Barnsley West and Penistone (UK Parliament constituency)

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Barnsley West and Penistone
County constituency

Barnsley West and Penistone shown within South Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire shown within England
Created: 1983
MP: Michael Clapham
Party: Labour
Type: House of Commons
County: South Yorkshire
EP constituency: Yorkshire and the Humber

Barnsley West and Penistone is a Parliamentary constituency in South Yorkshire. It is considered a safe Labour seat and has been represented by Michael Clapham since 1992.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

Barnsley West and Penistone constituency covers the western part of the Borough of Barnsley and includes the town of Penistone. It borders the constituencies of Sheffield Hillsborough, Wentworth, Barnsley East and Mexborough, Barnsley Central, Hemsworth, Wakefield, Colne Valley, and High Peak. Penistone itself provides the highest Tory vote in the Borough of Barnsley (although not always a majority), but the other small towns and villages, mostly former mining areas, are safely Labour.

[edit] History

The seat was created in 1983 when the former Barnsley constituency was split into three divisions. It also covers parts of the former Penistone constituency, which was abolished in the same boundary review.

[edit] Boundary review

Following the Boundary Commission for England's report on South Yorkshire's Parliamentary constituencies in 2004 and the subsequent inquiry in 2005 it was announced that the constituency of Barnsley West and Penistone will be abolished for future elections. The revisions split the constituency in two: the easternmost wards will become part of a revised Barnsley Central constituency, while the western most wards, around Penistone, will be combined with the northern wards from the Sheffield Hillsborough constituency. This new constituency will be named Penistone and Stocksbridge, and will cover a similar area to the historic Penistone constituency.

The electoral wards used in the creation of Penistone and Stocksbridge are;

[edit] Members of Parliament

The constituency has had two Members of Parliament since its creation in 1983, both of which were from the Labour Party.

Year Member Party
1983 Allen McKay Labour
1992 Michael Clapham Labour

[edit] Elections

General election results since 1983
General election results since 1983

[edit] Elections in the 2000s

General election of 2005
General Election 2005: Barnsley West & Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Clapham 20,372 55.3 -3.3
Conservative Clive Watkinson 9,058 24.6 +1.8
Liberal Democrat Alison Brelsford 7,422 20.1 +1.5
Majority 11,314 30.7
Turnout 36,842 55.0 +2.1
Labour hold Swing -2.5
General election of 2001
General Election 2001: Barnsley West & Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Clapham 20,244 58.6 -0.7
Conservative William Rowe 7,892 22.8 +4.5
Liberal Democrat Miles Crompton 6,428 18.6 +0.6
Majority 12,352 35.8
Turnout 34,564 52.9 -12.1
Labour hold Swing

[edit] Elections in the 1990s

General election of 1997
General Election 1997: Barnsley West & Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Clapham 25,017 59.3
Conservative Paul Watkins 7,750 18.4
Liberal Democrat Winifred Knight 7,613 18.0
Referendum Party J. Miles 1,828 4.3
Majority 17,267 40.9
Turnout 65.0
Labour hold Swing
General election of 1992
General Election 1992: Barnsley West & Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Clapham 27,965 58.3
Conservative Graham Sawyer 13,461 28.0
Liberal Democrat Hugh Nicolson 5,610 11.7
Green D. Jones 970 2.0
Majority 14,504 30.2
Turnout 75.8
Labour hold Swing

[edit] Elections in the 1980s

General election of 1987
General Election 1987: Barnsley West & Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Allen McKay 26,498 57.4
Conservative Alan Duncan 12,307 26.6
SDP-Liberal Alliance R. Hall 7,409 16.0
Majority 14,191 30.7
Turnout 75.7
Labour hold Swing
General election of 1983

The first general election in this constituency was won by Allen McKay, who had been the MP for the abolished Penistone constituency since 1978.

General Election 1983: Barnsley West & Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Allen McKay 22,560 50.8
Conservative G. Sawyer 12,218 27.5
SDP-Liberal Alliance J. Evans 9,624 21.7
Majority 10,342 23.3
Turnout 73.2
New creation: Labour gain. Swing N/A

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

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