Wyre Forest (UK Parliament constituency)

Wyre Forest
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Wyre Forest in Worcestershire
Location of Worcestershire within England
County	Worcestershire
Electorate	77,800 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements	Bewdley Kidderminster Stourport-on-Severn
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of Parliament	Mark Garnier (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	Kidderminster

Wyre Forest is a county 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. The current MP is Mark Garnier of the Conservative Party who was re-elected in the 2019 general election.

Members of Parliament[]

Boundaries[]

The Wyre Forest constituency as it was drawn for the 1997 election was almost coterminous with the Wyre Forest district, with around 2,000 electors from the district in the neighbouring Leominster constituency. Following its review of parliamentary constituencies for the 2010 election, the Boundary Commission recommended that the portions of the district currently in Leominster move into this seat, making the constituency and district wholly coterminous. These changes were brought about in part by the consideration of Worcestershire and Herefordshire separately for the drawing of parliamentary constituency boundaries.

2010–present: The District of Wyre Forest.

1997–2010: All the wards of the District of Wyre Forest except the Rock and Ribbesford ward.

1983–1997: The District of Wyre Forest.

History[]

The Wyre Forest constituency was first fought under its present name in the 1983 general election, having succeeded the old Kidderminster seat, and was won for the Conservatives by Esmond Bulmer. Wyre Forest was held with relative ease by the Conservatives' Anthony Coombs in the 1987 and 1992 general elections; however the 1997 Labour landslide saw that party gain the seat with David Lock securing a majority of almost 7,000. Anger over the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital reflected on Lock at the 2001 election, and Health Concern's Richard Taylor stormed to a decisive victory, then held the seat with a considerably reduced majority in 2005. Taylor lost to the Conservatives in the 2010 general election.^[3]

Turnout in the Wyre Forest at general elections has generally been around 2-3% above the national average, but in 2001 the constituency recorded a 68.0% turnout as against 59.4% nationally; this spike (not repeated in 2005) is widely attributed to the intense local feelings on the hospital issue.

Elections[]

Elections in the 2010s[]

General election 2019: Wyre Forest^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Garnier	32,960	65.2	6.8
	Labour	Robin Lunn	11,547	22.8	9.5
	Liberal Democrats	Shazu Miah	4,081	8.1	4.3
	Green	John Davis	1,973	3.9	1.9
Majority			21,413	42.4	18.3
Turnout			50,561	64.8	1.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	8.2

General election 2017: Wyre Forest^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Garnier	29,859	58.4	13.1
	Labour	Matt Lamb	16,525	32.3	13.0
	Liberal Democrats	Shazu Miah	1,943	3.8	1.3
	UKIP	George Connolly	1,777	3.5	12.6
	Green	Brett Caulfield	1,025	2.0	0.3
Majority			13,334	26.1	0.1
Turnout			51,223	65.8	2.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2015: Wyre Forest^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Garnier	22,394	45.3	8.4
	Labour	Matt Lamb	9,523	19.3	5.0
	UKIP	Michael Wrench	7,967	16.1	13.2
	National Health Action	Richard Taylor	7,211	14.6	17.1
	Liberal Democrats	Andy Crick	1,228	2.5	9.4
	Green	Natalie McVey	1,117	2.3	New
Majority			12,871	26.0	20.8
Turnout			49,440	63.8	3.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2010: Wyre Forest^[7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Garnier	18,793	36.9	7.8
	Health Concern	Richard Taylor	16,150	31.7	6.9
	Labour	Nigel Knowles	7,298	14.3	8.2
	Liberal Democrats	Neville Farmer	6,040	11.9	New
	UKIP	Michael Wrench	1,498	2.9	0.6
	BNP	Gordon Howells	1,120	2.2	New
Majority			2,643	5.2	N/A
Turnout			50,899	66.8	2.9
	Conservative gain from Health Concern		Swing

Elections in the 2000s[]

General election 2005: Wyre Forest^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Health Concern	Richard Taylor	18,739	39.9	18.2
	Conservative	Mark Garnier	13,489	28.7	9.6
	Labour	Marc Bayliss	10,716	22.8	0.7
	Liberal	Frances Oborski	2,666	5.7	New
	UKIP	Rustie Lee	1,074	2.3	1.5
	Monster Raving Loony	Bert Priest	303	0.6	New
Majority			5,250	11.2	24.8
Turnout			46,987	64.2	3.8
	Health Concern hold		Swing	13.9

General election 2001: Wyre Forest^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Health Concern	Richard Taylor	28,487	58.1	New
	Labour	David Lock	10,857	22.1	26.7
	Conservative	Mark Simpson	9,350	19.1	17.0
	UKIP	Jim Millington	368	0.8	0.2
Majority			17,630	36.0	N/A
Turnout			49,062	68.0	7.4
	Health Concern gain from Labour		Swing

Elections in the 1990s[]

General election 1992: Wyre Forest^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Coombs	28,983	47.8	0.7
	Labour	Ross Maden	18,642	30.8	11.9
	Liberal Democrats	Mark D. Jones	12,958	21.4	12.6
Majority			10,341	17.0	3.8
Turnout			60,583	82.3	4.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	5.6

Elections in the 1980s[]

See also[]

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire

References[]

Coordinates: 52°24′N 2°15′W / 52.40°N 2.25°W / 52.40; -2.25