Ribble Valley is a

constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

represented in the

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of the

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since

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by Maya Ellis, of the Labour Party.

History

The Ribble Valley constituency was created in 1983 almost wholly from the former seat of

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for to ...

. Much of the eastern part of the constituency lies within the historic county boundaries of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

. Until 2024, with the exception of one year when, following a by-election, it was represented by a Liberal Democrat, the MP had been a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

; the lowest majority was 11.6% in 1997. The seat was held by David Waddington from 1983 to 1990. He was previously MP for Clitheroe from 1979 to 1983 and Nelson and Colne from 1968 to 1974. He was

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

from 1989 to 1990. From 1992 to 2024, the MP was Nigel Evans, who twice held the post of

Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, the lower house and primary chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The current speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, was ...

. In 2024, the seat fell to Labour for the first time. Maya Ellis defeated Evans with a majority of 1.6% as a result of a 16.9% swing.

Constituency profile

The constituency has slightly higher than national average income and much lower than average reliance upon

social housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

. As of December 2012, unemployment was significantly lower than the national average. Boundary changes in 2010 brought in more urban areas from the neighbouring

South Ribble South Ribble is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland. The borough includes the towns and villages of Penwortham, Leyland, Farington, Farington Moss, Hutton, Longton, Walmer B ...

district, and with it a large number of Labour voters, particularly in Bamber Bridge where all four local councillors are Labour, alongside Farington and Lostock Hall. Six of the divisions on Lancashire County Council within the Ribble Valley constituency after the

2013 United Kingdom local elections The 2013 United Kingdom local elections took place on Thursday 2 May 2013. Elections were held in 35 English councils: all 27 non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan county councils and eight Unitary authorities of England, unitary authorities ...

were Conservative-held, with Labour having one. The Conservatives gained one division each from the Liberal Democrats and the Idle Toad parties, while Labour took one from the Conservatives. Labour also gained another Conservative seat, which crosses the boundaries of the Ribble Valley and South Ribble constituencies. The constituency comprises the whole of the Borough of

Ribble Valley Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Clitheroe, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Longridge and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. ...

and a part of the Borough of South Ribble. In March 2015, two councillors, a Liberal Democrat and an Independent, defected to the Conservatives. Since the May 2015 local elections the council has been composed of 35 Conservative, 4 Liberal Democrat and 1 Labour councillors. 14 of the 19 South Ribble Borough councillors within the Ribble Valley constituency are Conservative, and 5 are Labour.

Boundaries

Historic

1983–1997: The Borough of

, and the Borough of Preston wards of Cadley, Greyfriars, Preston Rural East, and Sharoe Green. 1997–2010: The Borough of Ribble Valley, the City of Preston wards of Cadley, Greyfriars, Preston Rural East, Sharoe Green, and Sherwood, and the Borough of South Ribble wards of All Saints, and Samlesbury and Cuerdale. 2010–2015: The Borough of Ribble Valley, and the ten Borough of

wards of Bamber Bridge East, Bamber Bridge North, Bamber Bridge West, Coupe Green and Gregson Lane, Farington East, Farington West, Lostock Hall, Samlesbury and Walton, Tardy Gate, and Walton-le-Dale. In the run up to the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies led Parliament to approve the creation of a new seat of Wyre and Preston North, to which the City of Preston wards, including Fulwood, were transferred. To compensate, the constituency was extended further into the Borough of South Ribble to include the more urban communities of Bamber Bridge and Walton-le-Dale from Preston, and Farington from

. 2015–2024: The Borough of Ribble Valley, and the nine Borough of South Ribble wards of Bamber Bridge East, Bamber Bridge West, Coupe Green and Gregson Lane, Farington East, Farington West, Lostock Hall, Samlesbury and Walton, Walton-le-Dale East and Walton-le-Dale West. ''The Local Government Boundary Commission for England modified the Borough of South Ribble ward boundaries and names in 2015, which altered the contents, but not the boundaries of the constituency.''

Current

Further to the

2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies was the most recent cycle of the process to redraw the Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency map for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The new constituency b ...

which came into effect for the

2024 United Kingdom general election The 2024 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 4 July 2024 to elect all 650 members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The opposition Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won a lan ...

, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020): * The City of Preston wards of: Greyfriars; Preston Rural East; Preston Rural North; Sharoe Green. * The Borough of Ribble Valley wards of: Alston & Hothersall; Billington & Langho; Bowland; Brockhall & Dinckley; Chipping; Clayton-le-Dale & Salesbury; Derby & Thornley; Dilworth; Gisburn & Rimington; Hurst Green & Whitewell; Mellor; Ribchester; Waddington, Bashall Eaves & Mitton; West Bradford & Grindleton; Whalley Nethertown; Wilpshire & Ramsgreave. * The Borough of South Ribble wards of: Bamber Bridge East; Bamber Bridge West; Coupe Green & Gregson Lane; Lostock Hall; Samlesbury & Walton; Walton-le-Dale East; Walton-le-Dale West. ''The seat lost the town of

and its environs to the new constituency of Pendle and Clitheroe and regained parts of rural and northern Preston, including the centre of Fulwood, transferred from the abolished constituency of Wyre and Preston North. In the Borough of South Ribble, Farington was returned to the

seat.New election boundaries carve up Ribble Valley and Pendle
Lancaster Telegraph''

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Notes

References

External links

Ribble Valley Borough Council official site
(boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at ''MapIt UK''

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

(boundaries from June 2024) at ''MapIt UK'' {{Coord, 53.873, -2.391, display=title, region:GB_scale:100000 Parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1983 Politics of Ribble Valley Politics of South Ribble