Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974–2010
53°42′29″N 1°18′58″W / 53.708°N 1.316°W / 53.708; -1.316
Pontefract and Castleford |
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Former County constituency for the House of Commons |
Boundary of Pontefract and Castleford in West Yorkshire for the 2005 general election |
Location of West Yorkshire within England |
County | West Yorkshire |
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1974 (1974)–2010 |
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Seats | One |
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Created from | Pontefract |
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Replaced by | Normanton, Pontefract & Castleford |
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Pontefract and Castleford was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 2010 general election. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Boundaries
1974–1983: The Municipal Boroughs of Castleford and Pontefract, and the Urban District of Featherstone.
1983–2010: The City of Wakefield wards of Castleford Ferry Fryston, Castleford Glasshoughton, Castleford Whitwood, Knottingley, Pontefract North, and Pontefract South.
The constituency covered the West Yorkshire towns of Pontefract and Castleford. It was a very safe Labour seat, made up of former mining towns and villages. The MP from 1997 until its abolition in 2010, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, is married to former fellow Labour MP, former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls.
Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in West Yorkshire, the number of seats in West Yorkshire were reduced by one due to population decline by the Boundary Commission for England. A new, geographically larger, constituency called Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford was created in 2010 including the whole of this constituency.
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: Pontefract and Castleford[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Yvette Cooper | 20,973 | 63.7 | −6.0 |
| Conservative | Simon Jones | 5,727 | 17.4 | −0.2 |
| Liberal Democrats | Wesley Paxton | 3,942 | 12.0 | +4.6 |
| BNP | Suzy Cass | 1,835 | 5.6 | New |
| Alliance for Green Socialism | Bob Hague | 470 | 1.4 | New |
Majority | 15,246 | 46.3 | -5.8 |
Turnout | 32,947 | 53.3 | +3.6 |
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 2001: Pontefract and Castleford[3] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Yvette Cooper | 21,890 | 69.7 | −6.0 |
| Conservative | Pamela Singleton | 5,512 | 17.6 | +4.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Wesley Paxton | 2,315 | 7.4 | 0.0 |
| UKIP | John Burdon | 739 | 2.4 | New |
| Socialist Labour | Trevor Bolderson | 605 | 1.9 | New |
| Socialist Alliance | John Gill | 330 | 1.1 | New |
Majority | 16,378 | 52.1 | -10.0 |
Turnout | 31,391 | 49.7 | −16.6 |
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
Elections in the 1990s
General election 1992: Pontefract and Castleford[5][6][7] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Geoffrey Lofthouse | 33,546 | 69.9 | +3.0 |
| Conservative | Anthony George Mortimer Rockall | 10,051 | 20.9 | -0.3 |
| Liberal Democrats | David Lawrence Ryan | 4,410 | 9.2 | −2.1 |
Majority | 23,495 | 49.0 | +3.3 |
Turnout | 48,007 | 74.3 | +0.8 |
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
General election 1979: Pontefract and Castleford Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Geoffrey Lofthouse | 30,566 | 68.1 | -2.3 |
| Conservative | Hugo Page | 10,665 | 23.8 | +7.6 |
| Liberal | Leslie Marsh | 3,616 | 8.0 | -4.3 |
Majority | 19,901 | 44.3 | -9.9 |
Turnout | 44,837 | 73.9 | +2.8 |
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Pontefract and Castleford Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Joseph Harper | 30,208 | 70.4 | -4.4 |
| Conservative | I. Bloomer | 6,966 | 16.2 | -6.9 |
| Liberal | S. Galloway | 5,259 | 12.3 | New |
| Workers Revolutionary | T. Parsons | 457 | 1.1 | -1.1 |
Majority | 23,242 | 54.2 | +2.4 |
Turnout | 42,890 | 71.1 | -6.0 |
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Pontefract and Castleford Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Joseph Harper | 34,409 | 74.8 | |
| Conservative | Richard Needham | 10,605 | 23.1 | |
| Workers Revolutionary | B. Lavery | 991 | 2.2 | |
Majority | 23,804 | 51.8 | |
Turnout | 46,005 | 77.1 | |
| Labour win (new seat) |
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 2)
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "1992 election results" (PDF). Wakefield Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
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