South Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = South Staffordshire
Map1 = SouthStaffordshire
Map2 = Staffordshire
Type = County
Year = 1832, 1983
Entity =Staffordshire
County =Staffordshire
EP = West Midlands
MP = Patrick Cormack
Party = Conservative

South Staffordshire 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 constituency is made up of about two-thirds of the South Staffordshire local government district. It wraps round the western edge of the city of Wolverhampton and it does not contain any large towns. Its settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Codsall, Featherstone, Great Wyrley, Kinver, Perton and Wombourne.Most electoral wards are safely Conservative with Labour's only real area of strength being the ex-mining town of Cheslyn Hay.

History

The present South Staffordshire constituency was established in 1983, although in reality this was just a renaming of the Staffordshire South West constituency formed in 1974 from parts of the former constituencies of Brierley Hill and Cannock. It covered the whole of the South Staffordshire district until 1997, when the area around Penkridge was included in the Stafford constituency.

It is a safe seat for the Conservative Party, with Sir Patrick Cormack having held it since its creation in 1974.

General election 2005

On 30 April 2005, the Liberal Democrat candidate Josephine Harrison died of an undisclosed illness at the age of 53. Election procedures require that in the event of a candidate's death after the close of nominations, the returning officer has to direct the general election poll (due to be held on May 5) to be abandoned, and to call a fresh general election poll in South Staffordshire, under the same writ of election, 28 days after having seen proof of death. As the poll was strictly not a by-election, but rather a part of the general election, it was run under general election regulations, for instance not qualifying for the significantly higher election expenses available at by-elections.

The original candidates were:
* Penny Barber, Labour
* Sir Patrick Cormack, Conservative
* Adrian Davies. UK Freedom Party
* Josephine Harrison, Liberal Democrats
* Malcolm Hurst, United Kingdom Independence Party

On 9 May, the Labour candidate, Penny Barber, announced that she was standing down as she could not afford to take any more time off work. The constituency Labour Party had to select a new candidate, choosing Paul Kalinauckas who had been their candidate in the 2001 election. The Liberal Democrats selected Jo Crotty as their replacement candidate. In addition, three additional candidates who had not been nominated for the original poll fought the delayed election: Kate Spohrer of the Green Party, Rev. David Braid of Clause 28 Children's Protection Christian Democrats, and most notably the journalist Garry Bushell representing the English Democrats Party. Bushell had already stood in the Greenwich and Woolwich constituency on May 5, where he had polled 3.4%.

The election was eventually held on 23 June, 2005, with Sir Patrick Cormack retaining the seat. With the seat being safely Conservative, and with the results of the general election in other constituencies already known, the election attracted a considerably lower turnout (37.3%) than in other constituencies. Cormack increased his majority to 34.5% (a 9.1% swing), while the United Kingdom Independence Party saw one of their best results of 2005, with 10.4% of the vote.

Members of Parliament

* "Constituency created (as Staffordshire South West)" 1974, "renamed" 1983
* 1974 – "present": Patrick Cormack, Conservative

Election results

Note that the 2005 election was held on 23 June, instead of 5 May.

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: South StaffordshireElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Patrick Cormack
votes = 13,343
percentage = 52.1
change = +1.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Paul Kalinauckas
votes = 4,496
percentage = 17.6
change = -16.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Jo Crotty
votes = 3,514
percentage = 13.7
change = +1.9Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Malcolm Hurst
votes = 2,675
percentage = 10.4
change = +6.7Election box candidate with party link
party = English Democrats Party
candidate = Garry Bushell
votes = 643
percentage = 2.5
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = Kate Spohrer
votes = 437
percentage = 1.7
change = "N/A"Election box candidate
party = Freedom Party
candidate = Adrian Davies
votes = 434
percentage = 1.7
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Clause 28 Children's Protection Christian Democrats
candidate = Rev. David Braid
votes = 67
percentage = 0.3
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 8,847
percentage = 34.5
change = +18.2Election box turnout
votes = 25,609
percentage = 37.3
change = -23.0Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +9.1%

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Staffordshire SouthElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Patrick Cormack
votes = 21,295
percentage = 50.5
change = +0.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Paul Kalinauckas
votes = 14,414
percentage = 34.2
change = -0.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Josephine Harrison
votes = 4,891
percentage = 11.6
change = +0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Mike Lynch
votes = 1,580
percentage = 3.7
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 6,881
percentage = 16.3
change = Election box turnout
votes = 42,180
percentage = 60.3
change = -13.9Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Staffordshire

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/vote_2005/england/4503577.stm Lib Dems announce candidate death] , BBC News
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/4532245.stm Labour's search for new candidate] , BBC News
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1497197,00.html The Guardian: "Election begins in the seat time forgot"]