Tatton (UK Parliament constituency)
Coordinates: 53°18′43″N 2°23′02″W / 53.312°N 2.384°W
| Tatton | |
|---|---|
| County constituency | |
| for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Tatton in Cheshire. |
|
 Location of Cheshire within England. |
|
| County | Cheshire |
| Electorate | 65,200 (December 2010)[1] |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1983 |
| Member of Parliament | George Osborne (Conservative) |
| Number of members | One |
| Created from | Runcorn, Cheadle, Northwich & Knutsford |
| Overlaps | |
| European Parliament constituency | North West England |
Tatton 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 is presently represented by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries
The constituency is in Cheshire in the north-west of England. It covers the north-western part of the Cheshire East unitary authority, including the towns of Knutsford and Wilmslow, and a number of villages such as Alderley Edge, Chelford, Handforth and Mobberley. It also covers the north-east part of the Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority, including some of the outskirts of Northwich.
The constituency is named after Tatton Park, a stately home within the constituency.
[edit] Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in Cheshire, in 2007 the Boundary Commission for England made minor changes to the existing arrangement as a consequence of population changes. The electoral wards included in this modified constituency were (as at 12 April 2005) [2]:
- From the borough of Macclesfield - Alderley Edge, Chelford, Dean Row, Fulshaw, Handforth, High Legh, Hough, Knutsford Bexton, Knutsford Nether, Knutsford Norbury Booths, Knutsford Over, Lacey Green, Mere, Mobberley, Morley and Styal, and Plumley
- From the borough of Vale Royal - Barnton, Cogshall, Lostock and Wincham, Rudheath & South Witton, Seven Oaks and Marston,and Shakerley.
The changes were approved in 2007 and were in effect at the 2010 general election [3].
[edit] History
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seats of Runcorn, Cheadle, Northwich & Knutsford. It was held by the Conservative Neil Hamilton until 1997.
Tatton shot to fame during the 1997 general election campaign, becoming one of the most high-profile constituencies at that election. Following Hamilton's implication in the Cash for Questions scandal of the 1990s, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats withdrew their candidates in favour of the former BBC journalist Martin Bell, who stood as an Independent (although those two parties supported his "anti-corruption" campaign). Bell was ultimately victorious, with a majority of over 11,000 over Hamilton.
Bell did not contest the seat at the 2001 election, and the seat was won by Conservative George Osborne with a majority of 8,611 (20.8%). Osborne held the seat at the 2005 election with an increased majority, and became the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer that year, and Chancellor in 2010.
[edit] Constituency profile
Tatton is the most affluent constituency in the North of England. It is also the third wealthiest in Britain after Kensington & Chelsea and the Cities of London and Westminster.[4]
The seat largely comprises prosperous villages and small towns set amidst rural Cheshire countryside, with a more built-up, suburban feel in the areas on the fringes of Greater Manchester. The largest centres of population are Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Knutsford, which are all highly affluent areas that have become popular places of residence for Premiership footballers.
Because of its proximity to Manchester, Tatton is classic middle-class commuter territory for the city, with Labour strong in only two wards (Barnton, Rudheath and South Witton), with most of the remainder being firmly Conservative.
[edit] Members of Parliament
| Election | Member [5] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Neil Hamilton | Conservative | |
| 1997 | Martin Bell | Independent | |
| 2001 | George Osborne | Conservative | |
[edit] Elections
[edit] Elections in the 2010s
| General Election 2010: Tatton[6] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | George Osborne | 24,687 | 54.6 | +2.8 | |
| Liberal Democrat | David Lomax | 10,200 | 22.6 | +0.8 | |
| Labour | Richard Jackson | 7,803 | 17.3 | -6.2 | |
| Independent | Sarah Flannery | 2,243 | 4.9 | +4.9 | |
| The True English (Poetry) Party | Michael Gibson | 298 | 0.7 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 14,487 | 32.0 | |||
| Turnout | 45,231 | 70.6 | +9.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
[edit] Elections in the 2000s
| General Election 2005: Tatton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | George Osborne | 21,447 | 51.8 | +3.7 | |
| Labour | Justin Madders | 9,716 | 23.5 | -3.8 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Ainsley Arnold | 9,016 | 21.8 | +3.2 | |
| UKIP | Diane Bowler | 996 | 2.4 | +0.5 | |
| Independent | Michael Gibson | 239 | 0.6 | +0.6 | |
| Majority | 11,731 | 28.3 | 3.6 | ||
| Turnout | 41,414 | 64.6 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 2001: Tatton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | George Osborne | 19,860 | 48.1 | +10.7 | |
| Labour | Steve Conquest | 11,249 | 27.3 | ||
| Liberal Democrat | Mike Ash | 7,685 | 18.6 | ||
| UKIP | Mark Sheppard | 769 | 1.9 | ||
| Independent Green | Peter Sharratt | 734 | 1.8 | ||
| Tatton Group | Vivianne Allinson | 505 | 1.2 | ||
| Independent | John Batchelor | 322 | 0.8 | ||
| Independent | Jonathan Boyd Hunt | 154 | 0.4 | ||
| Majority | 8,611 | 20.8 | |||
| Turnout | 41,278 | 63.5 | |||
| Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | ||||
[edit] Elections in the 1990s
| General Election 1997: Tatton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Independent | Martin Bell | 29,354 | 60.2 | ||
| Conservative | Neil Hamilton | 18,277 | 37.5 | -17.6 | |
| Independent Conservative | S Hill | 295 | 0.6 | ||
| Independent Conservative | S Kinsey | 184 | 0.4 | ||
| Miss Moneypenny's Glamorous One Party | B Penhaul | 128 | 0.3 | ||
| Albion Party | J Muir | 126 | 0.3 | ||
| Natural Law | M Kennedy | 123 | 0.3 | ||
| Lord Byro versus the Scallywag Tories | D Bishop | 116 | 0.2 | ||
| Independent Conservative | R Nicholas | 113 | 0.2 | ||
| Juice Party | J Price | 73 | 0.1 | ||
| Majority | 11,077 | ||||
| Turnout | 76.5 | ||||
| Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1992: Tatton[7] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Neil Hamilton | 31,658 | 55.1 | +0.5 | |
| Labour | Jon Kelly | 15,798 | 27.5 | +5.9 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Cathy Hancox | 9,597 | 16.7 | −6.9 | |
| Feudal Party | M Gibson | 410 | 0.7 | +0.2 | |
| Majority | 15,860 | 27.6 | −3.4 | ||
| Turnout | 57,463 | 80.8 | +4.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.7 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 1980s
| General Election 1987: Tatton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Neil Hamilton | 30,128 | 54.6 | 0.0 | |
| SDP–Liberal Alliance | B Gaskin | 13,034 | 23.6 | -3.6 | |
| Labour | Hazel Blears | 11,760 | 21.3 | +3.1 | |
| Feudal Party | M Gibson | 263 | 0.5 | ||
| Majority | 17,094 | 31.0 | |||
| Turnout | 76.8 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1983: Tatton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Neil Hamilton | 27,877 | 54.6 | ||
| SDP–Liberal Alliance | D Levy | 13,917 | 27.2 | ||
| Labour | D W Davies | 9,295 | 18.2 | ||
| Majority | 13,960 | 27.3 | |||
| Turnout | 74.3 | ||||
[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 boroughs of Macclesfield and Vale Royal, along with their constituent wards, were abolished on 1 April 2009, when they became part of the new unitary authorities of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester respectively; however, the boundaries of the parliamentary constituency remain fixed according to the wards in operation at 12 April 2005
- ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, S.I. 2007/1681
- ^ http://www.abstracts.co.uk/knutsford.html
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 1)[self-published source?][better source needed]
- ^ http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/electoral_services/parliamentary_general_election/tatton_constituency.aspx, Cheshire East Council
- ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/i19.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
[edit] Sources
- Data for the 2005 election are from the BBC.
- Data for the 2001 election are from http://www.election.demon.co.uk/.
- Data for the 1997 and 1992 results are taken from The Guardian.
- Data for 1983 and 1987 elections taken from http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk.htm
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edinburgh South West |
Constituency represented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer 2010 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
