Bolsover (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = Bolsover
Map1 = Bolsover
Map2 = Derbyshire
Type = County
Year = 1950
Entity = Derbyshire
County = Derbyshire
EP = East Midlands
MP = Dennis Skinner
Party = Labour

Bolsover is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1950 from parts of North-Eastern Derbyshire and Clay Cross constituencies.

The seat is a Labour Party stronghold - indeed it is not unusual for Labour candidates to be returned unopposed in the area, with the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats declining to provide opposition. A former mining area, it has been a struggling seat following the last closures in the early 1990s of the coal pits upon which the area thrived for many years. The tourism industry has emerged in the area in recent years, including Bolsover Castle, owned by English Heritage; Creswell Crags, an archaeologically important site; and Hardwick Hall, home of Bess of Hardwick.

Boundaries

When the constituency was first formed it comprised the Urban District of Bolsover and the Rural Districts of Blackwell and Clowne. Bolsover and Clowne had both previously been included in the North-Eastern Division of Derbyshire, while Blackwell had formed part of the Clay Cross Division.
In 1974 the Local Government District of Bolsover was formed with identical boundaries to the constituency.
These boundaries remained unchanged until 1983 when the Morton, Pilsley, Shirland and Sutton wards of the District of North East Derbyshire were transferred from the North East Derbyshire Constituency.

History

Since the 1970 election the seat has been held by the voluble and often controversial Dennis Skinner, a former miner, dubbed "The Beast of Bolsover" while the Labour Party were in opposition during the Conservative years, although since the 1997 election which Labour won he has kept a somewhat lower profile.

Members of Parliament

* 1950 – 1970: Harold Neal, Labour
* 1970 – "present": Dennis Skinner, Labour

Election results

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: BolsoverElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Dennis Skinner
votes = 25,217
percentage = 65.2
change = -3.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Denise Hawksworth
votes = 6,780
percentage = 17.5
change = +5.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Hasan Imam
votes = 6,702
percentage = 17.3
change = -2.2Election box majority
votes = 18,437
percentage = 47.6
change = Election box turnout
votes = 38,699
percentage = 57.3
change = -2.2Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = -4.5

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: BolsoverElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Dennis Skinner
votes = 26,249
percentage = 68.6
change = -5.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Simon Massey
votes = 7,472
percentage = 19.5
change = +2.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Marie Bradley
votes = 4,550
percentage = 11.9
change = +2.6Election box majority
votes = 18,777
percentage = 49.1
change = Election box turnout
votes = 38,271
percentage = 56.5
change = -14.7Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1997: BolsoverElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Dennis Skinner
votes = 35,073
percentage = 74.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = R. Harwood
votes = 7,924
percentage = 16.7
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Ian Cox
votes = 4,417
percentage = 9.3
change = Election box majority
votes = 27,149
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 71.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1992: BolsoverElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Dennis Skinner
votes = 33,973
percentage = 64.5
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Timothy James
votes = 13,313
percentage = 25.3
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Sue Barber
votes = 5,363
percentage = 10.2
change = Election box majority
votes = 20,660
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 78.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

See also

* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Derbyshire