Dudley South
Encyclopedia
Dudley South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is a Labour-Conservative marginal seat
.
, covering the central part of the borough. The constituency includes the south of Dudley
, and also Netherton
, Brierley Hill
, Pensnett
, Kingswinford
, Wall Heath
and Wordsley
.
, Dudley was divided into East and West constituencies, rather than the current North and South. Dudley South covers most of the area previously covered by Dudley West, which included Sedgley
but excluded Netherton.
Dudley West was the scene of a by-election in 1994
, held after the death of the Conservative
John Blackburn
who had represented the constituency since 1979
. The by-election was won by Labour
's Ian Pearson
, who stood for Dudley South in 1997 and held the seat, winning by a comfortable margin each time, until he stood down in 2010.
The Conservatives gained the seat in the subsequent General Election.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elects one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is a Labour-Conservative marginal seat
Marginal seat
A marginal seat, or swing seat, is a constituency held with a particularly small majority in a legislative election, generally conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat....
.
Boundaries
Dudley South is one of four constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of DudleyMetropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
, covering the central part of the borough. The constituency includes the south of Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, and also Netherton
Netherton, West Midlands
Netherton is a town in the West Midlands within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. It lies around south of the town of Dudley and north of Cradley Heath...
, Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
, Pensnett
Pensnett
Pensnett is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is situated three miles south-west of Dudley and two miles north of Brierley Hill...
, Kingswinford
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a suburban area in the West Midlands.Historically within Staffordshire, the area is mentioned in the Domesday Book its name relates to a ford for the King's swine - Latin Swinford Regis. The current significance is probably in tourism, education and housing...
, Wall Heath
Wall Heath
-Geography:Wall Heath is a small village on the western fringe of the Black Country and the West Midlands conurbation in the United Kingdom. It is located on the A449 road, approximately seven miles south of Wolverhampton and 9 miles North of Kidderminster....
and Wordsley
Wordsley
Wordsley with Buckpool is a village south of Kingswinford although is the most northern suburb of Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England. Wordsley still retains its rural character because it abuts open countryside...
.
History
Prior to 1997United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Dudley was divided into East and West constituencies, rather than the current North and South. Dudley South covers most of the area previously covered by Dudley West, which included Sedgley
Sedgley
Sedgley is an urban village within the West Midlands county of England. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Sedgley was formerly an ancient manor composed of several smaller villages, including Gornal, Gospel End, Woodsetton, Ettingshall, Coseley and Brierley...
but excluded Netherton.
Dudley West was the scene of a by-election in 1994
Dudley West by-election, 1994
A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Dudley West on 15 December 1994 following the death of the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament John Blackburn....
, held after the death of the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
John Blackburn
John Blackburn (politician)
John Graham Blackburn was a Conservative member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. He represented the constituency of Dudley West from 1979 until his death in 1994....
who had represented the constituency since 1979
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
. The by-election was won by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's Ian Pearson
Ian Pearson
Ian Phares Pearson is a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1994 until 2010, representing Dudley West from 1994 until 1997, and then Dudley South from 1997 until his retirement from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election...
, who stood for Dudley South in 1997 and held the seat, winning by a comfortable margin each time, until he stood down in 2010.
The Conservatives gained the seat in the subsequent General Election.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Ian Pearson Ian Pearson Ian Phares Pearson is a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1994 until 2010, representing Dudley West from 1994 until 1997, and then Dudley South from 1997 until his retirement from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
| 2010 | Chris Kelly Chris Kelly (British politician) Christopher Kelly , known as Chris Kelly, is a Conservative Party politician in England. He is the Member of Parliament for the Dudley South constituency in the West Midlands of England. He was elected to Parliament at the 2010 general election in the constituency represented for the previous 16... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
See also
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in Dudley