Walsall North

Constituency profile

The constituency was in the heart of an area traditionally focused on manufacturing which retained many mechanical and engineering jobs in its economy.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 8.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, not the highest in the region (which was Birmingham Ladywood at 11.1%) but also significantly higher than the average for the region, 4.7%.

Boundaries

Walsall North was one of three constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall. The others were Walsall South and Aldridge-Brownhills.

1955–1964: The County Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich, Hatherton, and Leamore, and the Urban District of Brownhills.

1964–1974: The County Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Hatherton, and Leamore, and the Urban District of Brownhills.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Walsall wards of Bentley, Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Leamore, Willenhall North and Willenhall South.

1983–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Short Heath, Willenhall North, and Willenhall South.

History

;Results between 1955 and 1979 The seat was created in 1955 from part of Walsall. Its first Member of Parliament was W.T. Wells of the Labour Party, who had been the MP for Walsall. In 1974, he was succeeded by controversial Labour MP John Stonehouse, who was appointed Postmaster General and became infamous for faking his own death, being later jailed for fraud. After resigning from the party in April 1976, he was invited to join the English National Party, becoming their first (and only) MP, before being forced to resign as an MP in August 1976. The ensuing by-election was won by Robin Hodgson, a Conservative.

;Results since 1979 Labour regained the seat in 1979; their candidate was the former Croydon South MP David Winnick, who represented the constituency until 2017. Aside from a marginal majority in 1987 of 3.7%, Winnick's wins from and including 1979 ranged between 7.3% and 29% (the latter twice) until 2010. He fended off a strong challenge from Conservative Helyn Clack, who he beat by 2.7% of the vote in 2010. Going into the 2015 general election, Walsall North was 13th on the list of Conservative target seats. Winnick increased his majority to 1,937 — 5.2% of the vote. The 2015 result gave the seat the 22nd-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.

;Other parties since 1979 Conservative candidates finished runner-up in each election from and including 1979, winning in 2017.

The UKIP swing of +17.2% in 2015, coming the year before the UK's EU membership referendum, was higher than the national average of 9.5%. The Liberal Democrat, TUSC and Green Party candidates of 2015 won less than 5% of the vote, so lost their deposits.

The Liberal Democrats managed to produce their best result since the seat's 1955 creation (counting their two predecessor parties) in 1983, when Liberal A. Bentley polled 20.7% of the vote. In 2005 and 2010, the BNP saved their deposit by polling more than 5% of the vote. The last time this percentage had been reached by a candidate in Walsall North in other than the top three parties had been 1976.

Abolition

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished prior to the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed three ways:

• The majority, comprising the Birchills Leamore, Blakenall and two Bloxwich wards were combined with the majority of the disappearing Walsall South seat, which includes Walsall town centre, to form the new constituency of Walsall and Bloxwich
• Short Heath and Willenhall North wards to Wolverhampton North East
• Willenhall South ward to Wolverhampton South East

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

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Elections in the 1980s

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Elections in the 1970s

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url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge74b/i20.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=10 October 1974|work=Election 1979|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=2013-01-17}}

url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge74a/i20.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=28 February 1974|work=Election 1979|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=2013-01-17}}

url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge70/i20.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=18 June 1970|work=Election 1970|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=2013-01-17}}

Elections in the 1960s

url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge66/i20.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=31 March 1966|work=Election 1966|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=2013-01-17}}

url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge64/i20.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=15 October 1964|work=Election 1966|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=2013-01-17}}

Elections in the 1950s

url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge64/i20.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=8 October 1959|work=Election 1959|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=2013-01-17}}

url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge55/i20.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=26 May 1955|work=Election 1955|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=2013-01-17}}

Notes

References

References

1. (4 March 2011). "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England.
2. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – West Midlands {{!}} Boundary Commission for England".
3. [https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/nov/17/unemployment-and-employment-statistics-economics Unemployment claimants by constituency] ''[[The Guardian]]''
4. . (1956). ["Statutory Instruments 1955"](https://books.google.com/books?id=8TDyAAAAMAAJ). *[[Her Majesty's Stationery Office]]*.
5. . (1961). ["Statutory Instruments 1960"](https://books.google.com/books?id=-4NQAQAAIAAJ). *[[Her Majesty's Stationery Office]]*.
6. "Election 2010 – Walsall North". BBC News.
7. (31 March 2015). "Conservative top target seats to win the 2015 general election with an overall majority". Mirror.
8. "Walsall North parliamentary constituency – Election 2015". BBC News.
9. "Labour Members of Parliament 2015".
10. {{Rayment-hc. w. 1. (March 2012)
11. "Walsall North Parliamentary constituency". [[BBC Online]].
12. "Walsall North Parliamentary constituency". [[BBC Online]].
13. "Election Data 2015". [[Electoral Calculus]].
14. "Election Data 2010". [[Electoral Calculus]].
15. "Election Data 2005". [[Electoral Calculus]].
16. "Election Data 2001". [[Electoral Calculus]].
17. "Election Data 1997". [[Electoral Calculus]].
18. (12 October 2022). "Walsall North [Archive]".
19. "Election Data 1992". [[Electoral Calculus]].
20. "Election Data 1987". [[Electoral Calculus]].
21. "Election Data 1983". [[Electoral Calculus]].