Harrogate (UK Parliament constituency)

Harrogate /ˈhærɵɡət/ was a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. As with all constituencies, the constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. The constituency was renamed Harrogate and Knaresborough in 1997.

Constituency profile

An area with little unemployment, a relatively large retired population and large neighbourhoods of high house prices^{[n 2]}^[1] which, until former Chancellor Norman Lamont stood for the first time in the successor seat in The New Labour landslide general election in 1997 was part of a Conservative safe seat since 1910, Harrogate moved the way of other famous spa towns in England such as Bath^{[n 3]} by returning the Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis.

Boundaries

1983-1997: The Borough of Harrogate wards of Bilton, Claro, Duchy, East Central, Granby, Harlow, Knaresborough East, Knaresborough West, Marston Moor, Nether Poppleton, New Park, Ouseburn, Pannal, Spofforth, Starbeck, Upper Poppleton, Wedderburn, and West Central.

History

Before 1950 Harrogate had been part of the Ripon constituency. The constituency was created as 'Harrogate' and following boundary changes in 1997 the name was changed to Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Members of Parliament

	Member^[2]	Party
1950	Christopher York	Conservative
1954 by-election	James Ramsden	Conservative
Feb 1974	Robert Banks	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1992: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Banks	32,023	53.85
	Liberal Democrat	T.J. Hurren	19,434	32.68
	Labour	A.J. Wright	7,230	12.16
	Green	A. Warneken	780	1.31
Majority			12,589	21.17
Turnout				77.99
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Banks	31,167	55.55
	Social Democratic	J.R. Leach	19,265	34.34
	Labour	A.J. Wright	5,671
Majority			11,902	21.21
Turnout				74.05
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1983: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Banks	30,269	60.23
	Social Democratic	J. Burney	14,381	28.62
	Labour	J. Dixon	5,128	10.20
	Reintroduction of Hanging and Corporal Punishment	D. Kelley	316	0.63
	National Front	P. Vessey	163	0.32
Majority			15,888	31.61
Turnout				69.02
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Banks	30,551	59.46
	Liberal	R. Kent	12,021	23.40
	Labour	A. Fleming	8,221	16.00
	National Front	D. Waite	585	1.14
Majority			18,530	36.07
Turnout				74.26
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election October 1974: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Banks	24,583	53.85
	Liberal	I.C. Bayley	11,269	24.69
	Labour	B.H. Seal	8,047	17.63
	National Front	Andrew Brons	1,030	2.26
	Whig	C. Margolis	719	1.58
Majority			13,314	29.17
Turnout				70.49
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election February 1974: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Banks	27,517	53.55
	Liberal	I.C. Bayley	15,728	30.61
	Labour	M.A. Wheaton	6,084	11.84
	National Front	Andrew Brons	1,186	2.31
	Democratic Christian	J.E. Stringfellow	875	1.70
Majority			11,789	22.94
Turnout				80.05
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1970: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Ramsden	26,167	59.76
	Liberal	W. Greaves	8,825	20.15
	Labour	B. Hellowell	8,797	20.09
Majority			17,342	39.60
Turnout				69.93
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Ramsden	22,932	54.97
	Liberal	W. Greaves	9,518	22.82
	Labour	R.E. Holmes	9,267	22.21
Majority			13,414	32.15
Turnout				74.47
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1964: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Ramsden	24,474	57.64
	Liberal	B. Black	9,332	21.98
	Labour	Edward Lyons	8,655	20.38
Majority			15,142	35.66
Turnout				77.00
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Ramsden	29,466	74.29
	Labour	F.B. Singleton	10,196	25.71
Majority			19,270	48.59
Turnout				74.49
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1955: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Ramsden	26,799	72.32
	Labour	T. Evers	10,258	27.68
Majority			16,541	44.64
Turnout				71.86
	Conservative hold		Swing

By Election March 1954: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Ramsden	20,263
	Labour	E. Kavanagh	8,367
Majority			11,896
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1951: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Christopher York	28,806	70.56
	Labour	C.W. Sewell	12,021	29.44
Majority			16,785	41.11
Turnout				78.74
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1950: Harrogate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Christopher York	28,582	68.55
	Labour	E.J. Parris	13,114	31.45
Majority			15,468	37.10
Turnout				81.24
	Conservative win (new seat)

Notes and references

Notes

↑ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
↑ In the 2001 census: worklessness was the status of (see Harrogate 009 Middle Layer SOA for access to the whole district): 1.0% of working age people compared to Yorkshire and the Humber: 2.6% England 2.3%
However in the 2001 Census publication "Indices of Deprivation and Classification: Social Grade" 0.27% of the wider District population of 69,614 of working age were Class E: On state benefit, unemployed, lowest grade workers, slightly higher than 0.22% Yorkshire and the Humber average and 0.24% national average
↑ And for example more urban and less touristic Cheltenham, which is in the Gloucester conurbation

References