Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency)

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Pontefract and Castleford
County constituency

Pontefract and Castleford shown within West Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire shown within England
Created: 1974
MP: Yvette Cooper
Party: Labour
Type: House of Commons
County: West Yorkshire
EP constituency: Yorkshire and the Humber

Pontefract and Castleford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

The constituency covers the West Yorkshire towns of Pontefract and Castleford. It is a very safe Labour seat comprising of former mining towns and villages. The local MP, Yvette Cooper, is married to fellow Labour MP Ed Balls.

[edit] Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in West Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England has suggested the creation of a new constituency called Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford. Due to population decline, the Commission has suggested reducing the number of seats in the county by one, resulting in the "merger" of the Normanton and Pontefract constituencies.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1974 Joseph Harper Labour
1978 Geoffrey Lofthouse Labour
1997 Yvette Cooper Labour

[edit] Election results

[edit] 1970s

General Election February 1974: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Harper 34,409 74.8 N/A
Conservative Richard Needham 10,605 23.1 N/A
Workers' Revolutionary B. Lavery 991 2.2 N/A
Majority 23,804 51.8 N/A
Turnout 46,005 77.1 N/A
Labour hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Harper 30,208 70.4 -4.4
Conservative I. Bloomer 6,966 16.2 -6.9
Liberal S. Galloway 5,259 12.3 N/A
Workers' Revolutionary T. Parsons 457 1.1 -1.1
Majority 23,242 54.2 +2.4
Turnout 42,890 71.1
Labour hold Swing
Pontefract and Castleford by-election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoffrey Lofthouse 19,508 65.8 -4.6
Conservative Hugo Page 8,080 27.3 +11.1
Liberal Leslie Marsh 2,054 6.9 -5.4
Majority 11,428 38.6 -15.6
Turnout 29,642
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1979: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoffrey Lofthouse 30,566 68.1
Conservative Hugo Page 10,665 23.8
Liberal Leslie Marsh 3,616 8.0
Majority 19,901 44.4
Turnout 73.9
Labour hold Swing

[edit] 1980s

General Election 1983: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoffrey Lofthouse 24,990 57.1
Conservative J. B. Howell 11,299 25.8
SDP-Liberal Alliance D. Dale 7,452 17.1
Majority 13,691 31.3
Turnout 43,741 67.4
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1987: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoffrey Lofthouse 31,656 66.9
Conservative J. H. Mallins 10,051 21.2
SDP-Liberal Alliance M. F. Taylor 5,334 11.3
Red Front D. M. Lees 295 0.6
Majority 21,626 45.7
Turnout 47,315 73.5
Labour hold Swing

[edit] 1990s

General Election 1992: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoffrey Lofthouse 33,546 69.9
Conservative A.G.M. Rockall 10,051 20.9
Liberal Democrat D.L. Ryan 4,410 9.2 N/A
Majority 23,495 49.0
Turnout 48,007 74.3
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1997: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Yvette Cooper 31,339 75.7 +5.8
Conservative Adrian John Flook 5,614 13.6 -7.3
Liberal Democrat Wesley Paxton 3,042 7.4 -1.8
Referendum Party R. Wood 1,401 3.4 N/A
Majority 25,725 62.1
Turnout 41,396 66.3
Labour hold Swing

[edit] 2000s

General Election 2001: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Yvette Cooper 21,890 69.7 −6.0
Conservative Pamela Singleton 5,512 17.6 +4.0
Liberal Democrat Wesley Paxton 2,315 7.4 +0.1
UK Independence John Burdon 739 2.4 N/A
Socialist Labour Trevor Bolderson 605 1.9 N/A
Socialist Alliance John Gill 330 1.1 N/A
Majority 16,378 52.1
Turnout 31,391 49.7 −16.7
Labour hold Swing
General Election 2005: Pontefract and Castleford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Yvette Cooper 20,973 63.7 −6.0
Conservative Simon Jones 5,727 17.4 −0.2
Liberal Democrat Wesley Paxton 3,942 12.0 +4.6
British National Party Suzy Cass 1,835 5.6 N/A
Alliance for Green Socialism Bob Hague 470 1.4 N/A
Majority 15,246 46.3
Turnout 32,947 53.3 +3.6
Labour hold Swing

[edit] See also

[edit] References

v • d • e
Constituencies in Yorkshire and the Humber
Labour
Barnsley Central • Barnsley East and Mexborough • Barnsley West and Penistone • Batley and Spen • Bradford North • Bradford South • Bradford West • Brigg and Goole • Calder Valley • City of York • Cleethorpes • Colne Valley • Dewsbury • Don Valley • Doncaster Central • Doncaster North • Elmet • Great Grimsby • Halifax • Hemsworth • Huddersfield • Hull East • Hull North • Hull West and Hessle • Keighley • Leeds Central • Leeds East • Leeds North East • Leeds West • Morley and Rothwell • Normanton • Pontefract and Castleford • Pudsey • Rother Valley • Rotherham • Scunthorpe • Selby • Sheffield Attercliffe • Sheffield Brightside • Sheffield Central • Sheffield Heeley • Sheffield Hillsborough • Wakefield • Wentworth
Conservative
Liberal Democrat
Yorkshire and the Humber European constituency: Labour (2) • Conservative (2) • Liberal Democrats (1) • UKIP (1)