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The Wrekin is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Mark Pritchard, a Conservative.[n 2]
History
- Most prominent members in Parliament
Anthony Trafford (Conservative) went on after serving as MP to serve as a health minister, from the House of Lords in 1989.
Gerald Fowler (Labour) reached the frontbenches of government as the Minister for Education and Science from 1969 to 1970, again in 1974 and 1976 and as Minister for the Privy Council Office from 1974 to 1976.
Bruce Grocott (Labour) went on, after serving as MP for the newly created neighbouring seat from 1997 to 2001, to serve as the Government's Chief Whip in the House of Lords for six years.
- Political history
The seat saw a first winning candidate from the Labour Party relatively early in the country's history, in 1923. The seat alternated between the two largest modern parties eight times between 1923 and 1979.
In more recent history, reflecting the growing population of Telford and the rich iron smelting, railway and mining industries as major historic employers in the area, the seat was more Labour-leaning than the national average but still marginal, being represented by a Conservative for the first eight years of the Thatcher ministry and then (from 1987) returning a Labour member, who went on to serve a new seat created to serve Telford in 1997, and another Labour member until 2005, followed by the present Conservative who was elected that year. The present majority is over 10,000 votes.
Boundaries
History of boundaries
- 1918–1997
When originally constituted, the constituency was made up of the Municipal Borough of Wenlock, the Urban Districts of Dawley, Newport, Oakengates and Wellington, and the Rural Districts of Newport, and Shifnal and Wellington. With a population of 71,352, it was the largest division of Shropshire created in the 1918 boundary changes.[2]
Boundary changes in 1950 restricted the constituency to the Urban Districts of Dawley, Newport, Oakengates and Wellington, and the Rural Districts of Shifnal and Wellington. No changes were made in the First Periodical Report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission in 1954. In the Second Periodical Report in 1969 the definition of the constituency did not change,[3] but changes in local government boundaries made the constituency only 88% identical with the previous one.[4]
At the Third Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission, the constituency was redefined after major local government changes. It then consisted of the following wards of the District of The Wrekin: Arleston, Brookside, College, Cuckoo Oak, Dawley Magna, Donnington, Donnington Wood, Dothill, Ercall, Hadley, Haygate, Hollinswood and Randlay, Ironbridge (The Gorge), Ketley, Ketley Bank, Langley, Lawley, Leegomery, Lilleshall, Madeley, Malinslee, Park, Priorslee, Stirchley, Wombridge, Woodside, Wrockwardine, and Wrockwardine Wood. This redefinition resulted in a quarter of the electorate being removed to Shropshire North and Ludlow.[5]
- 1997-date
Parliament approved major boundary changes which took effect at the 1997 general election, which created a new constituency containing and named after the town of Telford, before which Telford had been one of the largest elements of The Wrekin and the new Telford constituency took 62.9% of the electorate of The Wrekin leaving the remaining 37.1% to constitute a revised constituency of The Wrekin that incorporated areas previously within Shropshire North and Ludlow from two sides.[6]
The area almost encircles Telford, a 'New Town', encompassing much of the rural parts of the Telford and Wrekin borough, in which most of the constituency is. Its major settlements include: Wellington, Newport and Shifnal, as well as the suburban northern reaches of Telford (including Donnington). A small but significant area relates to the former Bridgnorth local government district (now part of the unitary Shropshire) and contains DCAE Cosford and a number of commuter villages along the M54 motorway: the civil parishes of Sheriffhales, Shifnal, Tong, Boscobel, Albrighton, Donington and Boningale make up the non-Telford and The Wrekin-administered portion. Boundary changes to realign the constituency boundaries to fit with the borough's most recent ward revisions resulted in the removal of Ketley (to the constituency of Telford) for the 2010 general election.[7]
Constituency profile
The constituency is in the east of Shropshire, specifically, around The Wrekin hill and therefore in undulating country within fast road access (and some rail access) commuter's reach to the West Midlands, Stafford and Stoke on Trent.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 3.1% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[8]
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Note: although The Wrekin was a Labour-held seat in the previous Parliament, boundary changes made it notionally a Conservative seat, hence this is a gain rather than a hold.
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
See also
Notes and references
- Notes
- ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "31. County of Salop" in "Report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission (England and Wales)" Cd. 8756.
- ↑ F. A. Youngs, "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England" vol II (Northern England) p. 837.
- ↑ David Butler, Dennis Kavanagh, "The British General Election of February 1974", Macmillan, 1974, p. 297.
- ↑ "BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", 1983, p. 143, 230.
- ↑ "Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky, 1995, p. 181, 267.
- ↑ 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England
- ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)[self-published source][better source needed]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
