North Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Herefordshire is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Ellie Chowns of the Green Party of England and Wales.^{[n 2]} It is the first Green seat in the West Midlands region.

North Herefordshire
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of North Herefordshire in West Midlands region
County	Herefordshire
Electorate	70,894 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury and Leominster
Current constituency
Created	2010
Member of Parliament	Ellie Chowns (Greens)
Seats	One
Created from	Leominster

Constituency profile

The seat has a substantially self-sufficient population, covered by civil parishes and with low rates of unemployment^[2] and social housing in each ward, with income levels concentrated towards the average in Britain.^[3]

Boundaries

2010–2024

This constituency contains a northern and central part of Herefordshire, including the towns of Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury and Leominster.

The constituency was defined as comprising the following electoral wards:^[4]

• Backbury, Bircher, Bringsty, Bromyard, Burghill, Holmer and Lyde, Castle, Credenhill, Frome, Golden Cross with Weobley, Hagley, Hampton Court, Hope End, Kington Town, Ledbury, Leominster North, Leominster South, Mortimer, Old Gore, Pembridge and Lyonshall with Titley, Sutton Walls, Upton, Wormsley Ridge.

2024–present

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following:

• The District of Herefordshire wards of: Arrow; Backbury; Bircher; Bishops Frome & Cradley; Bromyard Bringsty; Bromyard West; Castle; Credenhill; Hagley; Hampton; Holmer; Hope End; Kington; Ledbury North; Ledbury South; Ledbury West; Leominster East; Leominster North & Rural; Leominster South; Leominster West; Mortimer; Old Gore; Queenswood; Sutton Walls; Three Crosses; Weobley.^[5]

The seat was unchanged, except to align the boundaries with those of revised local authority wards.

The seat includes the village of Weobley, a former borough constituency that was abolished as a 'rotten borough' in 1832.

Members of Parliament

Leominster prior to 2010

Election		Member[6]	Party
	2010	Bill Wiggin	Conservative
	2024	Ellie Chowns	Green

History

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered this constituency for the 2010 general election to exclude those areas of the former county of Hereford and Worcester which are now in Worcestershire. This meant North Herefordshire being at its core a successor to Leominster constituency. The remainder of the county is covered by the Hereford and South Herefordshire seat.^[7]

In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, issues included the NHS, immigration and pollution in the River Wye.^[8] The seat was a target for the Greens, who ended up winning the seat.^[9]

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

The 2024 election marked the first time that the Greens had gained a Parliamentary seat directly from the Conservatives.

General election 2024: North Herefordshire^[10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Ellie Chowns	21,736	43.2	+34.4
	Conservative	Bill Wiggin	15,842	31.5	−31.0
	Reform UK	Andrew Dye	8,048	16.0	N/A
	Labour	Jon Browning	3,205	6.4	−8.8
	Liberal Democrats	Cat Hornsey	1,436	2.9	−10.6
	SDP	Michael Guest	95	0.2	N/A
Majority			5,894	11.7	N/A
Turnout			50,362	71.7	−0.9
	Green gain from Conservative		Swing	+32.7

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North Herefordshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Wiggin	32,158	63.0	1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Phillip Howells	7,302	14.3	2.6
	Labour	Joe Wood	6,804	13.3	5.6
	Green	Ellie Chowns	4,769	9.3	3.8
Majority			24,856	48.7	5.6
Turnout			51,033	72.6	1.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.8

General election 2017: North Herefordshire.^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Wiggin	31,097	62.0	6.4
	Labour	Roger Page	9,495	18.9	7.5
	Liberal Democrats	Jeanie Falconer	5,874	11.7	0.3
	Green	Ellie Chowns	2,771	5.5	1.5
	Independent	Sasha Norris	577	1.1	New
	Independent	Arthur Devine	363	0.7	New
Majority			21,602	43.1	1.5
Turnout			50,177	74.1	2.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.6

General election 2015: North Herefordshire^[14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Wiggin	26,716	55.6	3.8
	UKIP	Jonathan Oakton	6,720	14.0	8.3
	Liberal Democrats	Jeanie Falconer	5,768	12.0	19.0
	Labour	Sally Prentice	5,478	11.4	4.3
	Green	Daisy Blench	3,341	7.0	3.8
Majority			19,996	41.6	20.8
Turnout			42,545	72.0	0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2010: North Herefordshire^[16][17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Wiggin	24,631	51.8	0.7
	Liberal Democrats	Lucy Hurds	14,744	31.0	6.9
	Labour	Neil Sabharwal	3,373	7.1	8.4
	UKIP	Jonathan Oakton	2,701	5.7	2.4
	Green	Felicity Norman	1,533	3.2	1.5
	Independent	John King	586	1.2	New
Majority			9,887	20.8	7.6
Turnout			47,568	71.5	2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	3.8

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire
• List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region)

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. 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.

References

1. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – West Midlands". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
2. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
3. "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
4. Fifth periodical report – Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities, The Stationery Office, 26 February 2007, ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2
5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
6. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
7. "Final recommendations for Parliamentary constituencies in the county of Herefordshire". Boundary Commission for England. 7 January 2004. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
8. "North Herefordshire election debate: Four key takeaways". BBC News. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
9. "Joint Green Party leader visits Ledbury as party targets constituency". BBC News. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
10. "North Herefordshire". BBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
11. "Herefordshire North". Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
12. "Herefordshire North Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
13. "2017 general election candidates for Herefordshire confirmed". Worcester News. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
14. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
15. "Herefordshire North parliamentary constituency - Election 2017" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
16. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
17. "Six candidates to stand in North Herefordshire parliamentary election". Herefordshire Council. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2010.

External links

• North Herefordshire UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• North Herefordshire UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

52.2°N 2.7°W / 52.2; -2.7