North Herefordshire
| North Herefordshire | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundaries since 2024 | |
 Boundary of North Herefordshire in West Midlands region | |
| County | Herefordshire |
| Electorate | 70,894 (2023)[1] |
| Major settlements | Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury and Leominster |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2010 |
| Member of Parliament | Ellie Chowns (Greens) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Leominster |
North Herefordshire is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Ellie Chowns of the Green Party of England and Wales.[n 2] It is the first Green seat in the West Midlands region.
Constituency profile
[edit]North Herefordshire is a constituency in Herefordshire in the West Midlands region of England. Its largest town is Leominster, which has a population of around 11,000.[2] Other settlements include the towns of Ledbury, Bromyard and Kington, the villages of Credenhill and Colwall and the Hereford suburb of Holmer.
North Herefordshire is a large, rural and sparsely-populated constituency. Fruit and cider production are important local industries and the constituency contains many historic market towns and small villages. There is some deprivation in Leominster and the rural villages, whilst Ledbury and the areas close to Hereford are affluent, giving the constituency an overall average level of wealth. House prices here are generally similar to the national average and higher than the rest of the West Midlands.
North Herefordshire has a large retired population and a low proportion of young adults; 30% of residents are over the age of 65. In general, residents have average levels of education, above-average rates of homeownership and are more likely to be religious compared to the rest of the country. Average household income and the child poverty rate are in line with nationwide figures. A high proportion of residents work in the agriculture, manufacturing an retail sectors and the percentage claiming unemployment benefits is low. White people made up 98% of the population at the 2021 census.
At the local county council, most of the constituency is represented by Conservatives with some Green Party councillors in Leominster and Ledbury. An estimated 57% of voters in North Herefordshire supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the UK-wide figure of 52%.
Boundaries
[edit]2010–2024
[edit]This constituency contains a northern and central part of Herefordshire, including the towns of Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury and Leominster.
The constituency was defined as comprising the following electoral wards:[3]
- Backbury, Bircher, Bringsty, Bromyard, Burghill, Holmer and Lyde, Castle, Credenhill, Frome, Golden Cross with Weobley, Hagley, Hampton Court, Hope End, Kington Town, Ledbury, Leominster North, Leominster South, Mortimer, Old Gore, Pembridge and Lyonshall with Titley, Sutton Walls, Upton, Wormsley Ridge.
2024–present
[edit]Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following:
- The District of Herefordshire wards of: Arrow; Backbury; Bircher; Bishops Frome & Cradley; Bromyard Bringsty; Bromyard West; Castle; Credenhill; Hagley; Hampton; Holmer; Hope End; Kington; Ledbury North; Ledbury South; Ledbury West; Leominster East; Leominster North & Rural; Leominster South; Leominster West; Mortimer; Old Gore; Queenswood; Sutton Walls; Three Crosses; Weobley.[4]
The seat was unchanged, except to align the boundaries with those of revised local authority wards.
The seat includes the village of Weobley, a former borough constituency that was abolished as a 'rotten borough' in 1832.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Leominster prior to 2010
| Election | Member[5] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Bill Wiggin | Conservative | |
| 2024 | Ellie Chowns | Green | |
History
[edit]Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered this constituency for the 2010 general election to exclude those areas of the former county of Hereford and Worcester which are now in Worcestershire. This meant North Herefordshire being at its core a successor to Leominster constituency. The remainder of the county is covered by the Hereford and South Herefordshire seat.[6]
In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, issues included the NHS, immigration and pollution in the River Wye.[7] The seat was a target for the Greens, who ended up winning the seat.[8]
Elections
[edit]Elections in the 2020s
[edit]The 2024 election marked the first time that the Greens had gained a Parliamentary seat directly from the Conservatives.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Ellie Chowns | 21,736 | 43.2 | +34.4 | |
| Conservative | Bill Wiggin | 15,842 | 31.5 | −31.0 | |
| Reform | Andrew Dye | 8,048 | 16.0 | N/A | |
| Labour | Jon Browning | 3,205 | 6.4 | −8.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Cat Hornsey | 1,436 | 2.9 | −10.6 | |
| SDP | Michael Guest | 95 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 5,894 | 11.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 50,362 | 71.7 | −0.9 | ||
| Green gain from Conservative | Swing | +32.7 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Bill Wiggin | 32,158 | 63.0 | +1.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Phillip Howells | 7,302 | 14.3 | +2.6 | |
| Labour | Joe Wood | 6,804 | 13.3 | −5.6 | |
| Green | Ellie Chowns | 4,769 | 9.3 | +3.8 | |
| Majority | 24,856 | 48.7 | +5.6 | ||
| Turnout | 51,033 | 72.6 | −1.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -0.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Bill Wiggin | 31,097 | 62.0 | +6.4 | |
| Labour | Roger Page | 9,495 | 18.9 | +7.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jeanie Falconer | 5,874 | 11.7 | −0.3 | |
| Green | Ellie Chowns | 2,771 | 5.5 | −1.5 | |
| Independent | Sasha Norris | 577 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Independent | Arthur Devine | 363 | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 21,602 | 43.1 | +1.5 | ||
| Turnout | 50,177 | 74.1 | +2.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -0.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Bill Wiggin | 26,716 | 55.6 | −3.8 | |
| UKIP | Jonathan Oakton | 6,720 | 14.0 | +8.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jeanie Falconer | 5,768 | 12.0 | −19.0 | |
| Labour | Sally Prentice | 5,478 | 11.4 | +4.3 | |
| Green | Daisy Blench | 3,341 | 7.0 | +3.8 | |
| Majority | 19,996 | 41.6 | +20.8 | ||
| Turnout | 42,545 | 72.0 | +0.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Bill Wiggin | 24,631 | 51.8 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Lucy Hurds | 14,744 | 31.0 | ||
| Labour | Neil Sabharwal | 3,373 | 7.1 | ||
| UKIP | Jonathan Oakton | 2,701 | 5.7 | ||
| Green | Felicity Norman | 1,533 | 3.2 | ||
| Independent | John King | 586 | 1.2 | ||
| Majority | 9,887 | 20.8 | |||
| Turnout | 47,568 | 71.5 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- ↑ 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
[edit]- ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – West Midlands". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ↑ "Leominster". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- ↑ Fifth periodical report – Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities, The Stationery Office, 26 February 2007, ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2
- ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
- ↑ "Final recommendations for Parliamentary constituencies in the county of Herefordshire". Boundary Commission for England. 7 January 2004. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ↑ "North Herefordshire election debate: Four key takeaways". BBC News. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ↑ "Joint Green Party leader visits Ledbury as party targets constituency". BBC News. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ↑ "North Herefordshire". BBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ↑ "Herefordshire North". Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ↑ "Herefordshire North Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ↑ "2017 general election candidates for Herefordshire confirmed". Worcester News. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Herefordshire North parliamentary constituency - Election 2017" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Six candidates to stand in North Herefordshire parliamentary election". Herefordshire Council. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
External links
[edit]- North Herefordshire UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- North Herefordshire UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK
