Bury North (UK Parliament constituency)

Bury North is a borough constituency in Greater Manchester, created in 1983 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. With a Conservative majority of 105 votes, it was the most marginal constituency for a sitting MP in the United Kingdom at the 2019 general election. Labour took the seat at the 2024 general election.

Bury North
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Boundary of Bury North in North West England
County	Greater Manchester
Population	87,218 (2011 UK Census)[1]
Electorate	77,009 (2023)[2]
Major settlements	Bury, Ramsbottom, Tottington
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of Parliament	James Frith (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Rossendale (part) Bury & Radcliffe (part)

History

Summary of results

Bury North is a marginal seat between Labour and the Conservatives, and a bellwether constituency throughout most of its existence — the winner of the seat has tended to win the general election, with 2017 being an exceptional Labour gain, though it was subsequently regained by the Conservatives in 2019. In forerunner seats, the town of Bury did not have a Labour MP until 1964, since when Bury North has become reported on as an important marginal seat.

The 2010 Conservative win at Bury North was the Conservative Party's sole gain in Greater Manchester. The 2015 general election result was narrower, which produced the fifth-most marginal majority of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority.^[3] The 2019 general election result made this the most marginal constituency in Great Britain, with a narrow majority of 105 votes. Only Sinn Fein's majority of 57 in Fermanagh and South Tyrone was lower in the UK, and as Sinn Fein members do not take their seats, Daly's majority was therefore the smallest for that of a sitting MP.

Boundaries

The constituency of Bury North covers the towns of Ramsbottom, Tottington and Bury. It was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Rossendale and Bury and Radcliffe. In those boundary changes Ramsbottom was transferred from Rossendale to Bury North, while with the loss of Ramsbottom, Rossendale was linked with Darwen. In 2010 the Unsworth area was transferred to Bury South.

1983–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Church, East, Elton, Moorside, Ramsbottom, Redvales, Tottington, and Unsworth.

2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Church, East, Elton, Moorside, North Manor, Ramsbottom, Redvales, and Tottington.

2024–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Bury East; Bury West (part); Elton; Moorside; North Manor; Radcliffe North & Ainsworth (part); Ramsbottom; Redvales; Tottington; and Unsworth (part).^[4]

Expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range.

Constituency profile

Despite its name, Bury North includes the entirety of the town of Bury. A traditional Labour-Conservative marginal, Ramsbottom and Tottington are mostly Conservative, but in the case of Ramsbottom, not always overwhelmingly so, whereas the town of Bury itself (particularly the Bury East ward) is generally more favourable to Labour, with Elton being a marginal. Tottington, Church ward and the rural North Manor ward are safely Conservative, however Ramsbottom is now a Labour marginal, re-gained by the party in 2018. The 2011 Ramsbottom local election was famously a tie between the Labour and Conservative candidates, decided by drawing straws which Labour won and took control of the council.

The wards surrounding the town centre include some terraced and social housing and is ethnically diverse. The Bury town centre itself features two large sixth form colleges, the 'World Famous' market famed for Black Pudding as well as newer shopping and leisure developments such as The Rock. Tourist attractions include the East Lancashire Heritage Railway and Fusiliers Museum. North of Bury the area becomes more rural, approaching the provincial towns of Tottington and Ramsbottom, which are becoming increasingly desirable for Manchester commuters looking for quieter housing overlooking the West Pennines. Ramsbottom features Peel Monument, a tower on Holcombe Hill dedicated to former Conservative Prime Minister Robert Peel who was born in Bury. The tower is occasionally opened by volunteers, which offers views across Greater Manchester and as far out as Cheshire.

The constituency voted Leave in the 2016 referendum with a margin close to that of the national average at an estimated 54%.^[5]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[6][7]	Party
	1983	Alistair Burt	Conservative
	1997	David Chaytor	Labour
	2010	David Nuttall	Conservative
	2017	James Frith	Labour
	2019	James Daly	Conservative
	2024	James Frith	Labour

Elections

Bury North constituency vote share as a percentage between 1997 and 2019

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Bury North^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Frith	19,625	43.1	–1.8
	Conservative	James Daly	12,681	27.9	–19.4
	Reform UK	Lynda Rosewell	7,385	16.2	+13.5
	Workers Party	Shafat Ali	1,917	4.2	N/A
	Green	Owain Sutton	1,747	3.8	+2.0
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Alcock	1,317	2.9	–0.2
	Independent	Anwarul Haq	571	1.3	N/A
	Independent	Spencer Donnelly	277	0.6	N/A
Majority			6,944	15.2	N/A
Turnout			45,520	58.5	−10.8
Registered electors			77,703
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+8.8

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[9]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	25,285	47.3
	Labour	24,003	44.9
	Liberal Democrats	1,639	3.1
	Brexit Party	1,446	2.7
	Green	939	1.8
	Others	158	0.3
Turnout		53,470	69.4
Electorate		77,009

General election 2019: Bury North^[10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Daly	21,660	46.2	+1.7
	Labour	James Frith	21,555	46.0	–7.6
	Liberal Democrats	Gareth Lloyd-Johnson	1,584	3.4	+1.5
	Brexit Party	Alan McCarthy	1,240	2.6	N/A
	Green	Charlie Allen	802	1.8	N/A
Majority			105	0.2	N/A
Turnout			46,841	68.1	–2.8
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+ 4.7

This was the smallest Conservative majority at the 2019 general election.^[11]

General election 2017: Bury North^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Frith	25,683	53.6	+12.5
	Conservative	David Nuttall	21,308	44.5	+2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Baum	912	1.9	–0.2
Majority			4,375	9.1	N/A
Turnout			47,903	70.9	+4.0
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+ 5.0

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Bury North

General election 2015: Bury North^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Nuttall	18,970	41.9	+1.7
	Labour	James Frith	18,592	41.1	+5.9
	UKIP	Ian Henderson	5,595	12.4	+9.5
	Green	John Southworth	1,141	2.5	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Baum	932	2.1	−14.9
Majority			378	0.8	−4.2
Turnout			45,230	66.9	−0.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.1

General election 2010: Bury North^[15][16][17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Nuttall	18,070	40.2	+3.7
	Labour	Maryam Khan	15,827	35.2	−7.8
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Baum	7,645	17.0	+1.9
	BNP	John Maude	1,825	4.1	+0.1
	UKIP	Stephen Evans	1,282	2.9	+1.8
	Independent	Bill Brison	181	0.4	N/A
	Pirate	Graeme Lambert	131	0.3	N/A
Majority			2,243	5.0	N/A
Turnout			44,961	67.3	+5.7
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+5.8

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Bury North^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Chaytor	19,130	43.0	−8.2
	Conservative	David Nuttall	16,204	36.5	−0.1
	Liberal Democrats	Wilfred Davison	6,514	14.7	+2.6
	BNP	Stewart Clough	1,790	4.0	N/A
	UKIP	Philip Silver	476	1.1	N/A
	Socialist Labour	Ryan O'Neill	172	0.4	N/A
	Veritas	Ian Upton	153	0.3	N/A
Majority			2,926	6.5	−8.1
Turnout			44,439	61.5	−1.5
	Labour hold		Swing	−4.0

General election 2001: Bury North^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Chaytor	22,945	51.2	−0.6
	Conservative	John Walsh	16,413	36.6	−0.9
	Liberal Democrats	Bryn Hackley	5,430	12.1	+3.9
Majority			6,532	14.6	+0.3
Turnout			44,788	63.0	−14.8
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.1

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Bury North^[20][21][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Chaytor	28,523	51.8	+10.2
	Conservative	Alistair Burt	20,657	37.5	−12.2
	Liberal Democrats	Neville Kenyon	4,536	8.2	−0.3
	Referendum	Richard Hallewell	1,337	2.4	N/A
Majority			7,866	14.3	N/A
Turnout			55,053	77.8	−7.0
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+11.2

General election 1992: Bury North^[23][24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alistair Burt	29,266	49.7	−0.4
	Labour	Jim Dobbin	24,502	41.6	+3.8
	Liberal Democrats	Colin McGrath	5,010	8.5	−3.6
	Natural Law	Michael Sullivan	163	0.3	N/A
Majority			4,764	8.1	−4.2
Turnout			58,941	84.8	+2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.1

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Bury North^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alistair Burt	28,097	50.1	+4.6
	Labour	David Crausby	21,186	37.8	−2.4
	Liberal	David Vasmer	6,804	12.1	−2.3
Majority			6,911	12.3	+7.0
Turnout			56,087	82.5	+2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.5

General election 1983: Bury North^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alistair Burt	23,923	45.5
	Labour	Frank White	21,131	40.2
	Liberal	Elisabeth Wilson	7,550	14.4
Majority			2,792	5.3
Turnout			52,604	79.6
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester

References

1. "Bury North: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
2. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
3. "Conservative Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
4. "New Seat Details – Bury North". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
5. "Election 2021 dashboard". Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
6. "Bury North 1983–". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
7. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 5)
8. "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations for Bury North". Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
9. "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
10. "Bury North parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
11. "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
12. "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
13. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
14. "Bury North". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
15. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
16. "General Election Results 2010". Bury Council. 5 December 2005. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
17. "Election 2010 – Bury North". BBC News. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
18. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
19. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
20. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
21. "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
22. C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.45 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
23. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
24. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
25. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
26. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

External links

• nomis Constituency Profile for Bury North — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.
• Bury North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Bury North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Bury North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

53.607°N 2.299°W / 53.607; -2.299