Wentworth and Dearne (UK Parliament constituency)

Wentworth and Dearne is a constituency[n 1] in South Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by John Healey, a member of the Labour Party who has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence since 2020.[n 2]

Wentworth and Dearne
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Wentworth and Dearne in South Yorkshire
Outline map
Location of South Yorkshire within England
CountySouth Yorkshire
Electorate73,863 (December 2019)[1]
Major settlementsDearne and Rawmarsh
Current constituency
Created2010
Member of ParliamentJohn Healey (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromWentworth
Barnsley East and Mexborough

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to boundary changes which will entail the loss of the two Dearne wards, offset by the addition of the City of Doncaster wards of Conisbrough, and Edlington and Warmsworth. As a consequence of these changes, it will be renamed Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, to be first contested at the next general election.[2]

History

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies recommending the creation of this constituency for the 2010 general election.

Political history

Most forerunner parts of the seat of Wentworth (which only existed in its second period from 1983 until 2010) matched its record of being a safe seat for Labour. However, since the 2019 general election the seat has become a marginal between Labour and Conservative Party. Labour's majority over the Conservatives currently stands at 2,165. Labour's vote share declined by 24.7% at the 2019 election, the second worst decline in vote share it suffered in any of the 630 constituencies that the party contested at that election (only being surpassed by the 24.9% decline in the Labour vote in Bassetlaw).[3]

Prominent frontbencher

The present member, John Healey held a continuous period of frontbench positions, withstanding during this time various rotations of the Labour frontbench – the positions were:

  • May 2002 – May 2005 – Economic Secretary to the Treasury
  • May 2005 – June 2007 – Financial Secretary to the Treasury
  • June 2007 – June 2009 – Minister of State for Local Government
  • July 2007 – June 2009 – Minister for Flood Recovery
  • June 2009 – May 2010 – Minister of State for Housing
  • May 2010 – October 2010 – Shadow Minister of State for Housing
  • October 2010 – October 2011 – Shadow Secretary of State for Health

In September 2015 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Housing (attending Shadow Cabinet)

Boundaries

The seat comprises satellite settlements to two large Yorkshire towns, separated by green buffers, in a band north of Rotherham and southeast of Barnsley and as such has the electoral wards:

Most of the constituency succeeds Wentworth however the large settlement of Dearne was instead the largest in Barnsley East and Mexborough. The name of the seat stems from the village that shares its name with the largest private house in the country and listed gardens in the seat, Wentworth Woodhouse, in a similar manner, with a widened use of an otherwise scarcely populated settlement, as Sefton and Tatton.

Constituency profile

The South Yorkshire settlements grew in the seat into primarily large town size developments from the large presence of coal leading to extensive mining in this area, coupled with convenient proximity to Sheffield, the canals and rivers network, as well as to Doncaster, York, Wakefield and Leeds. As the mining industry has suffered a decline and agriculture employs few people, niche manufacturing, general processing (such as of food and raw materials) as well as retail and distribution are critical sectors of the economy to local employment. Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 5.6% of the population, based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[5]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[6] Party
2010 John Healey Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Wentworth and Dearne [7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Healey 16,742 40.3 -24.7
Conservative Emily Barley 14,577 35.1 +3.8
Brexit Party Stephen Cavell 7,019 16.9 New
Liberal Democrats Janice Middleton 1,705 4.1 +0.3
Yorkshire Lucy Brown 1,201 2.9 New
SDP David Bettney 313 0.8 New
Majority 2,165 5.2 -28.5
Turnout 41,557 55.8 -2.9
Labour hold Swing -14.3
General election 2017: Wentworth and Dearne[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Healey 28,547 65.0 +8.1
Conservative Steven Jackson 13,744 31.3 +16.4
Liberal Democrats Janice Middleton 1,656 3.8 +1.2
Majority 14,803 33.7 +1.7
Turnout 43,947 58.7 +0.6
Labour hold Swing -4.2
General election 2015: Wentworth and Dearne[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Healey 24,571 56.9 +6.3
UKIP Mike Hookem 10,733 24.9 +16.7
Conservative Michael Naughton 6,441 14.9 -2.7
Liberal Democrats Edwin Simpson 1,135 2.6 -13.5
English Democrat Alan England 309 0.7 New
Majority 13,838 32.0 -1.0
Turnout 43,189 58.1 +0.1
Labour hold Swing -5.2

This seat was fought for the first time at the 2010 general election.

General election 2010: Wentworth and Dearne[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Healey* 21,316 50.6 −11.2
Conservative Michelle Donelan 7,396 17.6 +3.8
Liberal Democrats Nick Love 6,787 16.1 −0.1
UKIP John Wilkinson 3,418 8.1 +4.6
BNP William Baldwin 3,189 7.6 +2.9
Majority 13,920 33.0
Turnout 42,106 58.0 +3.6
Labour hold Swing −7.5
* Served as an MP in the 2005–2010 Parliament

See also

Notes
  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References
  1. "Constituency data: electorates – House of Commons Library". Parliament UK. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  2. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – Yorkshire and the Humber | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  3. The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2019. Glasgow: Times Books. 2020. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1.
  4. 2010 post-revision map Greater London and metropolitan areas of England
  5. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  6. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 2)
  7. "Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations". Rotherham Council. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  8. "Wentworth & Dearne Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  9. "Wentworth & Dearne", BBC News
  10. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. "Wentworth & Dearne". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  12. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. "Election results: Wentworth & Dearne". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.

53.509°N 1.410°W / 53.509; -1.410

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