Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)

Sedgefield is a constituency in County Durham represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Paul Howell of the Conservative Party. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Sedgefield
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Sedgefield in County Durham
Outline map
Location of County Durham within England
CountyCounty Durham
Electorate67,386 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsSedgefield, Newton Aycliffe, Ferryhill
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentPaul Howell (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromDurham, Durham North West, Easington and Bishop Auckland[2]
1918–1974
SeatsOne
Type of constituencyCounty constituency
Created fromSouth East Durham, The Hartlepools and Mid Durham
Replaced byBishop Auckland,
Durham,
Easington

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to major boundary changes. Although the town of Sedgefield is retained, the constituency will be renamed Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor to reflect the two largest communities in the revised seat. It will be first contested at the next general election.[3]

History

1918–1974

Sedgefield was first created under the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the 1918 general election, comprising primarily southern parts of the abolished South Eastern Division of Durham, including the communities of Segefield and Billingham. It also included parts of the former Mid Durham seat (Ferryhill) and a small area transferred from Bishop Auckland (Chilton).

It was abolished for the February 1974 general election, when its contents were distributed to the neighbouring seats of Bishop Auckland (Darlington RD), Durham (Sedgefield RD), Easington (Stockton RD) and Teesside, Stockton (Billingham UD).

1983–present

The constituency was recreated at the next redistribution, which came into effect at the 1983 general election, with similar boundaries, but excluding Billingham and Newton Aycliffe and including Spennymoor.

Boundaries

1918–1950
  • The Rural Districts of Darlington, Hartlepool, Sedgefield, and Stockton[4]

1950-1974
  • The Urban District of Billingham; and
  • the Rural Districts of Darlington, Sedgefield and Stockton.[5]

Minor changes - the Rural District of Stockton had been altered, absorbing the Rural District of Hartlepool, but losing Billingham to a new urban district.

From 1955, the boundaries of the Rural Districts of Darlington, Sedgefield and Stockton were altered in line with changes to local authority boundaries.[5][6]

1983–1997
  • The District of Sedgefield wards of Bishop Middleham, Broom, Chilton, Cornforth, Ferryhill, Fishburn, Low Spennymoor and Tudhoe Grange, Middlestone, New Trimdon and Trimdon Grange, Old Trimdon, Sedgefield, Spennymoor, and Tudhoe;
  • the District of Easington wards of Deaf Hill, Hutton Henry, Thornley, Wheatley Hill, and Wingate; and
  • the Borough of Darlington wards of Heighington, Hurworth, Middleton St George, Sadberge, and Whessoe.[7]

Spennymoor and Tudhoe transferred from North West Durham; remainder of District of Sedgefield wards from Durham; District of Easington wards from Easington; and Borough of Darlington wards from Bishop Auckland.

1997–2010
  • The District of Sedgefield wards of Bishop Middleham, Broom, Chilton, Cornforth, Ferryhill, Fishburn, Middridge, Neville, New Trimdon and Trimdon Grange, Old Trimdon, Sedgefield, Shafto, Simpasture, West, and Woodham;
  • the District of Easington wards of Deaf Hill, Hutton Henry, Thornley, Wheatley Hill, and Wingate; and
  • the Borough of Darlington wards of Heighington, Hurworth, Middleton St George, Sadberge, and Whessoe.[8]

Newton Aycliffe transferred in from Bishop Auckland in exchange for Spennymoor and Tudhoe.

2010–present
  • The Borough of Sedgefield wards of Bishop Middleham and Cornforth, Broom, Chilton, Ferryhill, Fishburn and Old Trimdon, Greenfield Middridge, Neville and Simpasture, New Trimdon and Trimdon Grange, Sedgefield, Shafto St Mary's, West, and Woodham;
  • the District of Easington wards of Thornley and Wheatley Hill, and Wingate; and
  • the Borough of Darlington wards of Heighington and Coniscliffe, Hurworth, Middleton St George, Sadberge, and Whessoe.[9]

Minor changes only to reflect redrawing of local authority ward boundaries.

In the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, the local authority districts in Durham were abolished and replaced with a single unitary authority; however, this has not affected the boundaries of the constituency.

Proposed constituency changes

The 2023 Boundary Review Initial Proposals have recommended that all the wards in the borough of Darlington should be removed from the seat, with Shildon moving in from Bishop Auckland and Coxhoe from City of Durham. The reconfigured seat would be renamed ‘Newton Aycliffe and Sedgefield’.

Political history

From its recreation in 1983 until 27 June 2007, the Member of Parliament was Tony Blair, who led a successful campaign for his party to win the 1997 general election in a landslide and thereafter served for ten years as Prime Minister, leading the campaigns at two subsequent general elections. Blair was the first Prime Minister to lead the Labour Party to three consecutive victories. He resigned as the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield on the same day as he resigned as Prime Minister, which triggered a by-election.[10]

At the by-election on 19 July 2007, the official Labour Party candidate Phil Wilson was elected on a reduced majority which in national terms is safe instead of marginal. While Wilson had never came close to the enormous majorities held by Blair during his tenure as MP and only secured an absolute majority of the vote for the first time at the 2017 general election, he consistently had majorities of over 6,000 votes in every election at which he had stood.

At the 2019 election, the Conservatives' candidate Paul Howell defeated Wilson with a majority of 4,513 and a swing of 12.8%. Sedgefield was one of the net gain of 48 seats in England by the Conservatives, as well as being considered part of the so-called "Red Wall".

Constituency profile

Sedgefield has a long mining history (extracting coal, fluorspar and iron ore) and once had a very strong affiliation to the Labour Party, with nearly monolithic support in parts of the constituency. The area contains a mixture of former coal country in the area around Trimdon and more industrial areas around the new town of Newton Aycliffe. The construction of a new Hitachi factory created 730 jobs in the town.[11] There are also more prosperous parts of the constituency that form the bulk of the Conservative vote – for example, the ancient market town of Sedgefield itself, with a charter dating back to 1312. The outer suburbs of Darlington are also relatively wealthy, as well as Hurworth-on-Tees, where unemployment stands at just 1.0%.[12]

In statistics

The constituency consists of Census Output Areas of two local government districts with similar characteristics: a working population whose average income is lower than the national average and close-to-average reliance upon social housing.[13] At the end of 2012 the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 5.0% of the population claiming Jobseekers' Allowance, compared to the regional average of 5.5%.[14]

The local authority contributing to the bulk of the seat has a middling 27.2% of its population without a car, a high 27.5% of the population without qualifications and a medium 21.5% with level 4 qualifications or above. Darlington has 28% of its population without a car, 24.8% of the population without qualifications and a medium 23.7% with level 4 qualifications or above.

In terms of tenure 65.8% of County Durham homes and 64.9% of Darlington homes are owned outright or on a mortgage as at the 2011 census.[15]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1918–1974
ElectionMember[16] Party
1918 Rowland Burdon Coalition Conservative
1922 John Herriotts Labour
1923 Leonard Ropner Conservative
1929 John Herriotts Labour
1931 Roland Jennings Conservative
1935 John Leslie Labour
1950 Joe Slater Labour
1970 David Reed Labour
February 1974 constituency abolished

MPs since 1983
Election Member[16] Party
1983 Tony Blair Labour
2007 by-election Phil Wilson Labour
2019 Paul Howell Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
Election results in constituency
General election 2019: Sedgefield[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Howell 19,609 47.2 +8.4
Labour Phil Wilson 15,096 36.3 −17.1
Brexit Party David Bull 3,518 8.5 New
Liberal Democrats Dawn Welsh 1,955 4.7 +2.8
Green John Furness 994 2.4 +0.8
Independent Michael Joyce 394 0.9 New
Majority 4,513 10.9 N/A
Turnout 41,566 64.6 −0.5
Registered electors 64,325
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +12.8
General election 2017: Sedgefield[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Wilson 22,202 53.4 +6.2
Conservative Dehenna Davison 16,143 38.8 +9.3
UKIP John Grant 1,763 4.2 −12.4
Liberal Democrats Stephen Psallidas 797 1.9 −1.6
Green Melissa Wilson 686 1.6 −1.5
Majority 6,059 14.6 −3.1
Turnout 41,591 65.1 +3.5
Labour hold Swing −1.6
General election 2015: Sedgefield[19][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Wilson 18,275 47.2 +2.1
Conservative Scott Wood 11,432 29.5 +6.0
UKIP John Leathley 6,426 16.6 +12.9
Liberal Democrats Stephen Glenn 1,370 3.5 −16.5
Green Greg Robinson 1,213 3.1 New
Majority 6,843 17.7 −3.9
Turnout 38,716 61.6 −0.5
Labour hold Swing −2.0
General election 2010: Sedgefield[21][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Wilson 18,141 45.1 −13.9
Conservative Neil Mahapatra 9,445 23.5 +9.3
Liberal Democrats Alan Thompson 8,033 20.0 +8.2
BNP Mark Walker 2,075 5.2 N/A
UKIP Brian Gregory 1,479 3.7 +2.1
Independent Paul Gittins 1,049 2.6 N/A
Majority 8,696 21.6 −3.3
Turnout 40,222 62.1 −0.2
Labour hold Swing −11.6

Elections in the 2000s
By-election 2007: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Wilson 12,528 44.8 −14.1
Liberal Democrats Gregory Stone 5,572 19.9 +8.0
Conservative Graham Robb 4,082 14.6 +0.2
BNP Andrew Spence 2,494 8.9 New
Independent Paul Gittins 1,885 6.7 New
UKIP Gavin Horton 536 1.9 +0.3
Green Christopher Haine 348 1.2 New
English Democrat Stephen Gash 177 0.6 New
Christian Vote Tim Grainger 177 0.6 New
Monster Raving Loony Alan Hope 129 0.5 +0.1
Anti Crime Norman Scarth 34 0.1 New
Majority 6,956 24.9 −19.6
Turnout 27,962 43.0 −19.2
Labour hold Swing −11.0

General election 2005: Sedgefield[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Blair 24,421 58.9 −6.0
Conservative Al Lockwood 5,972 14.4 −6.5
Liberal Democrats Robert Woodthorpe Browne 4,935 11.9 +2.9
Independent Reg Keys 4,252 10.3 New
UKIP William Brown 646 1.6 −0.8
National Front Mark Farrell 253 0.6 New
Veritas Fiona Luckhurst-Matthews 218 0.5 New
Independent Berony Abraham 205 0.5 New
Monster Raving Loony Melodie Staniforth 157 0.4 New
Blair Must Go Party Jonathan Cockburn 103 0.2 New
Senior Citizens Terence Pattinson 97 0.2 New
Pensioners Cherri Gilham 82 0.2 New
Independent Helen John 68 0.2 −0.4
Independent John Barker 45 0.1 New
Independent Julian Brennan 17 0.0 New
Majority 18,449 44.5 +0.5
Turnout 41,475 62.2 +0.2
Labour hold Swing +0.25

General election 2001: Sedgefield[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Blair 26,110 64.9 −6.3
Conservative Douglas Carswell 8,397 20.9 +3.1
Liberal Democrats Andrew Duffield 3,624 9.0 +2.5
UKIP Andrew Spence 974 2.4 New
Socialist Labour Brian Gibson 518 1.3 +0.3
Rock 'n' Roll Loony Christopher Driver 375 0.9 New
Independent Helen John 260 0.6 New
Majority 17,713 44.0 -9.4
Turnout 40,258 62.0 −10.6
Labour hold Swing −4.7

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Sedgefield[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Blair 33,526 71.2 +10.7
Conservative Elizabeth Pitman 8,383 17.8 −11.1
Liberal Democrats Ronald Beadle 3,050 6.5 −4.1
Referendum Miriam Hall 1,683 3.6 New
Socialist Labour Brian Gibson 474 1.0 New
Majority 25,143 53.4 +21.8
Turnout 47,116 72.6 −4.5
Labour hold Swing +11.0

General election 1992: Sedgefield[26][27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Blair 28,453 60.5 +4.5
Conservative Nicholas Jopling 13,594 28.9 +1.0
Liberal Democrats Gary Huntington 4,982 10.6 −5.5
Majority 14,859 31.6 +3.5
Turnout 47,029 77.1 +0.9
Labour hold Swing +1.8

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Sedgefield[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Blair 25,965 56.0 +8.4
Conservative Nigel Hawkins 12,907 27.9 −1.3
SDP Ralph Andrew 7,477 16.1 −6.5
Majority 13,058 28.1 +9.7
Turnout 46,349 76.2 +3.3
Labour hold Swing +4.9

General election 1983: Sedgefield[29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Blair 21,401 47.6
Conservative Gavin Horton 13,120 29.2
SDP David Shand 10,183 22.6
Independent Maurice Logan-Salton 298 0.7
Majority 8,281 18.4
Turnout 45,002 72.9
Labour win (new seat)

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Reed 36,867 60.5 -4.2
Conservative Arthur Albert Beck 24,036 39.5 +4.1
Majority 12,831 21.0 -8.3
Turnout 60,903 72.7 -3.3
Labour hold Swing -4.2

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1966: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Slater 34,058 64.7 +4.0
Conservative Cyril Frank Thring 18,620 35.4 -4.1
Majority 15,438 29.3 +7.9
Turnout 52,678 76.0 -3.5
Labour hold Swing +4.1
General election 1964: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Slater 32,273 60.7 +2.2
Conservative Cyril Frank Thring 20,931 39.3 -2.2
Majority 11,342 21.4 +4.4
Turnout 53,204 79.5 -3.0
Labour hold Swing +2.2

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1959: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Slater 30,642 58.5 -1.2
Conservative Dudley Fitz Mowbray Appleby 21,771 41.5 +1.2
Majority 8,871 17.0 -2.6
Turnout 52,413 82.5 +2.6
Labour hold Swing -1.2
General election 1955: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Slater 27,221 59.7 -2.6
Conservative Dudley Fitz Mowbray Appleby 18,368 40.3 +2.6
Majority 8,853 19.4 -5.2
Turnout 45,589 79.9 -6.5
Labour hold Swing -2.6
General election 1951: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Slater 28,219 62.3 -0.2
Conservative Eric H Harrison 17,095 37.7 +0.2
Majority 11,124 24.6 -0.4
Turnout 45,314 86.4 -0.6
Labour hold Swing -0.2
General election 1950: Sedgefield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Slater 27,946 62.5 -1.3
Conservative John Walford 16,782 37.5 +1.3
Majority 11,164 25.0 -2.6
Turnout 44,728 87.0 +9.5
Labour hold Swing -1.3

Elections in the 1940s
General election 1945: Sedgefield[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Leslie 27,051 63.8 +11.5
Conservative John Walford 15,360 36.2 -11.5
Majority 11,691 27.6 +23.0
Turnout 42,411 77.5 -3.9
Labour hold Swing +11.5

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1935: Sedgefield[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Leslie 20,375 52.3 +11.1
Conservative Roland Jennings 18,604 47.7 -11.1
Majority 1,771 4.6 N/A
Turnout 38,979 81.4 -3.0
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +11.1
General election 1931: Sedgefield[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roland Jennings 21,956 58.8 +19.3
Labour John Herriotts 15,404 41.2 -6.5
Majority 6,552 17.6 N/A
Turnout 37,360 84.4 +1.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +12.9

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1929: Sedgefield[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Herriotts 15,749 47.7 +0.4
Unionist Leonard Ropner 13,043 39.5 -13.2
Liberal William Leeson 4,236 12.8 New
Majority 2,706 8.2 N/A
Turnout 33,028 83.0 -2.4
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +6.8
General election 1924: Sedgefield[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Leonard Ropner 13,968 52.7 +2.7
Labour John Herriotts 12,552 47.3 -2.7
Majority 1,416 5.4 +5.4
Turnout 26,520 85.4 +10.9
Unionist hold Swing +2.7
General election 1923: Sedgefield[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Leonard Ropner 11,093 50.0 +9.5
Labour John Herriotts 11,087 50.0 +6.4
Majority 6 0.0 N/A
Turnout 22,180 74.5 -1.6
Unionist gain from Labour Swing +1.6
General election 1922: Sedgefield[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Herriotts 9,756 43.6 +6.8
Unionist Eli Waddington 9,067 40.5 -1.6
Liberal Charles Henry Brown 3,561 15.9 -5.2
Majority 689 3.1 N/A
Turnout 22,384 76.1 +12.7
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +4.2

Elections in the 1910s
Starmer
General election 1918: Sedgefield[30][31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Rowland Burdon 6,627 42.1
Labour John Herriotts 5,801 36.8
Liberal Charles Starmer 3,333 21.1
Majority 826 5.3
Turnout 15,761 63.4
Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

See also

References
  1. "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.
  2. "'Sedgefield', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  3. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – North East | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  4. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885–1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. p. 11. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
  5. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885–1972;. Chichester, UK: Political Reference Publications. p. 59. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
  6. Statutory Instrument 1970 No. 1674 The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970 (Coming into force 25 November 1970) pp 10-11
  7. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF). p. 23.
  8. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". In the County of Durham.
  9. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". In Durham and Darlington.
  10. Blair resigns as prime minister, BBC News, 27 June 2007
  11. "Hitachi's £82m train factory opens". BBC News. 3 September 2015.
  12. "Tees Valley Ward Statistics".
  13. "Local statistics – Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
  14. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  15. "2011 census interactive maps". Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  16. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 2)
  17. "Sedgefield parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  18. "Sedgefield constituency General Election 2017 – parties, candidates and the history of the seat". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  19. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  20. "Sedgefield". BBC News. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  21. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  22. "Election 2010 – Sedgefield". BBC News.
  23. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  25. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  26. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  27. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  28. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  29. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  30. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig (1983). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  31. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench
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