Constituency profile
The area is in the rolling Pennines of West Yorkshire with considerable commerce, industry, retail and occupational trades carried out by most of its residents and a sizeable retired population, compared to city centres. A lower percentage of social housing is present than the regional average, however most of the larger settlements have some social housing.[3] The population in the district is diverse. Cleckheaton and many of the towns in the Spen Valley have few residents from non-white heritage backgrounds, while Batley has a sizeable number of residents with South Asian backgrounds, namely Pakistani (9.2%) and Indian (Gujarati) (15.9%). Heckmondwike also has a well-established South Asian community with 16.9% residents having Pakistani heritage.[4]
The results of the last fifty years show marginal majorities for Labour and for the Conservatives.
Boundaries
1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, and Spen.
1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, and Spen.
2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, and Liversedge and Gomersal.
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seats of Batley and Morley, Brighouse and Spenborough and Dewsbury. This West Yorkshire constituency covers Batley, Birkenshaw, Birstall, Cleckheaton, East Bierley, Gomersal, Hunsworth, and Liversedge. Traditionally Batley and Heckmondwike have been inclined to vote Labour, while the other settlements have been more inclined to vote Conservative. The exception is Cleckheaton which has returned Liberal Democrat members for the local council.
The seat swung in Labour's favour in the elections of 1997, 2001 and 2005 though the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority in 2010 with a swing below the national average.
History
The seat did not exist in its present form prior to 1983. It has seen significant boundary changes since its creation – most notably those changes that took effect for the 1997 general election.
The town of Heckmondwike was part of the seat from its creation in 1983 until 1997, when it was transferred to Dewsbury. Heckmondwike was returned to Batley and Spen for the 2010 general election.
The electoral ward of Heckmondwike (which includes part of Liversedge township) was considered part of the Spen Valley (although it was never included in the former Spenborough Urban district). Heckmondwike ward was for many years a Labour stronghold, but in the 2000s elected two BNP councillors. The BNP councillors were narrowly defeated by Labour in 2007[5] and 2008.[6]
A by-election in 2016 occurred as a result of the murder of Jo Cox, the sitting MP. Cox died on 16 June 2016, after being shot and stabbed multiple times by a man associated with far-right organisations.[7][8][9] The Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party and the Green Party all announced they would not contest the by-election as a mark of respect.[10]
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
a. ^ Swing is calculated from the 2015 election, not the 2016 by-election which was not contested by major parties.
Graphical representation
1983
|
38.0% |
21.5% |
39.6% |
|
Labour |
SDP |
Conservative |
1987
41.1% |
|
14.3% |
43.4% |
Labour |
|
SDP |
Conservative |
1992
|
43.1% |
10.5% |
45.4% |
|
Labour |
Lib Dems |
Conservative |
1997
|
49.4 |
8.8% |
36.4% |
3.6% |
|
|
Labour |
Lib Dems |
Conservative |
Ref |
|
2001
|
49.9% |
10.3% |
36.7% |
|
|
Labour |
Lib Dems |
Conservative |
|
2005
|
45.8% |
14.6% |
31.1 |
6.8% |
|
Labour |
Lib Dems |
Conservative |
BNP |
|
2010
|
41.5% |
17.2% |
33.0% |
7.1% |
|
Labour |
Lib Dems |
Conservative |
BNP |
2015
|
|
|
43.2% |
4.7% |
31.2% |
18.0% |
|
|
|
Labour |
LD |
Conservative |
UKIP |
2016 By-election
|
85.8% |
5.1% |
4.8% |
|
|
|
|
Labour |
Ind |
ED |
|
|
|
2017
|
55.5% |
|
|
38.8% |
|
Labour |
|
|
Conservative |
Notes and references
- Notes
- References
- ↑ "Batley and Spen: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ↑ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ 2001 census
- ↑ "Kirklees Census 2001". Kirklees Council. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ↑ "Kirklees Election Results 2007". Kirklees Council. 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ↑ "Kirklees Election Results 2008". Kirklees Council. 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ↑ Boyle, Danny (16 June 2016). "Labour MP Jo Cox dies after being shot and stabbed in her constituency near Leeds". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ↑ Booth, Robert; Dodd, Vikram; Parveen, Nazia (16 June 2016). "Labour MP Jo Cox has died after being shot and stabbed". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ↑ Cobain, Ian; Parveen, Nazia; Taylor, Matthew (23 November 2016). "The slow-burning hatred that led Thomas Mair to murder Jo Cox". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ↑ Stone, Jon (17 June 2016). "Jo Cox death: Parties stand down in killed Labour MP's seat as Corbyn and Cameron call for unity". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
- ↑ "Candidates for Batley and Spen". Democracy Club Candidates.
- ↑ "Election battle begins in earnest". The Press.
- ↑ Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll"
- ↑ "Election results for Batley and Spen, 20 October 2016". 20 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ↑ "Labour's Tracy Brabin wins Batley and Spen by-election following death of MP Jo Cox". The Independent. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Batley & Spen". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Batley & Spen". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.