Population 88,818 (2011 census) Major settlements Birkenhead Member of parliament Frank Field (Labour) | Electorate 62,432 (December 2010) Created 1950 | |
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County 1861–1918 Cheshire1950–1974 Cheshire1974– Merseyside | ||
Birkenhead /ˈbɜːrkənˌhɛd/ is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1979 by Frank Field of the Labour Party.
Contents
History
Birkenhead was enfranchised in 1861 by the Birkenhead Enfranchisement Act 1861 and was a single constituency for 57 years until it was split as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which took effect from the 1918 general election. Birkenhead East and West constituencies then covered its area and certain smaller neighbouring communities of The Wirral until the single Birkenhead constituency was re-established at the 1950 general election. Since then it has returned only Labour MPs, being a safe Labour seat with large majorities apart from a 7% majority in 1955.
For the 2001, 2005 and 2010 general elections Birkenhead had the fewest candidates of any British constituency: only candidates for the Labour Party, Conservative Party and Liberal Democrat contested the seat.
Boundaries
The Birkenhead Enfranchisement Act 1861 provided that the constituency was to consist of the Extra-parochial Chapelry of Birkenhead, the several townships of Claughton, Tranmere, and Oxton, and so much of the township of Higher Bebbington as lies to the eastward of the road leading from Higher Tranmere to Lower Bebbington.
1950-1974: The County Borough of Birkenhead, except the wards included in the Bebington constituency.
1974-1983: The County Borough of Birkenhead wards of Argyle, Bebington, Cathcart, Claughton, Cleveland, Clifton, Devonshire, Egerton, Gilbrook, Grange, Holt, Mersey, Oxton, and St James.
1983-2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral wards of Bidston, Birkenhead, Claughton, Egerton, Oxton, and Tranmere.
2010-present: The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral wards of Bidston and St James, Birkenhead and Tranmere, Claughton, Oxton, Prenton, and Rock Ferry.
The constituency covers the town of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, and the Birkenhead suburbs of Bidston, Claughton, Oxton, Prenton, Rock Ferry and Tranmere. It is one of four parliamentary constituencies within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.