West Bromwich East (UK Parliament constituency)

West Bromwich East
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of West Bromwich East in West Midlands.
Location of West Midlands within England.
County	West Midlands
Electorate	63,008 (December 2010)
Current constituency
Created	1974 (1974)
Member of Parliament	Tom Watson (Labour)
Number of members	One
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	West Midlands

West Bromwich East is a borough 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.

Boundaries

West Bromwich East is one of four constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, covering the east and north-east of the borough. It includes most of the town of West Bromwich and the part of Great Barr that is in Sandwell.

There are seven wards in the constituency: Charlemont and Grove Vale, Friar Park, Great Barr with Yew Tree, Greets Green, Hateley Heath, Newton and West Bromwich Central.

Proposed abolition

As part of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which began in 2011, the Boundary Commission for England proposes splitting West Bromwich East into four new created seats, effectively abolishing the constituency. The four wards Charlemont and Grove Vale, Friar Park, Hateley Heath and Newton are proposed to be moved into a new "Wednesbury". The new 'Walsall South' would take Great Barr with Yew Tree, whilst West Bromwich Central would be moved into "Smethwick". The new seat of "Dudley East and Oldbury" would take the ward Greets Green.

History

The constituency was first formed in 1974 and took its present boundaries in 1997. Since its formation the constituency has only elected Labour MP's. It was first represented by Peter Snape from 1974 to 2001 and he was succeeded by the current MP Tom Watson. It is now generally considered to be a safe seat for the Labour Party, who won the seat with large majorities in the 1990's and 2000's, although this was not the case in the 1980's when the Conservative Party came close to winning the seat.

Unemployment

Since the recessions of the 1970s and early 1980s, West Bromwich East has suffered from high unemployment, and as a result of the current recession which began in 2008 unemployment has risen to 14.3%. Only Ladywood in nearby Birmingham has higher unemployment rates in all of Britain. [1]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	Feb 1974	Peter Snape	Labour
	2001	Tom Watson	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: West Bromwich East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Watson	17,657	46.5	-9.2
	Conservative	Alistair Thompson	10,961	28.9	+6.1
	Liberal Democrat	Ian Garrett	4,993	13.2	+0.8
	BNP	Terry Lewin	2,205	5.8	-0.6
	English Democrats	Mark Cowles	1,150	3.0	+3.0
	UKIP	Steve Grey	984	2.6	+0.9
Majority			6,696	17.6
Turnout			37,950	60.4	+2.2
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.7

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: West Bromwich East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Watson	19,741	55.6	−0.3
	Conservative	Rosemary Bromwich	8,089	22.8	−3.2
	Liberal Democrat	Ian Garrett	4,386	12.4	−1.4
	BNP	Carl Butler	2,329	6.6	N/A
	UKIP	Steven Grey	607	1.7	−0.9
	Socialist Labour	Judith Sambrook	200	0.6	−1.2
	Independent	Margaret Macklin	160	0.5	N/A
Majority			11,652	32.8
Turnout			35,512	58.6	+5.2
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.5

General Election 2001: West Bromwich East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Watson	18,250	55.9	-1.3
	Conservative	David McFarlane	8,487	26.0	+1.6
	Liberal Democrat	Ian Garrett	4,507	13.8	-1.1
	UKIP	Steven Gray	835	2.6	N/A
	Socialist Labour	Satbir Johal	585	1.8	N/A
Majority			9,763	29.9
Turnout			32,664	53.4	-12.0
	Labour hold		Swing	−1.5

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: West Bromwich East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Snape	23,710	57.2	+10.0
	Conservative	Brian Matsell	10,126	22.4	-17.3
	Liberal Democrat	Martyn Smith	6,179	14.9	+1.8
	Referendum Party	Graham Mulley	1,472	3.5	N/A
Majority			13,584	32.7	+26.2
Turnout			41,487	65.4	-10.3
	Labour hold		Swing	+13.6

General Election 1992: West Bromwich East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Snape	19,913	46.2	+3.6
	Conservative	Crispin Blunt	17,100	39.7	−0.7
	Liberal Democrat	MG Smith	5,630	13.1	−4.0
	National Front	John Lord	477	1.1	N/A
Majority			2,813	6.5	+4.2
Turnout			43,120	75.7	+2.6
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.1

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands
• Charlemont and Grove Vale

Sources

• BBC election results (2001, 1997) for West Bromwich East
• 2005 results from the BBC)