Sherwood (UK Parliament constituency)

Sherwood
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Sherwood in Nottinghamshire.

Outline map

Location of Nottinghamshire within England.
County Nottinghamshire
Electorate 72,111 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Hucknall
Current constituency
Created 1983
Member of parliament Mark Spencer (Conservative)
Number of members One
Created from Newark, Carlton, Ashfield
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency East Midlands

Sherwood is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Mark Spencer, a Conservative.[n 2]

Boundaries

The constituency is in central Nottinghamshire, covering parts of three local government authorities: the Ashfield district, parts of the Gedling borough, and the western part of the Newark and Sherwood district, the largest geographical area of the seat.

Details

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered this constituency for the 2010 general election since which it has electoral wards:

Constituency profile

The seat is an area of many contrasts such as Ravenshead, home to some of Nottinghamshire's most affluent residents, numerous smaller rural villages, one mining village and many ex-mining villages, and the town of Hucknall, the largest in the constituency, now a commuter town but with a long mining tradition. Thoresby, Edwinstowe contains a large operational coal mine underground, see Coalfield Resources plc.

In statistics

The constituency consists of Census Output Areas of three local government districts with similar characteristics: a working population whose income is close to the national average and lower than average reliance upon social housing.[3] At the end of 2012 the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 3.5% of the population claiming jobseekers allowance, compared to an identical regional average which was below the national average.[4] Taking Newark and Sherwood that contributes to the seat: a slightly below average 18.6% of its population are without a car, a medium 25.1% of the population are without qualifications and a high 24.2% have level 4 qualifications or above (2011). In terms of tenure 70.2% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage by occupants as at the 2011 census across that district.[5]

History

On the constituency's creation in 1983, Andy Stewart won it for the Conservatives in their landslide victory that year with a majority of just 637. The Nottinghamshire miners drifted further from Labour during the 1984 strike and Stewart was re-elected with an increased majority in 1987. However in 1992 the seat was gained for Labour by Paddy Tipping, who held it until he retired in 2010, when the seat was regained for the Conservatives by Mark Spencer, by a majority of 214.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[6] Party
1983 Andy Stewart Conservative
1992 Paddy Tipping Labour
2010 Mark Spencer Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Sherwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UKIP Sally Chadd[7]
Green Lydia Davies-Bright[8]
Labour Léonie Mathers
Liberal Democrat Dan Mosley[9]
Class War Dave Perkins
Conservative Mark Spencer
Majority
Turnout

In 2015, the Justice for Men and Boys party announced Ian Young as candidate, but he failed to stand.[10]

General Election 2010: Sherwood[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Spencer 19,211 39.2 +5.8
Labour Emilie Oldknow 18,997 38.8 −10.6
Liberal Democrat Kevin Moore 7,283 14.9 +1.4
BNP James North 1,754 3.6 N/A
UKIP Margot Parker 1,490 3.0 −0.7
NOTA (None of the Above) Russ Swan [12] 219 0.4 N/A
Majority 214 0.4 +16.3
Turnout 48,954 68.9 +7.1
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +8.2

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Sherwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paddy Tipping 22,824 48.4 5.8
Conservative Bruce Laughton 16,172 34.3 +0.5
Liberal Democrat Peter Harris 6,384 13.5 +1.6
UKIP Moritz Dawkins 1,737 3.7 N/A
Majority 6,652 14.1
Turnout 47,117 62.8 +2.1
Labour hold Swing 3.1
General Election 2001: Sherwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paddy Tipping 24,900 54.2 -4.3
Conservative Brandon Lewis 15,527 33.8 +5.1
Liberal Democrat Peter Harris 5,473 11.9 +3.3
Majority 9,373 20.4
Turnout 45,900 60.7 -14.8
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Sherwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paddy Tipping 33,071 58.5
Conservative Roland Spencer 16,259 28.8
Liberal Democrat Bruce Moult 4,889 8.6
Referendum Party Lee Slack 1,882 3.3
BNP Paul Ballard 432 0.8
Majority 16,812
Turnout 75.6
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1992: Sherwood[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paddy Tipping 29,788 47.5 +9.3
Conservative Andy Stewart 26,878 42.9 3.0
Liberal Democrat JW Howard 6,039 9.6 6.3
Majority 2,910 4.6 3.0
Turnout 62,705 85.5 +4.1
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +6.2

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Sherwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andy Stewart 26,816 45.85
Labour William Bach 22,321 38.17
Social Democratic SR Thompstone 9,343 15.98
Majority 4,495 7.69
Turnout 81.93
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Sherwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andy Stewart 21,595 41.0 N/A
Labour William Bach 20,937 39.7 N/A
Social Democratic Margaret E. Cooper 10,172 19.3 N/A
Majority 658 1.3 N/A
Turnout 76.28 N/A
Conservative win (new seat)

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.
References

Coordinates: 53°04′N 1°08′W / 53.07°N 1.13°W