Halesowen and Rowley Regis
Encyclopedia
Halesowen and Rowley Regis is a borough 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.
and Sandwell
, being one of four constituencies covering Dudley and also one of four covering Sandwell. It covers the south-east part of Dudley borough (including the town of Halesowen
) and the south-west part of Sandwell
(covering Rowley Regis
and Cradley Heath
).
, taking in the eastern part of the former Halesowen and Stourbridge
constituency, (the remainder forming the reformed Stourbridge
constituency) and the western part of the former Warley West
constituency. Halesowen and Stourbridge had been held by the Conservatives
, but both of its replacements were taken by Labour
in 1997. Warley West had been held by Labour.
Unusually for a parliamentary constituency, Halesowen and Rowley Regis incorporates parts of two different boroughs. The area formerly in the Halesowen and Stourbridge constitiency is within the Dudley borough
, while the area formerly in Warley West is within the Sandwell borough (which in turned had previously formed part of the boroughs of Warley
and originally Rowley Regis
).
From 1997 until she stood down at the 2010 general election the seat's MP was Sylvia Heal
of the Labour Party. She previously held Mid Staffordshire
from a 1990 by-election until she was defeated by the Conservatives in 1992. On become the MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, she gained more than half of the votes in 1997 and 2001 before her popularity dipped slightly in 2005 but she still managed to hold onto the seat.
James Morris
of the Conservative Party was elected for the seat in the 2010 General Election. With approximately half of the constituency situated within the borders of Sandwell, it is the first time that any part of that borough (created in 1974) has ever been represented by a Tory MP. However, Tory MP's are no stranger to the Dudley borough, as Dudley South and Stourbridge both saw Tory candidates oust Labour MP's in the 2010 election and there have been a number of Tory MP's in various parts of the borough in the past.
Morris had taken over as Conservative candidate for the seat after previous candidate Nigel Hastilow
stepped down in November 2007 following a backlash from the public and fellow party members about his claims that Enoch Powell's
Rivers of Blood speech
on immigration in 1968 had been proven correct.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elects one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Boundaries
Halesowen and Rowley Regis straddles the border between the metropolitan boroughs of DudleyMetropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
and Sandwell
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
, being one of four constituencies covering Dudley and also one of four covering Sandwell. It covers the south-east part of Dudley borough (including the town of Halesowen
Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
) and the south-west part of Sandwell
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
(covering Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
and Cradley Heath
Cradley Heath
Cradley Heath is a town in the Black Country, located in Sandwell metropolitan borough, England. The name is usually pronounced "Craid-ley", not "Crad-ley", but in the Black Country accent, it may even sound like "Craig-ley Aith"...
).
History
The constituency was formed for the 1997 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, taking in the eastern part of the former Halesowen and Stourbridge
Halesowen and Stourbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Halesowen and Stourbridge was a parliamentary constituency in the West Midlands, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from February 1974 until it was abolished for the 1997 general election....
constituency, (the remainder forming the reformed Stourbridge
Stourbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Stourbridge is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
constituency) and the western part of the former Warley West
Warley West (UK Parliament constituency)
Warley West was a parliamentary constituency in the borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands of England.It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
constituency. Halesowen and Stourbridge had been held by the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, but both of its replacements were taken by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in 1997. Warley West had been held by Labour.
Unusually for a parliamentary constituency, Halesowen and Rowley Regis incorporates parts of two different boroughs. The area formerly in the Halesowen and Stourbridge constitiency is within the Dudley borough
Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
, while the area formerly in Warley West is within the Sandwell borough (which in turned had previously formed part of the boroughs of Warley
County Borough of Warley
Warley was a county borough and civil parish forming part of the West Midlands conurbation, England, and geographical county of Worcestershire. It was formed in 1966 by the combination of the existing county borough of Smethwick with the municipal boroughs of Oldbury and Rowley Regis Warley was a...
and originally Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
).
From 1997 until she stood down at the 2010 general election the seat's MP was Sylvia Heal
Sylvia Heal
Sylvia Lloyd Heal is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis from 1997 to 2010, having previously been the MP for Mid Staffordshire from 1990 to 1992...
of the Labour Party. She previously held Mid Staffordshire
Mid Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Staffordshire was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997.It covered a swathe of territory across the centre of Staffordshire, stretching from Lichfield and Rugeley in the south to Stone in the north....
from a 1990 by-election until she was defeated by the Conservatives in 1992. On become the MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, she gained more than half of the votes in 1997 and 2001 before her popularity dipped slightly in 2005 but she still managed to hold onto the seat.
James Morris
James Morris (British politician)
James George Morris is a Conservative Party politician in England. He is the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, having won the Labour-held seat at the 2010 general election with a majority of 2,023 over the Labour Party candidate...
of the Conservative Party was elected for the seat in the 2010 General Election. With approximately half of the constituency situated within the borders of Sandwell, it is the first time that any part of that borough (created in 1974) has ever been represented by a Tory MP. However, Tory MP's are no stranger to the Dudley borough, as Dudley South and Stourbridge both saw Tory candidates oust Labour MP's in the 2010 election and there have been a number of Tory MP's in various parts of the borough in the past.
Morris had taken over as Conservative candidate for the seat after previous candidate Nigel Hastilow
Nigel Hastilow
Nigel Hastilow is a journalist, author, businessman and politician. He is a former editor of the Birmingham Post and was Conservative Party candidate for Birmingham Edgbaston in the 2001 general election...
stepped down in November 2007 following a backlash from the public and fellow party members about his claims that Enoch Powell's
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
Rivers of Blood speech
Rivers of Blood speech
The "Rivers of Blood" speech was a speech criticising Commonwealth immigration, as well as proposed anti-discrimination legislation in the United Kingdom made on 20 April 1968 by Enoch Powell , the Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West...
on immigration in 1968 had been proven correct.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Sylvia Heal Sylvia Heal Sylvia Lloyd Heal is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis from 1997 to 2010, having previously been the MP for Mid Staffordshire from 1990 to 1992... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
| 2010 | James Morris James Morris (British politician) James George Morris is a Conservative Party politician in England. He is the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, having won the Labour-held seat at the 2010 general election with a majority of 2,023 over the Labour Party candidate... |
Conservative | |
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Sources
- BBC (2005). Election 2005 - Halesowen & Rowley Regis. Retrieved May 9, 2005.