Calder Valley (UK Parliament constituency)

Calder Valley (/ˈkɔːldər, ˈkɒl-/^[4]) is a constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Josh Fenton-Glynn of the Labour Party.^{[n 1]}

Calder Valley
County constituency for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Boundary of Calder Valley in Yorkshire and the Humber
County	West Yorkshire
Population	102,961 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate	77,504 (December 2019)[2]
Major settlements	Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Brighouse, Mytholmroyd, Elland
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of Parliament	Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Sowerby Brighouse and Spenborough Halifax[3]

The constituency has a long record as a bellwether of national results in British elections. In every election since its creation for the 1983 general election, it has voted for an MP belonging to the largest party in the Commons; this record stretches back to February 1974 and 1960 for its main predecessors, Sowerby and Brighouse and Spenborough respectively.

Constituency profile

The constituency covers most of the upland metropolitan district of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, including the town of Todmorden which was formerly split in half between Lancashire and Yorkshire. Hebden Bridge and Todmorden are known for their bohemian culture and are more Labour-leaning, whereas Elland and Brighouse tend to vote Conservative,^[5] making the seat marginal overall.

Boundaries

1983–2024: Since the constituency's creation in 1983, it comprised the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale wards of Brighouse, Calder, Elland, Greetland and Stainland, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe, Luddendenfoot, Rastrick, Ryburn, and Todmorden.

2024–present: Same as above apart from the loss of part of the Ryburn ward (polling districts MB, MC and MD) to Halifax in order to bring the electorate within the permitted range as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.^[6]

History

The constituency was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of Sowerby as well as parts of Brighouse and Spenborough. Historically a bellwether seat between Labour and the Conservatives, at the 2010 general election the seat became the closest three-way marginal in the north of England, with less than 1,000 votes between the Labour candidate in second place and the Liberal Democrat candidate in third, although with a significant Conservative majority. The seat's three-way marginal status did not last; the Labour vote increased significantly in both 2015 and 2017 while the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed dramatically over the same period. The seat has followed national trends, albeit with a disadvantage to the Conservatives when compared to the national swing, and is still considered a bellwether seat.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[7][8]	Party
	1983	Sir Donald Thompson	Conservative
	1997	Christine McCafferty	Labour
	2010	Craig Whittaker	Conservative
	2024	Josh Fenton-Glynn	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Calder Valley ^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Josh Fenton-Glynn	22,046	44.4	+2.1
	Conservative	Vanessa Lee	13,055	26.3	−25.1
	Reform UK	Donald Walmsley	7,644	15.4	N/A
	Green	Kieran Turner	3,701	7.5	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Donal O'Hanlon	2,587	5.2	+0.1
	Yorkshire	James Vasey	404	0.8	N/A
	SDP	Jim McNeill	171	0.3	N/A
Majority			8,991	18.1	N/A
Turnout			49,608	64.1	−10.2
Registered electors			77,364
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	13.6

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[11]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	28,991	51.4
	Labour	23,884	42.3
	Liberal Democrats	2,858	5.1
	Others	721	1.3
Turnout		56,454	74.3
Electorate		75,987

General election 2019: Calder Valley^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Craig Whittaker	29,981	51.9	+5.8
	Labour	Josh Fenton-Glynn	24,207	41.9	−3.2
	Liberal Democrats	Javed Bashir	2,884	4.9	+1.5
	Liberal	Richard Phillips	721	1.2	N/A
Majority			5,774	10.0	+9.0
Turnout			57,793	72.9	−0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.5

General election 2017: Calder Valley^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Craig Whittaker	26,790	46.1	+2.5
	Labour	Josh Fenton-Glynn	26,181	45.1	+9.7
	Liberal Democrats	Janet Battye	1,952	3.4	−1.6
	UKIP	Paul Rogan	1,466	2.6	−8.5
	Independent	Robert Holden	1,034	1.8	N/A
	Green	Kieran Turner	631	1.1	−2.8
Majority			609	1.0	−7.2
Turnout			58,054	73.4	+4.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.6

General election 2015: Calder Valley^[14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Craig Whittaker	23,354	43.6	+4.2
	Labour	Josh Fenton-Glynn	18,927	35.4	+8.4
	UKIP	Paul Rogan	5,950	11.1	+8.8
	Liberal Democrats	Alisdair McGregor	2,666	5.0	−20.2
	Green	Jenny Shepherd	2,090	3.9	+2.2
	Yorkshire First	Rod Sutcliffe	389	0.7	N/A
	World Peace Through Song	Joe Stead	165	0.3	N/A
Majority			4,427	8.2	−4.0
Turnout			53,541	68.9	+1.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.1

General election 2010: Calder Valley^[16][17][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Craig Whittaker	20,397	39.4	+3.6
	Labour	Steph Booth	13,966	27.0	−11.5
	Liberal Democrats	Hilary Myers	13,037	25.2	+6.3
	BNP	John Gregory	1,823	3.5	−0.4
	UKIP	Greg Burrows	1,173	2.3	N/A
	Green	Kate Sweeny	858	1.7	−1.2
	Independent	Tim Cole	194	0.4	N/A
	Independent	Barry Greenwood	175	0.3	N/A
	English Democrat	Paul Rogan	157	0.3	N/A
Majority			6,431	12.4	N/A
Turnout			51,780	67.3	+1.3
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+7.6

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Calder Valley^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Christine McCafferty	18,426	38.6	−4.1
	Conservative	Liz Truss	17,059	35.7	−0.5
	Liberal Democrats	Liz Ingleton	9,027	18.9	+2.9
	BNP	John Gregory	1,887	4.0	N/A
	Green	Paul Palmer	1,371	2.9	+0.7
Majority			1,367	2.9	−3.6
Turnout			47,770	67.0	+4.0
	Labour hold		Swing	−1.8

General election 2001: Calder Valley^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Christine McCafferty	20,244	42.7	−3.4
	Conservative	Susan Robson-Catling	17,150	36.2	+1.1
	Liberal Democrats	Michael Taylor	7,596	16.0	+1.3
	Green	Steven Hutton	1,034	2.2	+1.3
	UKIP	John Nunn	729	1.5	N/A
	Legalise Cannabis	Philip Lockwood	672	1.4	N/A
Majority			3,094	6.5	−4.5
Turnout			47,425	63.0	−12.4
	Labour hold		Swing	−2.3

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Calder Valley^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Christine McCafferty	26,050	46.1	+8.7
	Conservative	Donald Thompson	19,795	35.1	−10.3
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Pearson	8,322	14.7	−1.4
	Referendum	Anthony Mellor	1,380	2.4	N/A
	Green	Vivienne Smith	488	0.9	−0.1
	BNP	Christian Jackson	431	0.8	N/A
Majority			6,255	11.0	N/A
Turnout			56,466	75.4	−6.7
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+9.5

General election 1992: Calder Valley^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Thompson	27,753	45.4	+1.9
	Labour	David Chaytor	22,875	37.4	+4.0
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Pearson	9,842	16.1	−7.0
	Green	Vivienne Smith	622	1.0	N/A
Majority			4,878	8.0	−2.1
Turnout			61,092	82.1	+1.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.1

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Calder Valley^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Thompson	25,892	43.5	−0.2
	Labour	David Chaytor	19,847	33.4	+6.4
	Liberal	David Shutt	13,761	23.1	−6.3
Majority			6,045	10.1	−4.2
Turnout			59,500	81.1	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.3

General election 1983: Calder Valley^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Thompson	24,439	43.7
	Liberal	David Shutt	16,440	29.4
	Labour	Patricia Holmes	15,108	27.0
Majority			7,999	14.3
Turnout			55,987	78.5
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in West Yorkshire

Notes

1. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.