Salford (UK Parliament constituency)

History

The constituency was first established as a single-member parliamentary borough by the Reform Act 1832. It returned two MPs from 1868. It was abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, when it was replaced by three single member (North, South and West).

The borough constituency was created for the 1997 general election, primarily from the abolished Salford East seat. This was abolished and absorbed into the new Salford and Eccles constituency for the 2010 election. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established (though is not identical to its 1997 incarnation) for the 2024 general election, replacing the now abolished Salford and Eccles seat once again.

Boundaries

1832–1885

In 1832 the constituency was formed from the townships of Broughton, Pendleton and Salford, with part of the township of Pendlebury. The exact boundaries were defined in the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832:

From the Northernmost Point at which the Boundary of the Township of Salford meets the Boundary of the Township of Broughton, Northward, along the Boundary of the Township of Broughton, to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Township of Pendleton; thence, Westward, along the Boundary of the Township of Pendleton to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the detached Portion of the Township of Pendlebury; thence, Southward, along the Boundary of the detached Portion of the Township of Pendlebury to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Township of Salford; thence, Westward, along the Boundary of the Township of Salford to the Point first described.

In 1883 the detached portion of Pendlebury was absorbed by Pendleton.

1997–2010

The constituency was re-created for the 1997 election. It boundaries were defined by the Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995, and consisted of eight wards of the City of Salford: Blackfriars, Broughton, Claremont, Kersal, Langworthy, Ordsall, Pendleton, and Weaste & Seedley.

From 1997-2010 this was a very safe Labour seat which had some of the UK's most deprived areas, typified by council estates like Ordsall, Pendleton and Langworthy, which were due for apparent redevelopment. Higher Broughton has a considerable Jewish population and has some very decent residential housing, but during this period Labour were usually in the lead at local level; the Conservatives, like all the other neighbouring Manchester seats, tended to be in third place in General Elections before the decline of the Liberal Democrats in 2015.

2010 boundary review

Following its review of parliamentary representation in Greater Manchester the Boundary Commission for England recommended that Salford be split into three new constituencies and this was enacted in 2010:

• Blackley and Broughton, a cross-border constituency formed with wards in the to-be-abolished Manchester Blackley seat.
• Salford and Eccles took the existing Salford seat and married it with central electoral wards of Eccles
• Worsley and Eccles South brought Walkden, Worsley and Eccles together in a new seat following the removal of the Wigan-Salford link

Current

The re-established constituency is composed of the following wards of the City of Salford (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• Blackfriars & Trinity; Broughton; Claremont; Ordsall; Pendlebury & Clifton; Pendleton & Charlestown; Quays; Swinton Park; Weaste & Seedley.

The constituency now comprises the majority of, and replaces, the constituency of Salford and Eccles - excluding the town of Eccles and Swinton town centre, which formed part of the new constituency of Worsley and Eccles. The town of Swinton was split, with residential areas in the Swinton Park ward instead joining this constituency.

It also includes Broughton, previously part of the abolished constituency of Blackley and Broughton. The ward of Kersal and Broughton Park, the other Salford City ward of that constituency, joined Bury South.

The new constituency varies from its 1997 version by inclusion of the Salford suburbs of Swinton and Pendlebury (which were in the now-defunct Eccles constituency), and exclusion of Kersal and Broughton Park which was annexed to Bury South for the first time.

An economically diverse area that has seen much regeneration over the past 25 years through slum clearance and flagship developments such as MediaCityUK, home of BBC and ITV in the north, and The Lowry at Salford Quays, though some areas are relatively deprived. The constituency stretches from the Blackfriars and Trinity areas, on the border of Manchester City Centre, featuring new high-rise apartments with high levels of graduates and professional workers, similarly Salford Quays, along with relatively working class areas of inner-city Salford such as Weaste and Seedley with higher proportions of social housing, through to the residential suburbs of Swinton, Clifton and Pendlebury in the Irwell Valley. The presence of the University of Salford also means there is a sizeable proportion of students in the constituency. In addition to the MediaCityUK and The Lowry development which attracts millions of visitors annually, other points of interest in the area include Clifton Country Park, Peel Park, and Ordsall Hall.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1868

MPs 1868–1885

MPs 1997–2010

MPs 2024–present

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 22,334

Elections in the 1870s

|reg. electors = 22,041

• Caused by Cawley's death.

|reg. electors = 19,177

Elections in the 1860s

|reg. electors = 15,862

• Seat increased to two members

|reg. electors = 5,397

• Caused by Massey's resignation after his appointment as a member of the Council of India.

Elections in the 1850s

|reg. electors = 4,222

|reg. electors = 4,028

• Caused by Brotherton's death

|reg. electors = 2,950

Elections in the 1840s

|reg. electors = 2,605

|editor-link=F. W. S. Craig |orig-year=1844-1850 |reg. electors = 2,443

Elections in the 1830s

|reg. electors = 2,628

|reg. electors = 2,336

|reg. electors = 1,497

References

1. Youngs, Frederic A Jr.. (1991). "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.2: Northern England". [[Royal Historical Society]].
2. "North West {{!}} Boundary Commission for England".
3. 1832 c.64, schedule "O"
4. (1995). "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/1626)". [[Office of Public Sector Information]].
5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023".
6. {{Rayment-hc. r. 2. (March 2012)
7. (19 December 1832). "The Elections". Bury and Norwich Post.
8. (15 December 1832). "General Election". Morning Post.
9. (1992). "Popular Anti-Catholicism in Mid-Victorian England". [[Stanford University Press]].
10. (1983). "Leadership and Power in Victorian Industrial Towns, 1830–80". [[Manchester University Press]].
11. (7 February 1857). "Election Intelligence". Bucks Herald.
12. (10 July 1852). "Newport Borough Election". Hampshire Advertiser.
13. (9 July 1852). "Shipping and Mercantile Gazette".
14. (5 July 2024). "Election Results". Salford City Council.
15. "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". [[UK Parliament]].
16. "Election Data 2005". [[Electoral Calculus]].
17. "Election Data 2001". [[Electoral Calculus]].
18. "Election Data 1997". [[Electoral Calculus]].
19. (1977). "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885". Macmillan Press.
20. (10 April 1877). "The Candidates for Salford". [[Evening Telegraph (Dundee).
21. (15 February 1868). "The Representation of Salford". [[Manchester Times]].
22. (16 April 1859). "Election Intelligence". Bolton Chronicle.
23. (6 April 1857). "The Borough Elections". Yorkshire Gazette.