Brighouse and Spenborough (UK Parliament constituency)

Brighouse and Spenborough was a parliamentary constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire, comprising the two municipal boroughs of Brighouse and Spenborough and neighbouring areas.[1] It returned one member of parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Brighouse and Spenborough
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1950–1983
Number of membersone
Replaced byBatley and Spen
Calder Valley
Created fromElland
Spen Valley

Boundaries

1950–1955: The Borough of Brighouse, and the Urban Districts of Queensberry and Shelf, and Spenborough.

1955–1983: The Borough of Brighouse, and the Urban Districts of Heckmondwike and Spenborough.

History

The constituency was created for the 1950 general election. The boundaries were redrawn for the 1955 general election: Queensbury and Shelf Urban District was transferred to Bradford South while Heckmondwike Urban District was added to this seat from the pre-1955 Dewsbury.[1][2] These boundaries were used until the constituency's abolition for the 1983 general election.

In 1983 parliamentary seats were reorganised to reflect the changes in local government introduced in 1974. The area had become part of the Metropolitan County of West Yorkshire and was divided between two new constituencies: Batley and Spen (including Heckmondwike and Spenborough) and Calder Valley (including Brighouse).[3] This seat's last MP, the Conservative Gary Waller, moved to the redrawn Keighley constituency, which he held until 1997.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberPartyNotes
1950Frederick CobbLabourPreviously MP for Elland from 1945. Died March 1950
1950 by-electionJohn EdwardsLabourDied November 1959
1960 by-electionMichael ShawNational Liberal
1964Colin JacksonLabour
1970Wilfred ProudfootConservative
Feb 1974Colin JacksonLabour
1979Gary WallerConservative
1983 constituency abolished: see Batley and Spen & Calder Valley

Elections

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Brighouse and Spenborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frederick Cobb 25,588 52.17
National Liberal and Conservative William Woolley 23,456 47.83
Majority 2,132 4.34
Turnout 49,044 88.04
Labour win (new seat)
1950 Brighouse and Spenborough by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Edwards 24,004 50.5 −1.71
National Liberal and Conservative William Woolley 23,567 49.5 +1.71
Majority 437 0.91 −3.43
Turnout 47,571 85.4 −2.6
Labour hold Swing −1.71
General election 1951: Brighouse and Spenborough[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Edwards 26,105 52.28 +0.11
National Liberal and Conservative William Woolley 23,828 47.72 -0.11
Majority 2,277 4.56 +0.21
Turnout 49,933 88.69 +0.65
Labour hold Swing +0.11
General election 1955: Brighouse and Spenborough[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Edwards 23,674 51.78 -0.50
Conservative and National Liberal Frederick William Howard Cook 22,048 48.22 +0.50
Majority 1,626 3.56 -1.00
Turnout 45,722 83.72 -4.97
Labour hold Swing -0.50
General election 1959: Brighouse and Spenborough[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Edwards 23,290 50.05 -1.73
Conservative and National Liberal Michael Shaw 23,243 49.95 +1.73
Majority 47 0.10 -3.46
Turnout 46,533 85.50 +1.78
Labour hold Swing -1.73

Elections in the 1960s
1960 Brighouse and Spenborough by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative and National Liberal Michael Shaw 22,472 50.8 +0.9
Labour Colin Jackson 21,806 49.2 -0.9
Majority 666 1.6 N/A
Turnout 44,278
Conservative and National Liberal gain from Labour Swing +0.8
General election 1964: Brighouse and Spenborough[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Colin Jackson 20,734 44.16 -7.62
Conservative and National Liberal Michael Shaw 19,812 42.19 -6.03
Liberal James Pickles 6,411 13.65 New
Majority 922 1.97 +3.47
Turnout 46,957 85.28 -0.22
Labour hold Swing -0.8
General election 1966: Brighouse and Spenborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Colin Jackson 25,740 54.82 +10.66
Conservative Cyril Donald Chapman 21,216 45.18 +2.99
Majority 4,524 9.64 +7.68
Turnout 46,956 83.96 -1.32
Labour hold Swing +3.80

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Brighouse and Spenborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Wilf Proudfoot 22,953 46.3 +1.1
Labour Colin Jackson 22,894 46.1 -8.7
Liberal George Henry Manley 3,781 7.62 New
Majority 59 0.12 +9.75
Turnout 49,628 80.54 -3.42
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.86
General election February 1974: Brighouse and Spenborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Colin Jackson 22,107 41.04 -5.09
Conservative Wilf Proudfoot 20,561 38.17 -8.08
Liberal Patrick G Robertshaw 11,029 20.47 +12.85
Ind. Democratic Alliance Shirley Milner 169 0.31% New
Majority 1,546 2.87 +2.99
Turnout 53,866 85.31 +4.77
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -1.99
General election October 1974: Brighouse and Spenborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Colin Jackson 21,964 43.91 +2.87
Conservative Wilf Proudfoot 19,787 39.56 +1.39
Liberal John Smithson 8,265 16.52 -3.95
Majority 2,177 4.35 +1.48
Turnout 49,976 78.59 -6.72
Labour hold Swing +0.74
General election 1979: Brighouse and Spenborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Waller 23,448 44.71 +5.15
Labour Michael McGowan 21,714 41.41 -2.50
Liberal R Thomas 7,278 13.88 -2.70
Majority 1,734 3.30 N/A
Turnout 52,440 80.17 +1.58
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.83

References
  1. Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1991). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.2: Northern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 848. ISBN 0861931270.
  2. Parliamentary Constituencies (Bradford, Brighouse and Spenborough and Dewsbury) Order 1954
  3. The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/417)
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