County Nottinghamshire Member of parliament Mark Spencer Number of members 1 European Parliament constituency East Midlands Created from Newark, Carlton, Ashfield | Major settlements Hucknall Major settlement Hucknall Electorate 72,111 (December 2010) Replaced by Newark, Carlton, Ashfield | |
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Sherwood is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Mark Spencer, a Conservative.
Contents
Boundaries
1983-1997: The District of Newark wards of Bilsthorpe, Blidworth, Boughton, Clipstone, Dover Beck, Edwinstowe, Farnsfield, Fishpool, Lowdham, Ollerton North, Ollerton South, Rainworth, and Rufford, the District of Ashfield wards of Hucknall Central, Hucknall East, Hucknall North, and Hucknall West, and the Borough of Gedling wards of Bestwood Park, Calverton, Lambley, Newstead, and Woodborough.
1997-2010: The District of Newark and Sherwood wards of Bilsthorpe, Blidworth, Boughton, Clipstone, Dover Beck, Edwinstowe, Farnsfield, Lowdham, Ollerton North, Ollerton South, Rainworth, and Rufford, the District of Ashfield wards of Hucknall Central, Hucknall East, Hucknall North, and Hucknall West, and the Borough of Gedling wards of Bestwood Park, Calverton, Lambley, Newstead, Ravenshead, and Woodborough.
2010-present: The District of Newark and Sherwood wards of Bilsthorpe, Blidworth, Boughton, Clipstone, Edwinstowe, Farnsfield, Ollerton, and Rainworth, the District of Ashfield wards of Hucknall Central, Hucknall East, Hucknall North, and Hucknall West, and the Borough of Gedling wards of Bestwood Village, Calverton, Lambley, Newstead, Ravenshead, and Woodborough.
The constituency is in central Nottinghamshire, covering parts of three local government authorities: the Ashfield district, parts of the Gedling borough, and the western part of the Newark and Sherwood district, the largest geographical area of the seat.
Constituency profile
The seat is an area of many contrasts such as Ravenshead, home to some of Nottinghamshire's most affluent residents, numerous smaller rural villages, one mining village and many ex-mining villages, and the town of Hucknall, the largest in the constituency, now a commuter town but with a long mining tradition. Thoresby, Edwinstowe contains a large operational coal mine underground, see Coalfield Resources plc.
The constituency consists of Census Output Areas of three local government districts with similar characteristics: a working population whose income is close to the national average and lower than average reliance upon social housing. At the end of 2012 the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 3.5% of the population claiming jobseekers allowance, compared to an identical regional average which was below the national average. Taking Newark and Sherwood that contributes to the seat: a slightly below average 18.6% of its population are without a car, a medium 25.1% of the population are without qualifications and a high 24.2% have level 4 qualifications or above (2011). In terms of tenure 70.2% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage by occupants as at the 2011 census across that district.
History
On the constituency's creation in 1983, Andy Stewart won it for the Conservatives in their landslide victory that year with a majority of just 637. The Nottinghamshire miners drifted further from Labour during the 1984 strike and Stewart was re-elected with an increased majority in 1987. However in 1992 the seat was gained for Labour by Paddy Tipping, who held it until he retired in 2010, when the seat was regained for the Conservatives by Mark Spencer, by a majority of 214. In 2015 he increased it to 4,647.
Elections in the 2010s
In 2015, the Justice for Men and Boys party announced Ian Young as candidate, but he failed to stand.