Sheffield Hallam (UK Parliament constituency)

Sheffield Hallam is a constituency<ref group="n">A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)</ref> represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Olivia Blake of the Labour Party.<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>

Constituency profile

Hallam constituency extends from Stannington and Loxley in the north to Dore in the south and includes small parts of the city centre in the east. It includes the wards of Crookes, Dore and Totley, Ecclesall, Fulwood and Stannington.

A large proportion of Hallam is rural, spreading in the west into the Peak District National Park.

It has relatively low unemployment (1.7% jobseekers claimants in May 2025<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>), and a historically higher rate of owner occupancy,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> although the proportion of private renters has risen in the most recent census.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Since the 2010 boundary changes, of the city's two universities, only the University of Sheffield Management School has a campus in the constituency,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but it still includes areas where many students live.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On income-based 2004 statistics, this was the most affluent constituency one place below the top ten seats of the 650, which were spread across the South East of England (including London), with almost 12% of residents earning over £60,000 a year.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref> Based on 2011–12 income and tax statistics from HMRC Sheffield Hallam had the 70th highest median income of the 650 parliamentary constituencies.<ref>Income and tax by Parliamentary constituency HMRC</ref> More recent data complicates this picture: the Centre for cities' 2024 analysis of constituencies showed the gross income of Sheffield Hallam to be £18,048, marginally above the city average of £17,404.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The same data highlighted that the constituency's share of jobs in publicly-funded services, such as the universities, council and NHS, was 31.3%, above the England and Wales average of 25.7%.<ref name=":1" /> LabourList have highlighted that the city's public sector workforce were 'angered by Lib Dem role in austerity', and 'did feel real-terms impacts from austerity in their earnings'.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

Prior to its creation Hallam was a part of the larger Sheffield Borough constituency, which was represented by two Members of Parliament (MPs). In 1885 the Redistribution of Seats Act, which sought to eliminate constituencies with more than one MP and for the first time allow approximately equal representation of the people, led to the break-up of the constituency into five divisions: each represented by a single MP, as today. Hallam was one of these new divisions. Its first MP, the Conservative Charles Stuart-Wortley, had previously been an MP in the Sheffield constituency, elected for the first time in 1880.

Hallam was regarded in 2004 as the wealthiest constituency in the north of England<ref name="auto" /> and was held by the Conservative Party for all but two years from 1885 to 1997. At the 1997 general election, Richard Allan of the Liberal Democrats took the seat with an 18.5% swing, becoming only the second non-Tory ever to win it. He handed the seat to fellow Lib Dem and future UK Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg in 2005; who held it until his defeat by Labour's Jared O'Mara at the 2017 snap general election. That year saw the constituency record its highest turnout in 66 years, with 77.8% of the electorate going to the polls.

Sheffield Hallam was once only constituency in South Yorkshire not to be considered a Labour stronghold, returning its first Labour MP in 2017. It was a safe Conservative seat from 1885 until 1997. This long period of Conservative dominance included the period under Margaret Thatcher's premiership, starkly contrasting with most seats in the county and the neighbouring county of Derbyshire; the constituency was the only Conservative seat in South Yorkshire in the three elections before the 1997 General Election.

At the 1997 general election, Richard Allan of the Liberal Democrats took the seat with an 18.5% swing. He was followed by Nick Clegg in 2005, who was leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015. Clegg held it until his defeat by Labour's Jared O'Mara at the 2017 snap general election.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> That year saw the constituency record its highest turnout in 66 years, with 77.8% of the electorate going to the polls.

From 25 October 2017 until 3 July 2018, O'Mara had the whip withdrawn as a Labour MP and sat as an independent. It was later restored but he quit the Labour Party shortly afterwards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He then sat as an independent MP until leaving parliament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> O'Mara announced he would resign as an MP in September 2019, citing mental health issues.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He postponed his resignation until the 2019 general election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Olivia Blake won the seat for the Labour Party in the 2019 general election with a small majority of 1.2%.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In her maiden speech to Parliament, Blake said that the Sheffield Hallam constituency had a "very long history of social justice", as mythology points to a Yorkshire origin for Robin Hood in Loxley, thereby lending her support to the idea that Loxley was the birthplace of Robin Hood.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Blake retained her seat at the 2024 general election with a much increased majority of 15.9%, and 23,875 votes in total.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Borough of Sheffield wards of: Nether and Upper Hallam, and parts of the wards of Ecclesall and St George's.

1918–1950: The County Borough of Sheffield wards of: Crookesmoor and Hallam, and part of Broomhill ward.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Sheffield wards of: Broomhill, Ecclesall, and Hallam.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Sheffield wards of: Broomhill, Crookesmoor, Ecclesall, and Hallam.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Sheffield wards of: Broomhill, Dore, Ecclesall, Hallam, and Nether Edge.

1983–1997: The City of Sheffield wards of: Broomhill, Dore, Ecclesall, Hallam, and Nether Edge.

1997–2010: The City of Sheffield wards of: Broomhill, Dore, Ecclesall, and Hallam.

2010–2024: The City of Sheffield wards of: Crookes; Dore and Totley; Ecclesall; Fulwood; and Stannington (as they existed on 12 April 2005).

2024–present: The City of Sheffield wards of: Crookes & Crosspool, Dore & Totley, Ecclesall, Fulwood, and Stannington (as they existed in 1 December 2020).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Minor changes to align with new ward boundaries.

Hallam<ref group="n">The constituency should not be confused with the former Hallamshire constituency.</ref> borders Derbyshire Dales, High Peak, North East Derbyshire, Penistone and Stocksbridge, Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, Sheffield Central and Sheffield Heeley.

Constituency polls during the 2010–2015 Parliament

Due in part to the high profile of the constituency's then-MP Nick Clegg, who served as Deputy Prime Minister during the 2010–15 Parliament, Sheffield Hallam was unusual in having had seven constituency-specific opinion polls conducted between 2010 and 2015. Each of these polls suggested significant changes in the vote share compared to 2010 general election.

The first poll, in October 2010, suggested a drop in the Lib Dem lead in the seat to just 2%, from nearly 30% at the general election five months earlier. Five of the six remaining polls, which appeared between May 2014 and May 2015, suggested that Labour was in the lead in the seat by this time, with the Labour lead fluctuating to between 1% and 10%, and one put the Lib Dems in the lead.

On average across all seven opinion polls, Labour had a lead over the Lib Dems of 2.5%. The Conservatives came second in one poll, and third in the other six polls. The May 2015 ICM poll scores displayed are those of the constituency voting intention question. The same poll also carried the standard voting intention question, which showed a Labour lead.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Dates	Polling organisation/client	Sample size	Lab	Con	LD	UKIP	class="unsortable" style="background:Template:Party color; width:60px;"| Green	Others	Lead
8 June 2017	General Election 2017<ref name="BBC News Sheffield Hallam Result 2017"/>	57,020	38.4%	23.8%	34.7%	1.6%	1.4%	0.1%	3.8% over LD
7 May 2015	General Election 2015	55,481	35.8%	13.6%	40.0%	6.4%	3.2%	0.9%	4.2% over Lab
1–3 May 2015	ICM/Guardian	501	35%	12%	42%	7%	3%	2%	7% over Lab
22–28 Apr 2015	Lord Ashcroft	1,000	37%	15%	36%	7%	4%	1%	1% over LD
22–28 Mar 2015	Lord Ashcroft	1,001	36%	16%	34%	7%	6%	1%	2% over LD
22–29 Jan 2015	Survation/Unite	1,011	33%	22%	23%	9%	12%	<0.5%	10% over LD
20–22 Nov 2014	Survation/Lord Ashcroft	962	30%	19%	27%<ref>This poll originally, erroneously, showed a small lead for the LDs: see http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2015/02/sheffield-hallam-doncaster-north-thanet-south/#more-7536</ref>	13%	10%	1%	3% over LD
29 Apr–4 May 2014	ICM/Lord Oakeshott	500	33%	24%	23%	10%	8%	1%	9% over Con
1–4 Oct 2010	Populus/Lord Ashcroft	1,000	31%	28%	33%	N/A	N/A	8%	2% over Lab
6 May 2010	General Election Result	51,135	16.1%	23.5%	53.4%	2.3%	1.8%	2.7%	29.9% over Con

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1885	Charles Stuart-Wortley	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1916 (by)	H. A. L. Fisher	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1918	Douglas Vickers	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1922	Frederick Sykes<ref group="n">Knighted in 1928 and appointed Governor of Bombay</ref>	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1928 (by)	Louis Smith	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1939 (by)	Roland Jennings	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1959	John Osborn	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1987	Irvine Patnick	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1997	Richard Allan	Liberal Democrats
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2005	Nick Clegg	Liberal Democrats
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2017	Jared O'Mara	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	October 2017		Independent
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	July 2018		Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	July 2018		Independent
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2019	Olivia Blake	Labour

Elections

File:HallamGraph.svg

Election results for Sheffield Hallam

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation				CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Party		Vote	%
Template:Party color cell	Labour	21,004	35.0
Template:Party color cell	Liberal Democrats	19,896	33.1
Template:Party color cell	Conservative	15,435	25.7
Template:Party color cell	Green	1,799	3.0
Template:Party color cell	Brexit Party	1,641	2.7
Template:Party color cell	Others	291	0.5
Turnout		60,066	78.4
Electorate		76,637

Template:Election box begin Template:Election box winning candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box majority Template:Election box turnout Template:Election box hold with party link Template:Election box end In 2010, Sheffield Hallam was one of a number of constituencies that experienced problems on polling day leading to some people being unable to cast their vote. In this case, voters at the Ranmoor polling station were subjected to long queues and some voters were turned away when polls closed at 10 pm, with Liberal Democrat candidate Nick Clegg apologising to those voters affected. Acting Returning Officer John Mothersole said that staff had been "caught out" by a high turnout, and the Electoral Commission instigated a review of procedures in Hallam and other constituencies where similar problems had occurred.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Elections in the 2000s

File:Nick Clegg official portrait.jpg

Nick Clegg

Elections in the 1910s

• 1916 by-election followed the resignation of Charles Stuart-Wortley on 16 December. Herbert Fisher of the Liberal Party was elected unopposed, becoming Hallam's first non-Unionist MP.

File:1919 Arthur Neal.jpg

Arthur Neal

See also

• Parliamentary constituencies in South Yorkshire

External links

• Vote 2001 – Sheffield Hallam BBC News
• Election 2005 – Sheffield Hallam BBC News
• Election history – Sheffield Hallam The Guardian
• Template:Rayment-hc
• Political Science Resources Election results from 1951 to the present
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918 – 1949
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950 – 1970
• Sheffield General Election Results 1945 – 2001Template:Dead link, Sheffield City Council
• UK Constituency Maps
• Sheffield, Hallam UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Sheffield, Hallam UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Sheffield Hallam UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK