Aldridge-Brownhills (UK Parliament constituency)
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox UK constituency main Aldridge-Brownhills (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a constituency<ref group="n">A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)</ref> in the West Midlands, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.<ref group="n">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.</ref> It has been represented since 2015 by Wendy Morton, a Conservative.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Constituency profile
The constituency is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands and contains towns and villages on the outskirts of Walsall. This includes the towns of Aldridge and Brownhills and the villages of Pelsall, Shelfield, Rushall and Streetly.
The area has an industrial history, with coal mining and brick manufacturing traditionally providing much of the economic activity in Aldridge and Brownhills.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Compared to the rest of the country, residents of the constituency are older than average, are less likely to be degree-educated and have an average level of wealth and deprivation.<ref name="ElectoralCalculus">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The area has a relatively low proportion of ethnic minorities; 85% of the constituency is white<ref name="ElectoralCalculus"/> compared to 61% in the West Midlands county overall.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
History
Aldridge-Brownhills constituency was created in 1974 from parts of the former seats of Walsall North and Walsall South. It is one of four constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It covers the north-east and east of the borough. It was initially held by the Labour Party at the two 1974 general elections, when the constituency included most of Pheasey, a ward of the same name, then a stronger area for Labour than much of the rest,Template:Citation needed which was moved into Walsall South in 1983 to account for population expansion in the seat. Pheasey was moved back into the constituency for the 2024 general election.
The constituency has had just three different MPs since its formation in February 1974. Geoff Edge of the Labour Party served the constituency from February 1974 until 1979, when it was gained by Richard Shepherd of the Conservative Party. Shepherd represented the constituency for thirty-six years, even withstanding the 1997 Labour landslide on a below average Conservative-to-Labour swing. In 2014, Sir Richard Shepherd announced he would not stand for re-election at the 2015 general election. Wendy Morton was selected to replace him as the Conservative candidate and secured the seat with a safe majority of 11,723 votes. This was increased over the next two elections and, in 2019, the majority was over 50%. Morton held onto the seat in the 2024 Labour landslide, but her majority was drastically reduced to 10.3%.
Boundaries
Template:Maplink 1974–1983: The Urban District of Aldridge-Brownhills.
1983–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall wards of Aldridge Central and South, Aldridge North and Walsall Wood, Brownhills, Hatherton Rushall, Pelsall, and Streetly.
2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall wards of Aldridge Central and South, Aldridge North and Walsall Wood, Brownhills, Pelsall, Rushall-Shelfield, and Streetly.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The Borough of Walsall wards of: Aldridge Central and South; Aldridge North and Walsall Wood; Brownhills; Paddock (polling districts UE and UF); Pelsall; Pheasey Park Farm; Rushall-Shelfield; Streetly<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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To bring the electorate within the permitted range, the seat was expanded to the south by transferring in the Pheasey Park Farm ward and part of the Paddock ward from the former constituency of Walsall South which was abolished in 2024.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member<ref>Template:Rayment-hc</ref> | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" | | Feb 1974 | Geoff Edge | Labour |
| style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" | | 1979 | Richard Shepherd | Conservative |
| style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2015 | Wendy Morton | |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
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Elections in the 2010s
| 2019 notional result<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | ||
| Template:Party color cell | Conservative | 32,941 | 69.6 | |
| Template:Party color cell | Labour | 10,183 | 21.5 | |
| Template:Party color cell | Liberal Democrats | 2,654 | 5.6 | |
| Template:Party color cell | Green Party | 873 | 1.8 | |
| Template:Party color cell | Official Monster Raving Loony Party | 336 | 0.7 | |
| Template:Party color cell | Brexit Party | 334 | 0.7 | |
| Turnout | 47,321 | |||
| Electorate | 73,122 | |||
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Elections in the 2000s
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Elections in the 1990s
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Elections in the 1980s
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Elections in the 1970s
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See also
- List of parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)
- List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region)
Notes
References
External links
- Aldridge-Brownhills UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
- Aldridge-Brownhills UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- Aldridge-Brownhills UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK
Template:Constituencies in the West Midlands Template:Authority control Template:Coord