conservatives.
  14. ^"Lib Dems select Anthony Smith for Heywood and Middleton contest". www.rochdaleonline.co.uk.
  15. ^"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.
  16. ^Council, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough (6 May 2010). "Election results for Heywood & Middleton, 6 May 2010". democracy.rochdale.gov.uk.
  17. ^"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.
  18. ^"UK General Election results: June 1987". Archived from the original on 28 May 2004.
  19. ^"UK General Election results: June 1983". Archived from the original on 3 January 2004.
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53°34′N2°13′W / 53.57°N 2.21°W / 53.57; -2.21

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