Coventry South (UK Parliament constituency)

Coventry South
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Coventry South in West Midlands.

Outline map

Location of West Midlands within England.
County West Midlands
Electorate 75,705 (December 2010)[1]
Current constituency
Created 1997
Member of parliament Jim Cunningham (Labour)
Number of members One
Created from Coventry South East, Coventry South West
19501974
Number of members One
Type of constituency Borough constituency
Replaced by Coventry South East,
Coventry South West
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency West Midlands

Coventry South is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1997 recreation by Jim Cunningham of the Labour Party.[n 2]

History

The constituency was created for the 1950 general election, abolished for the February 1974 general election and recreated for the 1997 general election by the merger of the former seats of Coventry South East and Coventry South West. Since 1964 the various forms of the seat, excluding the gap period, have elected the Labour candidate. The Conservative candidates, since a win in 1959, have consistently taken second place.

Constituency profile and boundaries

1950-1974: The County Borough of Coventry wards of Cheylesmore, Earlsdon, Godiva, St Michael's, Westwood, and Whoberly.

1997-present: The City of Coventry wards of Binley and Willenhall, Cheylesmore, Earlsdon, St Michael's, Wainbody, and Westwood.

Coventry city centre is in the north of the constituency, with its cathedral, expanses of concrete offices and the university, which leads to a significant student vote in the seat.[2] The residential tower blocks in St Michael's ward lie amid one of the most deprived areas in the country but south of the city centre it is more mixed, with the more middle-class areas of Cheylesmore, Earlsdon and Whoberley, Cannon Park, Gibbet Hill (aka Wainbody) and Westwood Heath among areas with large numbers of professionals, comfortably self-employed and academics.

From 1974 to 1997, the city centre was part of the now abolished Coventry South East constituency.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1950–1974

ElectionMember[3] Party
1950 Elaine Burton Labour
1959 Philip Hocking Conservative
1964 Bill Wilson Labour
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

MPs 1997–present

ElectionMember[3] Party
1997 Jim Cunningham Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Coventry South[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dolan Cunningham 18,472 42.3 +0.5
Conservative Gary Ridley 15,284 35.0 +1.5
UKIP Mark Taylor[5] 5,709 13.1 +9.2
Liberal Democrat Greg Judge 1,779 4.1 −14.0
Green Benjamin Gallaher[6] 1,719 3.9 +2.5
TUSC Judy Griffiths 650 1.5 N/A
Mainstream (James) Christopher Rooney 86 0.2 N/A
Majority 3,188 7.3 -1.1
Turnout 43,699 61.2 −1.2
Labour hold Swing −0.5

The local UKIP party originally selected Mark Taylor as candidate in 2015, but he stood aside when instructed to by "party bosses."[7] UKIP wanted to replace Taylor with "anti-gay Christian preacher"[8] George Hargreaves.[7] The following week, Taylor was reinstated as candidate.[5]

General Election 2010: Coventry South[9][10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dolan Cunningham 19,197 41.8 −4.0
Conservative Kevin Foster 15,352 33.4 +2.8
Liberal Democrat Brian Patton 8,278 18.0 +0.4
UKIP Mark Taylor 1,767 3.8 +1.8
Socialist Alternative Judy Griffiths 691 1.5 −1.2
Green Stephen Gray 639 1.4 N/A
Majority 3,845 8.4 -7.0
Turnout 45,924 62.4 +3.0
Labour hold Swing −3.4

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Coventry South[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dolan Cunningham 18,649 45.8 −4.4
Conservative Heather Wheeler 12,394 30.5 +1.0
Liberal Democrat Vincent John McKee 7,228 17.8 +3.7
Socialist Alternative Robert Piers Windsor 1,097 2.7 N/A
UKIP William D. Brown 829 2.0 N/A
Independent Miss Irene Elizabeth Rogers 344 0.8 −0.6
Families First James C. Rooney 144 0.4 N/A
Majority 6,255 15.4
Turnout 40,685 59.1 +3.8
Labour hold Swing −2.7
General Election 2001: Coventry South[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dolan Cunningham 20,125 50.2 −0.7
Conservative Heather Wheeler 11,846 29.5 +0.5
Liberal Democrat Vincent John McKee 5,672 14.1 +4.9
Socialist Alliance Robert Piers Windsor 1,475 3.7 N/A
Independent Miss Irene Elizabeth Rogers 564 1.4 N/A
Socialist Labour Timothy Peter Logan 414 1.0 N/A
Majority 8,279 20.7
Turnout 40,096 55.3 −13.4
Labour hold Swing

Election in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Coventry South[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dolan Cunningham 25,511 50.9 N/A
Conservative Paul C. Ivey 14,558 29.0 N/A
Liberal Democrat Gordon F. MacDonald 4,617 9.2 N/A
Socialist Alternative Dave Nellist 3,262 6.5 N/A
Referendum Paul J. Garratt 943 1.9 N/A
Liberal Roger E. Jenking 725 1.4 N/A
BNP Jeffrey Ashberry 328 0.7 N/A
Rainbow Dream Ticket Anne−Marie Bradshaw 180 0.4 N/A
Majority 10,953 21.9 N/A
Turnout 50,124 68.7 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

Election in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Coventry South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Wilson 30,010 51.90
Conservative George Gardiner 27,816 48.10
Majority 2,194 3.79
Turnout 74.42
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Coventry South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Wilson 31,237 54.87
Conservative Philip Hocking 25,697 45.13
Majority 5,540 9.73
Turnout 80.21
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1964: Coventry South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Wilson 29,240 51.62
Conservative Philip Hocking 27,407 48.38
Majority 1,833 3.24
Turnout 79.79
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Coventry South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hocking 28,584 51.65
Labour Elaine Burton 26,754 48.35
Majority 1,830 3.31
Turnout 82.11
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General Election 1955: Coventry South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Elaine Burton 27,449 51.59
Conservative ME Williamson 25,761 48.41
Majority 1,688 3.17
Turnout 81.36
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1951: Coventry South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Elaine Burton 29,271 55.15
Conservative John Biggs-Davison 23,803 44.85
Majority 5,468 10.30
Turnout 86.17
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1950: Coventry South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Elaine Burton 27,977 52.69
Conservative Leslie Hore-Belisha 21,885 41.21
Liberal Richard John Soper 3,239 6.10
Majority 6,092 11.47
Turnout 87.25
Labour hold Swing

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. A borough 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

Coordinates: 52°23′N 1°31′W / 52.39°N 1.51°W / 52.39; -1.51

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