Heywood and Middleton (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Heywood and Middleton

County constituency
for the House of Commons

Boundary of Heywood and Middleton in Greater Manchester

Location of Greater Manchester within England

County| Greater Manchester
Electorate| 79,636 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements| Heywood, Middleton, Alkrington, Castleton
Current constituency
Created| 1983
Member of Parliament| Chris Clarkson (Conservative Party)
Seats| One
Created from| Heywood and Royton; Middleton and Prestwich

Heywood and Middleton is a constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Chris Clarkson of the Conservative Party.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies proposes that two of the Middleton wards will be included in a new constituency named Blackley and Middleton South and this seat will be renamed Heywood and Middleton North, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.[2][3]

## Constituency profile[edit]

The constituency covers the west half of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, including the towns of Heywood and Middleton, and some of the western fringes of Rochdale itself such as Castleton. Norden and Bamford are strong Conservative areas, with several million-pound houses, but all other wards are mostly favourable to Labour. Middleton includes the large overspill council estate of Langley though the South Middleton ward includes a relatively affluent area in Alkrington Garden Village, but even this ward generally returns Labour councillors.

Electoral Calculus categorises the seat as a "Somewhere" demographic, indicating socially conservative, economically soft left views and strong support for Brexit.[4]

## Boundaries[edit]

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

Map of boundaries from 2024

1983–1997: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Heywood North, Heywood South, Heywood West, Middleton Central, Middleton East, Middleton North, Middleton South, and Middleton West.

1997–2010: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Castleton, Heywood North, Heywood South, Heywood West, Middleton Central, Middleton East, Middleton North, Middleton South, Middleton West, and Norden and Bamford.

2010–present: The Borough of Rochdale wards of Bamford, Castleton, East Middleton, Hopwood Hall, Norden, North Heywood, North Middleton, South Middleton, West Heywood, and West Middleton.

### Proposed[edit]

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 general election the constituency of Heywood and Middleton North will be composed of the following wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

* Bamford; Castleton; Hopwood Hall; Norden; North Heywood; North Middleton; Spotland and Falinge; West Heywood; West Middleton.[5]

East Middleton and South Middleton wards will now be included in the new constituency of Blackley and Middleton South, partly compensated by the addition of the Spotland and Falinge ward from Rochdale.

## History[edit]

The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Heywood and Royton and Middleton and Prestwich and had been held by the Labour Party since then until the 2019 Election.

From 1983 until his retirement in 1997, the MP was Jim Callaghan, not to be confused with a former Prime Minister with the same name.

In a 2014 by-election UKIP came within 617 votes of winning the seat, which was on the same day as the Rochester and Strood by-election, and in 2015 it produced one of their largest results in the country, as a result the constituency heavily voted to Leave in the referendum and swung to the Conservatives for the first time in 2019, in line with many other Leave-voting Labour seats in the North and Midlands.

## Members of Parliament[edit]

Election | Member[6] | Party

|
|

| 1983 | Jim Callaghan | Labour
| 1997 | Jim Dobbin | Labour Co-op
| 2014 by-election | Liz McInnes | Labour
| 2019 | Chris Clarkson | Conservative

## Elections[edit]

### Elections in the 2020s[edit]

General election 2024: Heywood and Middleton North  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Laura-Beth Thompson[7] |  |  |
| Labour | Elsie Blundell[8] |  |  |
| Liberal Democrats | Tom Shaw[9] |  |  |
| Reform UK | Steve Potter[10] |  |  |
| Independent | Chris Furlong[11] |  |  |
Majority  |  |  |
Turnout |  |  |
|  | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 2010s[edit]

General election 2019: Heywood and Middleton[12] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Chris Clarkson | 20,453  | 43.1  | +5.1
| Labour | Liz McInnes | 19,790  | 41.7  | ―11.6
| Brexit Party | Colin Lambert | 3,952  | 8.3  | New
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony Smith  | 2,073  | 4.4  | +2.2
| Green | Nigel Ainsworth-Barnes  | 1,220  | 2.6  | New
Majority  | 663  | 1.4  | N/A
Turnout | 47,488  | 59.2  | ―3.2
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +8.4  |
General election 2017: Heywood and Middleton  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Liz McInnes | 26,578  | 53.3  | +10.2
| Conservative | Chris Clarkson | 18,961  | 38.0  | +18.9
| UKIP | Lee Seville  | 3,239  | 6.5  | ―25.7
| Liberal Democrats | Bill Winlow  | 1,087  | 2.2  | ―1.1
Majority  | 7,617  | 15.3  | +4.4
Turnout | 49,865  | 62.4  | +1.7
| Labour hold | Swing | ―4.4  |

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Heywood and Middleton

General election 2015: Heywood and Middleton[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Liz McInnes | 20,926  | 43.1  | +3.0
| UKIP | John Bickley  | 15,627  | 32.2  | +29.6
| Conservative | Iain Gartside  | 9,268  | 19.1  | ―8.1
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony Smith  | 1,607  | 3.3  | ―19.4
| Green | Abi Jackson  | 1,110  | 2.3  | N/A
Majority  | 5,299  | 10.9  | ―2.0
Turnout | 48,538  | 60.7  | +3.2
| Labour hold | Swing | ―16.3  |
2014 Heywood and Middleton by-election Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Liz McInnes | 11,633  | 40.9  | +0.8
| UKIP | John Bickley  | 11,016  | 38.7  | +36.1
| Conservative | Iain Gartside[14] | 3,496  | 12.3  | ―14.9
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony Smith[15] | 1,457  | 5.1  | ―17.6
| Green | Abi Jackson[16] | 870  | 3.1  | New
Majority  | 617  | 2.2  | ―10.7
Turnout | 28,472  | 36.0  | -21.5
| Labour hold | Swing | ―18.5  |
General election 2010: Heywood and Middleton[17] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Jim Dobbin | 18,499  | 40.1  | ―8.2
| Conservative | Mike Holly  | 12,528  | 27.2  | +5.4
| Liberal Democrats | Wera Hobhouse | 10,474  | 22.7  | +2.5
| BNP | Peter Greenwood  | 3,239  | 7.0  | +2.6
| UKIP | Victoria Cecil  | 1,215  | 2.6  | +0.7
| Independent | Chrissy Lee  | 170  | 0.4  | New
Majority  | 5,971  | 12.9  | ―13.6
Turnout | 46,125  | 57.5  | +3.7
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing | ―6.8  |

### Elections in the 2000s[edit]

General election 2005: Heywood and Middleton  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Jim Dobbin | 19,438  | 49.8  | ―7.9
| Conservative | Stephen Pathmarajah  | 8,355  | 21.4  | ―6.2
| Liberal Democrats | Crea Lavin  | 7,261  | 18.6  | +7.4
| BNP | Gary Aronsson  | 1,855  | 4.7  | New
| Liberal | Philip Burke  | 1,377  | 3.5  | +0.9
| UKIP | John Whittaker | 767  | 2.0  | New
Majority  | 11,083  | 28.4  | ―1.7
Turnout | 39,053  | 54.6  | +1.5
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing | ―0.9  |
General election 2001: Heywood and Middleton  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Jim Dobbin | 22,377  | 57.7  | 0.0
| Conservative | Marilyn Hopkins  | 10,707  | 27.6  | +4.6
| Liberal Democrats | Ian Greenhalgh  | 4,329  | 11.2  | ―4.4
| Liberal | Philip Burke  | 1,021  | 2.6  | +1.1
| Christian Democrats  | Christine West  | 345  | 0.9  | New
Majority  | 11,670  | 30.1  | ―4.6
Turnout | 38,779  | 53.1  | −15.3
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing | ―2.3  |

### Elections in the 1990s[edit]

General election 1997: Heywood and Middleton  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Jim Dobbin | 29,179  | 57.7  | +11.2
| Conservative | Sebastian Grigg | 11,637  | 23.0  | ―8.6
| Liberal Democrats | David Clayton  | 7,908  | 15.6  | ―4.3
| Referendum | Christine West  | 1,076  | 2.1  | New
| Liberal | Philip Burke  | 750  | 1.5  | ―0.3
Majority  | 17,542  | 34.7  | +15.8
Turnout | 50,550  | 68.4  | -6.5
| Labour Co-op win
General election 1992: Heywood and Middleton[18] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Jim Callaghan | 22,380  | 52.3  | +2.4
| Conservative | Eric Ollerenshaw | 14,306  | 33.4  | ―0.9
| Liberal Democrats | Michael B. Taylor  | 5,252  | 12.3  | ―3.5
| Liberal | Philip Burke  | 757  | 1.8  | New
| Natural Law | Anne-Marie Scott  | 134  | 0.3  | New
Majority  | 8,074  | 18.9  | +3.3
Turnout | 42,829  | 74.9  | +1.1
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.6  |

### Elections in the 1980s[edit]

General election 1987: Heywood and Middleton[19] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Jim Callaghan | 21,900  | 49.9  | +6.6
| Conservative | Roy Walker  | 15,052  | 34.3  | +0.5
| SDP | Ian Greenhalgh  | 6,953  | 15.8  | ―6.3
Majority  | 6,848  | 15.6  | +6.1
Turnout | 43,905  | 73.8  | +3.9
| Labour hold | Swing | +3.2  |
General election 1983: Heywood and Middleton[20] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Jim Callaghan | 18,111  | 43.3  |
| Conservative | Christine Hodgson  | 14,137  | 33.8  |
| SDP | Arthur Rumbelow  | 9,262  | 22.1  |
| BNP | Kenneth Henderson  | 316  | 0.8  |
Majority  | 3,974  | 9.5  |
Turnout | 41,826  | 69.9  |
| Labour win (new seat)

## See also[edit]

* List of parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester

## References[edit]

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. ^ "North West | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
3. ^ "Middleton name no longer to be wiped from Parliamentary map under constituency boundary changes as Boundary Commission for England publishes final recommendations". www.rochdaleonline.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
4. ^ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Heywood+and+Middleton
5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
7. ^ "Candidates. Cuthbert selected in Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Thompson selected in Heywood and Middleton". ConservativeHome. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
8. ^ "Heywood and Middleton: Labour picks general election candidate". Bury Times. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
9. ^ Tom Shaw 🔶 [@liberalTomShaw] (23 May 2024). "Delighted to announce I have been selected as the Heywood and Middleton North paliamentary candidate for the @LibDems…" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
10. ^ "Heywood and Middleton Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
11. ^ "Former councillor Chris Furlong to run for MP of Heywood and Middleton as an independent". Rochdale Online. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
12. ^ "Statement of persons nominated 2019" (PDF).
13. ^ "Heywood & Middleton". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
14. ^ "Iain Gartside Chosen as By-Election Candidate". Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Conservatives.
15. ^ "Lib Dems select Anthony Smith for Heywood and Middleton contest". www.rochdaleonline.co.uk.
16. ^ "Rochdale Green Party Announce Abi Jackson as their candidate for the Heywood & Middleton by-election" (Press release). Green Party of England and Wales. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
17. ^ Council, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough (6 May 2010). "Election results for Heywood & Middleton, 6 May 2010". democracy.rochdale.gov.uk.
18. ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
19. ^ "UK General Election results: June 1987". Archived from the original on 28 May 2004.
20. ^ "UK General Election results: June 1983". Archived from the original on 3 January 2004.

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