South Ribble (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = South Ribble
Map1 = SouthRibble
Map2 = Lancashire
Entity = Lancashire
Type = County
County = Lancashire
Year = 1983
MP = David Borrow
Party = Labour
EP = North West England

South Ribble is a constituency in Lancashire, England 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.

Boundaries

The South Ribble District Council area is currently split into three parts for parliamentary representation. The rural communities to the east, such as Coupe Green and Samlesbury, are in Ribble Valley. From 1997, Bamber Bridge and Walton-le-Dale have been connected to the Preston seat over the River Ribble.

From West Lancashire, areas such as Hesketh Bank and Tarleton were added to South Ribble.

Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Lancashire, the Boundary Commission for England created a new constituency of Wyre and Preston North in the central part of the county. As a knock-on consequence of this, Ribble Valley has taken wards from south of the River Ribble for the first time causing alterations to the existing South Ribble constituency.

The new South Ribble constituency has moved further south and south-west, and is formed from wards of three districts - South Ribble, West Lancashire and Chorley.
*From Chorley, Eccleston and Mawdesley, and Lostock.
*From South Ribble, Broad Oak, Charnock, Earnshaw Bridge, Golden Hill, Howick and Priory, Kingsfold, Leyland Central, Leyland St. Ambrose, Leyland St. Marys, Little Hoole and Much Hoole, Longton and Hutton West, Lowerhouse, Middleforth, Moss Side, New Longton and Hutton East, Seven Stars, Whitefield.
*From West Lancashire, Hesketh-with-Becconsall, North Meols, Rufford and Tarleton.

These changes move Bamber Bridge, Walton-le-Dale, Samlesbury, Lostock Hall and Farington into the Ribble Valley seat. From the borough of Chorley move Croston, Bretherton, Eccleston and Mawdesley. Other areas of population are brought from the Lancashire marsh towns near the Southport border, such as Hesketh Bank, Holmeswood and Tarleton.

Members of Parliament

The seat of South Ribble was created for the 1983 general election, following the local government changes in the 1970s which saw the creation of a South Ribble borough council. Due to its population figures, the borough of South Ribble and its parliamentary constituency have never shared the same boundaries, but the towns of Leyland and Penwortham have always featured at the centre of the constituency. For the 1997 general election the eastern towns of Bamber Bridge and Walton-le-Dale were moved to the Preston constituency, whilst current proposed boundary changes will move South Ribble further south and southwest into the Croston and Bretherton areas of Chorley.

Former Preston MP Robert Atkins won the South Ribble constituency in 1983 and fought the seat in every election up to the 1997 general election, when Labour's David Borrow gained the seat with nearly 26,000 votes. This figure is 2,000 less than Robert Atkins' victory in 1983. Since the 1997 "landslide year", David Borrow's vote total and majority have been shrinking with a positive swing back to the Conservatives. At the 2005 election, UKIP nominated a candidate for the first time, and took just over 1,200 votes, although the Conservatives were still over 2,000 behind from regaining the seat.

Election results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = David Borrow
votes = 20,428
percentage = 43.0
change = -3.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Lorraine Fullbrook
votes = 18,244
percentage = 38.4
change = +0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Mark Alcock
votes = 7,634
percentage = 16.1
change = +0.6Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Kenneth Jones
votes = 1,205
percentage = 2.5
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 2,184
percentage = 4.6
change =Election box turnout
votes = 47,511
percentage = 63.0
change = +0.5Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = -1.9

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = David Borrow
votes = 21,386
percentage = 46.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Adrian Owens
votes = 17,584
percentage = 38.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Mark Alcock
votes = 7,150
percentage = 15.5
change = Election box majority
votes = 3,802
percentage = 8.3
change =Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 62.5
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = David Borrow
votes = 25,856
percentage = 46.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Atkins
votes = 20,772
percentage = 37.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Tim Farron
votes = 5,879
percentage = 10.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Referendum Party
candidate = M Adams
votes = 1,475
percentage = 2.7
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
candidate = N Ashton
votes = 1,127
percentage = 2.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Natural Law Party
candidate = J Leadbetter
votes = 122
percentage = 0.2
change = Election box majority
votes = 5,084
percentage = 9.2
change =Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 77.06
change = Election box gain with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
loser = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = 12.10

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Atkins
votes = 30,828
percentage = 47.5
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = G Smith
votes = 24,855
percentage = 38.3
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = S Jones
votes = 8,928
percentage = 13.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Natural Law Party
candidate = R Decter
votes = 269
percentage = 0.4
change = Election box majority
votes = 5,973
percentage = 9.2
change =Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 83.0
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Atkins
votes = 28,133
percentage = 47.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = D Roebuck
votes = 19,703
percentage = 33.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = J Holleran
votes = 11,746
percentage = 19.7
change = Election box majority
votes = 8,430
percentage = 14.1
change =Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 82.5
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Atkins
votes = 27,625
percentage = 48.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = F Duffy
votes = 14,966
percentage = 26.5
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = R Walker
votes = 13,960
percentage = 24.7
change = Election box majority
votes = 12,659
percentage = 22.3
change =Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 7801
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire

References