Bury South

Bury South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2019 by Christian Wakeford. Wakeford was elected as a Conservative but defected to the Labour Party in January 2022. He was re-elected at the 2024 general election.

Boundaries

The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Middleton and Prestwich & Bury and Radcliffe, both of which were Labour-Conservative marginals, held by Labour on slim majorities at the 1979 election. It covers the suburban towns of Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich. The constituency does not contain any area of the town of Bury itself (which is in Bury North), but only towns in the south of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury.

1983–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses, Holyrood, Pilkington Park, Radcliffe Central, Radcliffe North, Radcliffe South, St Mary's, and Sedgley.

2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses, Holyrood, Pilkington Park, Radcliffe East, Radcliffe North, Radcliffe West, St Mary's, Sedgley, and Unsworth.

2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

* The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses; Holyrood; Pilkington Park; Radcliffe East; Radcliffe West; St. Mary’s; Sedgley; Unsworth.
* The City of Salford ward of Kersal & Broughton Park.

''The Radcliffe North ward was transferred to Bury North, offset by the gain of the City of Salford ward of Kersal & Broughton Park from the abolished Blackley and Broughton constituency.''

History

Between 1997 and 2019, the seat was represented by Ivan Lewis. Lewis belonged to the Labour Party and was a minister during the Blair and Brown governments, but was suspended in 2018 due to allegations of indecent behaviour. He stood unsuccessfully as an independent in the 2019 election. Prior to 1997, it had been represented by Conservative David Sumberg since the constituency's creation in 1983.

The seat was contested by future cabinet minister Hazel Blears in 1992, narrowly losing and would later be elected in her hometown in nearby Salford the following election until retiring in 2015. The 2017 General Election saw Robert Largan as the runner-up Conservative candidate, who would later be elected for High Peak at the following general election in 2019.

At the 2019 General Election it was the 10th most marginal seat in the country, with a majority of 402 for the Conservative Party candidate Christian Wakeford. Wakeford defected to the Labour Party on 19 January 2022. He was re-elected as the Labour Party candidate at the 2024 general election.

Constituency profile

The seat covers Prestwich, Whitefield and Radcliffe, towns that were absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in 1974, plus, since 2024, the ward of Kersal and Broughton Park from the City of Salford. The western border along the Irwell Valley contains much of Bury's green belt land including Philips Park in Whitefield, Prestwich Clough and Drinkwater Park, making up 500 acres of green space. Prestwich, Whitefield and Broughton Park are residential areas with one of the largest Jewish communities outside London. Radcliffe is a former mill town which declined after the loss of industry, with its only secondary school shut down; it is attempting regeneration as a commuter suburb and features a large park-and-ride Metrolink station. Simister to the east of Prestwich opposite Heaton Park still has some farmland, which has been under threat from development. Overall this is an economically diverse area, as there are pockets of social housing in each town, while houses in areas such as Ringley Road in Whitefield, and Sheepfoot Lane in Prestwich, facing Heaton Park, can sell for over £1 million, with mostly owner-occupied semi-detached housing in between. The proportion of graduates and those employed in managerial/professional occupations is slightly above the national average.

At local elections, Prestwich mostly returns Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors, with some historic Conservative representation in Sedgley. Whitefield is a mix of safe Conservative and safe Labour, and Unsworth marginally Labour. Radcliffe was generally Labour with the exception of Radcliffe North, however a localist party, Radcliffe First, has taken from Labour all of the Radcliffe seats within this constituency. The Kersal and Broughton Park ward of Salford has returned mostly Conservative or Independent councillors.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

See also

* List of parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester

References

External links

nomis Constituency Profile for Bury South
— presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.

(boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at ''MapIt UK''

(boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at ''MapIt UK''

(boundaries from June 2024) at ''MapIt UK''

{{Coord, 53.580, -2.299, display=title, region:GB_scale:100000

Parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1983
Politics of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury