Calder Valley (UK Parliament constituency)


Calder Valley is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Craig Whittaker, a Conservative.

Boundaries

The constituency covers most of the upland metropolitan district of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, including the town of Todmorden which was formerly split in half between Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Since the constituency's creation in 1983 it has comprised the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale wards of Brighouse, Calder Valley, Elland, Greetland and Stainland, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe, Luddendenfoot, Rastrick, Ryburn, and Todmorden.

History

The constituency was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of Sowerby as well as parts of Brighouse and Spenborough. Historically a bellwether seat between Labour and the Conservatives, at the 2010 general election the seat became the closest three-way marginal in the north of England, with less than 1,000 votes between the Labour candidate in second place and the Liberal Democrat candidate in third, although with a significant Conservative majority. The seat's three-way marginal status did not last; the Labour vote increased significantly in both 2015 and 2017 while the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed dramatically over the same period. Despite this the Conservatives retained the seat in both elections, in line with national trends, and as a result the seat has maintained its bellwether status.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s