Bassetlaw (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = Bassetlaw
Map1 = Bassetlaw
Map2 = Nottinghamshire
Type = County
Year = 1885
Entity = Nottinghamshire
County = Nottinghamshire
EP = East Midlands
MP = John Mann
Party = Labour

Bassetlaw is a parliamentary 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.

Boundaries

The Bassetlaw constituency covers the north of Nottinghamshire, including the town of Worksop. It shares the name of the Bassetlaw district although the boundaries of the two differ; in particular, the constituency does not contain the town of Retford, which is in the Newark constituency.

Since 1997, the constituency has included the following wards of Bassetlaw district:

*Beckingham, Blyth, Carlton, Clayworth, Everton, Harworth East, Harworth West, Hodsock, Misterton, Rampton, Ranskill, Sturton, Sutton, Welbeck, Worksop East, Worksop North, Worksop North East, Worksop North West, Worksop South, Worksop South East.

The constituency also includes the town of Warsop, with it containing the Birklands and Meden wards of the Mansfield district.

Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary boundaries in Nottinghamshire, the Boundary Commission for England has made only minor changes to the existing constituencies to allow for population changes. The boundaries of the modified constituency to be fought at the next general election are:
*From the District of Bassetlaw: Beckingham, Blyth, Carlton, Clayworth, East Retford East, East Retford North, East Retford South, East Retford West, Everton, Harworth, Langold, Misterton, Ranskill, Sturton, Sutton, Welbeck, Worksop East, Worksop North, Worksop North East, Worksop North West, Worksop South and Worksop South East

History

The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act.

Boundaries' history

The Bassetlaw Division (named after one of the ancient Wapentakes of the county) as originally constituted included the borough of East Retford, the petty sessional divisions of Retford and Worksop and part of Mansfield petty sessional division.

In 1918, the number of parliamentary divisions in Nottinghamshire was increased from four to five, with resulting changes in boundaries. Bassetlaw Division was now defined as containing the Borough of East Retford, the Urban Districts of Warsop and Worksop and the Rural Districts of Blyth & Cuckney, Misterton and East Retford, with the civil parish of Sookholme from the Skegby Rural District.

In 1948, the five Parliamentary Divisions of Nottinghamshire were reorganised as six County Constituencies. The boundaries of Bassetlaw County Constituency were virtually unchanged, though local government changes in the 1930s now meant that it was defined as comprising the Boroughs of East Retford and Worksop, the Urban District of Warsop and the Rural Districts of East Retford and Worksop.

The constituency's boundaries then remained unchanged until 1983. In that year, the town of East Retford and the neighbouring areas were transferred to the Newark constituency. Bassetlaw constituency then comprised Worksop and surrounding areas in the Bassetlaw district as well as the town of Warsop in the Mansfield district. There were only minor boundary changes in 1997.

Electoral history

Bassetlaw is a safe seat for the Labour Party, with them having held it since 1935. In fact, Labour first won the seat in the 1929 general election. However its Member of Parliament Malcolm MacDonald was one of the few Labour MPs to join his father Ramsay MacDonald's National Government. MacDonald held the seat as a National Labour candidate in the 1931 election, but was defeated at the next election in 1935 by Labour's Frederick Bellenger.

Bellenger held his seat until his death in 1968. The subsequent by-election was won by Joe Ashton, who served as MP until his retirement at the 2001 general election. The current MP, since 2001, is John Mann.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: BassetlawElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = John Mann
votes = 22,847
percentage =56.6
change =+1.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Jonathan Sheppard
votes = 12,010
percentage = 29.8
change = -0.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = David Dobbie
votes = 5,485
percentage = 13.6
change = +0.9Election box majority
votes = 10,837
percentage = 26.9
change = Election box turnout
votes = 40,342
percentage = 58.1
change = +1.3Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = +0.9

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: BassetlawElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = John Mann
votes = 21,506
percentage = 55.3
change = -5.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Alison Holley
votes = 11,758
percentage = 30.2
change = +5.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Neil Taylor
votes = 4,942
percentage = 12.7
change = +2.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Kevin Meloy
votes = 689
percentage = 1.8
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 9,748
percentage = 25.1
change = Election box turnout
votes = 38,895
percentage = 56.8
change = -13.6Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1997: BassetlawElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Joe Ashton
votes = 29,298
percentage = 61.1
change = +7.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Martin Cleasby
votes = 11,838
percentage = 24.7
change = -10.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Mike Kerringan
votes = 4,950
percentage = 10.3
change = -1.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Referendum Party
candidate = R. Graham
votes = 1,838
percentage = 3.8
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 17,460
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 70.4
change = -8.1Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1992: BassetlawElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Joe Ashton
votes = 29,061
percentage = 53.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Caroline Spelman
votes = 19,064
percentage = 35.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Michael Reynolds
votes = 6,340
percentage = 11.6
change = Election box majority
votes = 9,997
percentage = 18.4
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 78.5
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Nottinghamshire