Reading West (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading West | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Reading West in Berkshire. | |
Location of Berkshire within England. | |
County | Berkshire |
Electorate | 73,216 (December 2010)[1] |
Major settlements | Reading, Theale and Tilehurst |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of parliament | Alok Sharma (Conservative) |
Number of members | One |
Created from | Reading North, Newbury and Reading South[2] |
Overlaps | |
European Parliament constituency | South East England |
Reading West is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Alok Sharma, a Conservative.[n 2]
Boundaries
1983-1997: The Borough of Reading wards of Battle, Katesgrove, Kentwood, Minster, Norcot, Southcote, and Tilehurst, and the District of Newbury wards of Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley, Theale, and Tilehurst.
1997-2010: The Borough of Reading wards of Battle, Kentwood, Minster, Norcot, Southcote, Tilehurst, and Whitley, and the District of Newbury wards of Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley, Theale, and Tilehurst.
2010-present: The Borough of Reading wards of Battle, Kentwood, Minster, Norcot, Southcote, Tilehurst, and Whitley, and the District of West Berkshire wards of Birch Copse, Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley on Thames, Theale, and Westwood.
The constituency is bordered by Newbury, Henley, Reading East and Wokingham.[3]
History
The Reading West parliamentary constituency was first contested in 1983, when it was won a member of the Conservative, Tony Durant, the sitting MP for the abolished Reading North constituency. He held the seat through two subsequent general elections until he retired at the 1997 election.
The constituency was then won by Martin Salter for Labour, as part of the landslide that brought Labour back to power under Tony Blair. Salter held the seat through the Blair-Brown Ministry until Parliament was dissolved in April 2010, but did not stand in the 2010 general election, when Alok Sharma won the seat for the Conservatives.
Constituency profile
Since its 1983 creation the constituency has been a bellwether. Boundary changes have narrowed the seat down and moved it slightly east since 2010. Unemployment is close to the regional average, which is lower than the national average[4] and the constituency has seen a marked increase in properties throughout from 2001–2011.[5]
Members of Parliament
Election | Member[6] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Tony Durant | Conservative | |
1997 | Martin Salter | Labour | |
2010 | Alok Sharma | Conservative |
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
General Election 2015: Reading West[7][8][9] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Alok Sharma | 23,082 | 47.7 | +4.5 | |
Labour | Victoria Groulef | 16,432 | 34.0 | +3.5 | |
UKIP | Malik Azam[10] | 4,826 | 10.0 | +6.8 | |
Liberal Democrat | Meri O'Connell | 2,355 | 4.9 | -15.2 | |
Green | Miriam Kennet | 1,406 | 2.9 | +1.7 | |
Independent | Suzie Ferguson | 156 | 0.3 | - | |
TUSC | Neil Adams | 83 | 0.2 | - | |
Roman | Philip West | 64 | 0.1 | - | |
Majority | 6,650 | 13.7 | +1.1 | ||
Turnout | 48,404 | 66.7 | +0.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.5 | |||
General Election 2010: Reading West[11] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Alok Sharma | 20,523 | 43.2 | +9.6 | |
Labour | Naz Sarkar | 14,519 | 30.5 | -14.5 | |
Liberal Democrat | Daisy Benson | 9,546 | 20.1 | 4.3 | |
UKIP | Bruce Hay | 1,508 | 3.2 | 0.4 | |
Common Sense | Howard Thomas | 852 | 1.8 | 1.8 | |
Green | Adrian Windisch | 582 | 1.2 | -1 | |
Majority | 6,004 | 12.6 | |||
Turnout | 47,530 | 65.9 | +6.0 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +12.1 | |||
Source Reading Borough Council,[12] BBC[13] | |||||
Elections in the 2000s
General Election 2005: Reading West[14] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Martin Salter | 18,940 | 44.9 | -8.0 | |
Conservative | Ewan Cameron | 14,258 | 33.8 | +1.8 | |
Liberal Democrat | Denise Gaines | 6,663 | 15.8 | +3.0 | |
UKIP | Peter Williams | 1,180 | 2.8 | +0.8 | |
Green | Adrian Windisch | 921 | 2.2 | N/A | |
Veritas | Dave Boyle | 267 | 0.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,672 | 11.1 | |||
Turnout | 42,229 | 61.0 | +1.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | -2.6 | |||
Source Electoral Commission[15] | |||||
General Election 2001: Reading West[16] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Martin Salter | 22,300 | 53.1 | +8.0 | |
Conservative | Stephen Reid | 13,451 | 32.0 | -6.9 | |
Liberal Democrat | Polly Martin | 5,387 | 12.8 | +0.1 | |
UKIP | David Black | 848 | 2.0 | +1.5 | |
Majority | 8,849 | 21.1 | |||
Turnout | 41,986 | 59.1 | -11.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +7.5 | |||
Source Guardian Unlimited,[17] ONS | |||||
Elections in the 1990s
General Election 1997: Reading West[18] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Martin Salter | 21,841 | 45.1 | +17.3 | |
Conservative | Nicholas Bennett | 18,844 | 38.9 | -14.0 | |
Liberal Democrat | Dee Tomlin | 6,153 | 12.7 | -5.4 | |
Referendum | Steven G Brown | 976 | 2.0 | N/A | |
BNP | Ian Dell | 320 | 0.7 | N/A | |
UKIP | D M Black | 255 | 0.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,997 | 6.2 | |||
Turnout | 48,389 | 70.1 | -7.9 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | -15.7 | |||
Source Guardian Unlimited[17] | |||||
General Election 1992: Reading West[19][20] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Sir Tony Durant | 28,048 | 52.9 | −2.4 | |
Labour | PM Ruhemann | 14,750 | 27.8 | +6.6 | |
Liberal Democrat | KH Lock | 9,572 | 18.1 | −4.3 | |
Green | PJ Unsworth | 613 | 1.2 | +0.1 | |
Majority | 13,298 | 25.1 | −7.8 | ||
Turnout | 52,983 | 78.0 | +5.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.5 | |||
Elections in the 1980s
General Election 1987: Reading West[21] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Sir Tony Durant | 28,122 | 55.30 | +3.94 | |
Liberal | KH Lock | 11,369 | 22.36 | -5.43 | |
Labour | ME Orton | 10,819 | 21.28 | +0.86 | |
Green | EP Wilson | 542 | 1.07 | - | |
Majority | 16,753 | 32.94 | |||
Turnout | 72.24 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.69 | |||
General Election 1983: Reading West[22] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Sir Tony Durant | 24,948 | 51.36 | N/A | |
Liberal | RJ Day | 13,549 | 27.89 | N/A | |
Labour | R Evans | 9,220 | 20.42 | N/A | |
Independent | E Lilley | 161 | 0.33 | N/A | |
Majority | 11,399 | 23.47 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 73.51 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
See also
Notes and references
- Notes
- ↑ A borough 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
- ↑ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ "'Reading West', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ↑ 2011 census interactive maps
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
- ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑
- ↑ "Parliamentary results 2015". Reading Borough Council.
- ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/readingwest/
- ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated – Notice of Poll – Reading West Constituency" (PDF). Reading Borough Council. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ↑ "Election 2010 – Reading West". BBC. 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Electoral Commission – Reading West". Electoral Commission. 2005. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- 1 2 "Ask Aristotle – Reading West". London: Guardian Unlimited. 2005. Archived from the original on 11 April 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2005.
- ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
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Coordinates: 51°28′N 0°59′W / 51.46°N 0.99°W