Meriden (UK Parliament constituency)
| Meriden | |
|---|---|
| County constituency | |
| for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Meriden in the West Midlands for the 2007 general election. |
|
 Location of the West Midlands within England. |
|
| County | West Midlands |
| Electorate | 83,428 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Balsall Common, Hampton-in-Arden, Meriden and Chelmsley Wood |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1955 |
| Member of Parliament | Caroline Spelman (Conservative) |
| Number of members | One |
| Overlaps | |
| European Parliament constituency | West Midlands |
Meriden is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was first contested at the 1955 general election.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] 1955 - 1983
The Meriden County Constituency was created in 1955, following a review of parliamentary seats in Warwickshire by the boundary commission appointed under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949. The new constituency comprised three rural districts in the north of the county: Atherstone, Meriden and Tamworth.[2] The areas were transferred from the neighbouring constituencies of Nuneaton and Sutton Coldfield[3]
Tamworth Rural District was abolished in 1965, with most of its area redistributed between the two neighbouring rural districts. Accordingly, when parliamentary constituencies were reorganised throughout England in 1970, Meriden was redefined to consist only of Atherstone and Meriden Rural Districts.[4] This was only a minor boundary change.
The seat was a Labour/Conservative marginal, covering the coal mining areas of northern Warwickshire and the more affluent area near Solihull. It changed hands between the two parties several times, including in a by-election in 1968, which was won by Keith Speed of the Conservatives.
[edit] 1983 to date
The next redistribution of constituencies was in 1983, reflecting the major boundary changes effected by the Local Government Act 1972. A new Meriden County Constituency was created as part of the parliamentary county of West Midlands, consisting of nine wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, namely Bickenhill, Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Fordbridge, Kingshurst, Knowle, Meriden, Packwood and Smith's Wood.[5] The boundaries were unchanged in 1997.[6]
The 1983 boundary changes transformed the constituency into a safe Conservative seat, with the areas favouring Labour becoming part of a new North Warwickshire seat. Iain Mills held the seat until he died in office in January 1997, with the seat remaining vacant until the dissolution of Parliament and no by-election being held. Caroline Spelman was victorious in the 1997 general election, though only by a narrow margin, and has held the seat since then, with the challenge from Labour becoming more distant.
For the 2010 general election the constituency was redefined, following redrawing of the wards of the metropolitan borough. It now comprises the following nine wards: Bickenhill, Blythe, Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Dorridge & Hockley Heath, Kingshurst & Fordbridge, Knowle, Meriden, Smith's Wood.[7]
[edit] Boundaries
The constituency is one of two covering the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It covers the rural area, known as the Meriden Gap, between the West Midlands conurbation and Coventry, which contains villages such as Balsall Common, Hampton-in-Arden and Meriden itself. It also covers some urban parts of the borough, particularly Castle Bromwich and Chelmsley Wood (a large area of 1960s council housing on the eastern edge of Birmingham), but also the affluent areas of Dorridge and Knowle.
[edit] Proposed changes
As part of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which began in 2011, the Boundary Commission for England proposes making significant changes to the Meriden constituency[8]. The new seat would cover Coleshill, Water Orton, and the Kitt's Green/Shard End area of Birmingham[9].
[edit] Members of Parliament
The current MP is the Conservative Caroline Spelman. She has been member for the seat since 1997, and Environment Secretary since 2010.
[edit] Elections
[edit] Elections in the 2010s
| General Election 2010: Meriden [11] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Caroline Spelman | 26,956 | 51.7 | +4.0 | |
| Labour | Ed Williams | 10,703 | 20.5 | −11.7 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Simon Slater | 9,278 | 17.8 | +1.0 | |
| BNP | Frank O'Brien | 2,511 | 4.8 | N/A | |
| UKIP | Barry Allcock | 1,378 | 2.6 | −0.7 | |
| Green | Elly Stanton | 678 | 1.3 | N/A | |
| Solihull and Meriden Residents' Association | Nikki Sinclaire | 658 | 1.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 16,253 | 31.2 | +15.7 | ||
| Turnout | 52,162 | 63.3 | +3.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +7.9 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 2000s
| General Election 2005: Meriden | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Caroline Spelman | 22,416 | 48.2 | +0.5 | |
| Labour | Jim Brown | 15,407 | 33.1 | −6.1 | |
| Liberal Democrat | William Laitinen | 7,113 | 15.3 | +4.2 | |
| UKIP | Denis Brookes | 1,567 | 3.4 | +1.4 | |
| Majority | 7,009 | 15.1 | +6.6 | ||
| Turnout | 46,503 | 60.1 | −0.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.3 | |||
| General Election 2001: Meriden | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Caroline Spelman | 21,246 | 47.7 | +5.7 | |
| Labour | Christine Shawcroft | 17,462 | 39.2 | −1.8 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Nigel Hicks | 4,941 | 11.1 | −1.9 | |
| UKIP | Richard Adams | 910 | 2.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,784 | 8.5 | +7.4 | ||
| Turnout | 44,559 | 60.4 | −11.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.7 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 1990s
| General Election 1997: Meriden[12][13] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Caroline Spelman | 22,997 | 42.0 | −13.1 | |
| Labour | Brian Seymour-Smith | 22,415 | 41.0 | +10.1 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Tony Dupont | 7,098 | 13.0 | −1.0 | |
| Referendum Party | P Gilbert | 2,208 | 4.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 582 | 1.1 | −23.1 | ||
| Turnout | 54,718 | 71.7 | −7.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −11.6 | |||
| General Election 1992: Meriden[14] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Iain Mills | 33,462 | 55.1 | +0.0 | |
| Labour | NJ Stephens | 18,763 | 30.9 | +4.8 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Mrs JA Morris | 8,489 | 14.0 | −4.8 | |
| Majority | 14,699 | 24.2 | −4.8 | ||
| Turnout | 60,714 | 78.8 | +5.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.4 | |||
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. http://www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/electoral-figures/electoral-figures.htm. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (Birmingham and North Warwickshire) Order, 1955 (S.I. 1955/177)
- ^ F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.II: Northern England, London, 1991
- ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970 (S.I. 1970/1674)
- ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/417)
- ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/1626)
- ^ Statutory Instrument 2007 No. 1681 (section Schedule) The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 (Coming into force 27 June 2007)
- ^ West Midlands comparison table Boundary Commission for England
- ^ Proposed map - Meriden Boundary Commission for England
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)[self-published source?][better source needed]
- ^ http://www.solihull.gov.uk/Attachments/SOPN.pdf
- ^ "Politcs Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/constit/499.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.118 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm. Retrieved 6 Dec 2010.
