Langbaurgh (UK Parliament constituency)

Langbaurgh was a parliamentary constituency in south Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland boroughs, the latter previously named Langbaurgh from 1974 to 1996. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system, and existed from 1983 to 1997.

Langbaurgh
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Langbaurgh in Cleveland for the 1992 general election
Outline map
Location of Cleveland within England
County1983-1996 Cleveland
1996-1997 North Yorkshire
Major settlementsGuisborough
19831997
SeatsOne
Created fromCleveland & Whitby
Replaced byMiddlesbrough South & East Cleveland

History

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The constituency was a mixture of heavy manufacturing areas (41.7% of the workforce), with seaside resort and rural agricultural parts. The political effect was to make the constituency marginal between the Labour and Conservative candidates. However, it was held by the Conservative party at each of the general elections which it existed. A 1991 by-election was the only time at which Labour won this seat.

Boundaries

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1983–1997: The Borough of Langbaurgh wards of Belmont, Brotton, Guisborough, Hutton, Lockwood, Loftus, Longbeck, St. Germain's, Saltburn, Skelton, and Skinningrove, and the Borough of Middlesbrough wards of Easterside, Hemlington, Marton, Newham, Nunthorpe, Park End, and Stainton and Thornton.[1]

At the time of its creation the constituency was part of the then shire county of Cleveland and the Borough of Langbaurgh, for local government purposes. Before the reforms of local government in the 1960s and 1970s the area that became Cleveland had been partly located in the north of the North Riding of Yorkshire and partially in the south of the historic county of Durham. The constituency itself was located in the North Riding part of Cleveland.

The redistribution of constituencies, which took effect in 1983, was the first which used the reformed local authorities as the building blocks for Parliamentary constituencies. Langbaurgh was a new constituency; 65.1% of it had formerly been part of Cleveland and Whitby constituency, 34.6% came from Middlesbrough and 0.3% from Richmond (Yorks).

In 1996 the county of Cleveland and its associated districts like the borough of Langbaurgh were abolished. The area was divided into unitary council areas, one of which was Middlesbrough and another was Redcar and Cleveland (the former borough of Langbaurgh). In the circumstances it was inevitable that the majority successor constituency to Langbaurgh from 1997 (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) was renamed.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[2] Party Notes
1983 Richard Holt Conservative Died September 1991
1991 by-election Ashok Kumar Labour Later MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 1997–2010
1992 Michael Bates Conservative Paymaster General 1996–97
1997 constituency abolished: see Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland & Redcar

Elections

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Elections in the 1990s

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The 1992 result is compared to the 1987 general election vote, which was a Conservative win.

General election 1992: Langbaurgh[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Bates 30,018 45.4 +3.7
Labour Ashok Kumar 28,454 43.1 +4.7
Liberal Democrats Peter Allen 7,615 11.5 −8.4
Majority 1,564 2.4 −1.0
Turnout 66,087 83.1 +4.3
Conservative hold Swing −0.5
By-election 1991: Langbaurgh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ashok Kumar 22,442 42.9 +4.5
Conservative Michael Bates 20,467 39.1 −2.6
Liberal Democrats Peter Allen 8,421 16.1 −3.8
Green Gerald Parr 456 0.9 New
Yorkshire Party Colin Holt 216 0.4 New
Corrective Party Lindi St Clair 198 0.4 New
Football Supporters Nigel Downing 163 0.3 New
Majority 1,975 3.8 N/A
Turnout 52,363
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +3.55

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1987: Langbaurgh[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Holt 26,047 41.7 0.0
Labour Paul Harford 23,959 38.4 +7.0
Liberal Robin Ashby 12,405 19.9 −7.0
Majority 2,088 3.4 −7.0
Turnout 62,411 78.8 +3.8
Conservative hold Swing −3.5
General election 1983: Langbaurgh[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Holt 24,239 41.7
Labour Gaye Johnson 18,215 31.4
Liberal Robin Ashby 15,615 26.9
Majority 6,024 10.4
Turnout 58,069 75.0
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
  3. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  5. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

Sources

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  • British Parliamentary Constituencies: A Statistical Compendium, by Ivor Crewe and Anthony Fox (Faber & Faber 1984)