Meriden (UK Parliament constituency)

Meriden
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Meriden in the West Midlands for the 2007 general election.

Outline map

Location of the West Midlands within England.
County West Midlands
Electorate 83,428 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Balsall Common, Hampton-in-Arden, Meriden and Chelmsley Wood
Current constituency
Created 1955
Member of parliament Caroline Spelman (Conservative)
Number of members One
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency West Midlands

Meriden is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Caroline Spelman, a Conservative.[n 2]

History

Meriden is the largest geographical constituency in the West Midlands metropolitan area. It was created for the 1955 general election.

The 1983 boundary changes and landslide electoral success of Mrs Thatcher that year transformed the constituency into a Conservative safe seat, with the Labour-leaning areas becoming part of a new Warwickshire North seat (which was also won by the Conservatives). Iain Mills held this seat until he died in office in January 1997, with the seat remaining vacant until the dissolution of Parliament that March (and therefore no by-election being held). Caroline Spelman was victorious in the 1997 general election, though on that occasion only by a marginal majority, and has held the seat since, with the challenge from Labour becoming more distant.

History of boundaries

1955 - 1983

Creation following a review of parliamentary seats in Warwickshire by the boundary commission appointed under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949. The constituency comprised three rural districts in the north of the county: Atherstone, Meriden and Tamworth.[2] The areas were transferred from the neighbouring constituencies of Nuneaton and Sutton Coldfield.[3]

Tamworth Rural District was abolished in 1965, with most of its area redistributed between the two neighbouring rural districts. Accordingly, when parliamentary constituencies were reorganised throughout England in 1970, Meriden was redefined to consist only of Atherstone and Meriden Rural Districts.[4] This was only a minor boundary change.

The seat was a Labour/Conservative marginal, covering the coal mining areas of northern Warwickshire and the more affluent area near Solihull. It changed hands between the two parties several times, including in a by-election in 1968, which was won by Keith Speed of the Conservatives.

1983 to date

The next redistribution of constituencies was in 1983, reflecting the major boundary changes effected by the Local Government Act 1972. A new Meriden County Constituency was created as part of the parliamentary county of West Midlands, consisting of nine wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, namely Bickenhill, Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Fordbridge, Kingshurst, Knowle, Meriden, Packwood and Smith's Wood.[5] The boundaries were unchanged in 1997.[6]

Constituency profile

The constituency is one of two covering the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It covers the rural area, known as the Meriden Gap, between the West Midlands conurbation and Coventry, which contains villages such as Balsall Common, Hampton-in-Arden and Meriden itself, with some towns, particularly Castle Bromwich and Chelmsley Wood (a large area of 1960s council housing on the eastern edge of Birmingham, some of which since acquired privately under the right to buy others of which being remaining social housing), higher than average national income and affluent areas particular examples being Dorridge and Knowle.[7] Incidence of home ownership in this area is high, as opposed to the rented sector.[8][9]

Boundaries

Wards were consolidated by Parliament (to put together polling districts which in four examples[n 3] had spanned different seats) before the 2010 general election and so Meriden has the whole wards in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull of:

Members of Parliament

The current MP since 1997 is the Conservative Caroline Spelman.

ElectionMember[10]Party
1955 Reginald Moss Labour
1959 Gordon Matthews Conservative
1964 Christopher Rowland Labour
1968 by-election Keith Speed Conservative
Feb 1974 John Tomlinson Labour
1979 Iain Mills Conservative
1997 Caroline Spelman Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Ade Adeyemo
Green Alison Gavin[11]
UKIP Mick Gee
Labour Tom McNeil[12]
Conservative Caroline Spelman
General Election 2010: Meriden[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Caroline Spelman 26,956 51.7 +4.0
Labour Ed Williams 10,703 20.5 −11.7
Liberal Democrat Simon Slater 9,278 17.8 +1.0
BNP Frank O'Brien 2,511 4.8 N/A
UKIP Barry Allcock 1,378 2.6 −0.7
Green Elly Stanton 678 1.3 N/A
Solihull and Meriden Residents' Association Nikki Sinclaire 658 1.3 N/A
Majority 16,253 31.2 +15.7
Turnout 52,162 63.3 +3.2
Conservative hold Swing +7.9

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Caroline Spelman 22,416 48.2 +0.5
Labour Jim Brown 15,407 33.1 −6.1
Liberal Democrat William Laitinen 7,113 15.3 +4.2
UKIP Denis Brookes 1,567 3.4 +1.4
Majority 7,009 15.1 +6.6
Turnout 46,503 60.1 −0.3
Conservative hold Swing +3.3
General Election 2001: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Caroline Spelman 21,246 47.7 +5.7
Labour Christine Shawcroft 17,462 39.2 −1.8
Liberal Democrat Nigel Hicks 4,941 11.1 −1.9
UKIP Richard Adams 910 2.0 N/A
Majority 3,784 8.5 +7.4
Turnout 44,559 60.4 −11.3
Conservative hold Swing +3.7

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Meriden[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Caroline Spelman 22,997 42.0 −13.1
Labour Brian Seymour-Smith 22,415 41.0 +10.1
Liberal Democrat Tony Dupont 7,098 13.0 −1.0
Referendum Party P Gilbert 2,208 4.0 N/A
Majority 582 1.1 −23.1
Turnout 54,718 71.7 −7.1
Conservative hold Swing −11.6
General Election 1992: Meriden[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Iain Mills 33,462 55.1 +0.0
Labour NJ Stephens 18,763 30.9 +4.8
Liberal Democrat Mrs JA Morris 8,489 14.0 −4.8
Majority 14,699 24.2 −4.8
Turnout 60,714 78.8 +5.0
Conservative hold Swing −2.4

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Iain Mills 31,935 55.11
Labour Richard Burden 15,115 26.08
Social Democratic CE Parkinson 10,896 18.80
Majority 16,820 29.03
Turnout 73.87
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Iain Mills 28,474 53.66
Labour John Sever 13,456 25.36
Social Democratic PM Dunbar 10,674 20.12
National Front CL Collins 460 0.87
Majority 15,018 28.30
Turnout 71.55
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Iain Mills 37,151 48.77
Labour John Tomlinson 33,024 43.35
Liberal D Spurling 4,976 6.53
National Front A Parkes 1,032 1.35
Majority 4,127 5.42
Turnout 77.02
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General Election October 1974: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Tomlinson 34,641 47.39
Conservative CF Horne 25,675 35.12
Liberal D Minnis 12,782 17.49
Majority 8,966 12.27
Turnout 75.08
Labour hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Tomlinson 40,541 52.93
Conservative Keith Speed 36,056 47.07
Majority 4,485 5.86
Turnout 79.47
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1970: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Speed 40,077 53.13
Labour NP Lister 35,353 46.87
Majority 4,724 6.26
Turnout 75.59
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

Meriden by-election, 1968
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Speed 33,344 64.8 +18.4
Labour Roderick MacFarquhar 18,081 35.2 −18.4
Majority 15,263 29.6 N/A
Turnout 51,425 66.0 -19.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +18.4
General Election 1966: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christopher Rowland 33,831 53.6
Conservative Jonathan Aitken 29,250 46.4
Majority 4,581 7.2
Turnout 63,081 85.7
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1964: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christopher Rowland 29,425 50.31
Conservative Gordon Matthews 29,062 49.69
Majority 363 0.62
Turnout 83.45
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Matthews 26,498 50.25
Labour Reginald Moss 26,235 49.75
Majority 263 0.50
Turnout 84.44
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General Election 1955: Meriden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Reginald Moss 22,796 51.24
Conservative WJ Peel 21,691 48.76
Majority 1,105 2.48
Turnout 81.48
Labour hold Swing

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Bickenhill, Blythe, Elmdon, St Alphege
References
  1. ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ↑ The Parliamentary Constituencies (Birmingham and North Warwickshire) Order, 1955 (S.I. 1955/177)
  3. ↑ F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.II: Northern England, London, 1991
  4. ↑ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970 (S.I. 1970/1674)
  5. ↑ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/417)
  6. ↑ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/1626)
  7. ↑ 2001 Census
  8. ↑ 2011 census interactive maps
  9. ↑ Statutory Instrument 2007 No. 1681 (section Schedule) The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 (Coming into force 27 June 2007)
  10. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)
  11. ↑ http://westmidlands.greenparty.org.uk/news.html/2015/01/29/greens-select-meriden-parliamentary-candidate/
  12. ↑ http://electionresults.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/meriden-2015.html
  13. ↑ http://www.solihull.gov.uk/Attachments/SOPN.pdf
  14. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  15. ↑ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.118 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
  16. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 Dec 2010.

Coordinates: 52°24′N 1°43′W / 52.40°N 1.71°W