County Tyne and Wear Electorate 68,156 (December 2010) | Population 88,281 (2011 census) Created 1918 | |
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Major settlements Birtley, Blaydon, Rowlands Gill, Ryton and Whickham Member of parliament David Anderson (Labour) | ||
Blaydon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by David Anderson of the Labour Party.
Contents
Constituency profile
The seat has been a safe seat for the Labour Party since 1945.
Historically the area's economy relied on coal mining from the Victorian period until the decline of mining in the latter half of the 20th century.
Today the economy is supported by engineering and service industries on Tyneside, and agriculture.
The constituency is on the western upland outskirts of Gateshead and its communities are separated by green buffers.
Boundaries
1918-1950: The Urban Districts of Blaydon, Ryton, Tanfield, and Whickham.
1950-1983: The Urban Districts of Blaydon, Ryton, and Whickham.
1983-2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead wards of Birtley, Blaydon, Chopwell and Rowlands Gill, Crawcrook and Greenside, Lamesley, Ryton, Whickham North, Whickham South, and Winlaton.
2010-present: The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead wards of Birtley, Blaydon, Chopwell and Rowlands Gill, Crawcrook and Greenside, Dunston Hill and Whickham East, Lamesley, Ryton, Crookhill and Stella, Whickham North, Whickham South and Sunniside, and Winlaton and High Spen.
The Blaydon constituency comprises the towns of Blaydon, Whickham, Ryton, Birtley and surrounding villages in the south and west of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead.