South Holland and The Deepings (UK Parliament constituency)

South Holland and The Deepings is a constituency in Lincolnshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1997 creation by John Hayes, a Conservative.

South Holland and The Deepings
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2010
Boundary of South Holland and The Deepings in the East Midlands
County	Lincolnshire
Electorate	76,139 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Spalding, Holbeach, Long Sutton and The Deepings
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Sir John Hayes (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Holland with Boston, Stamford and Spalding

At the 2017 general election, the constituency recorded a higher Conservative share of the vote than any constituency since 1970, with 69.9% of voters backing the party. South Holland also delivered the second-highest "Leave" vote in the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union (EU). 73.6% of voters endorsed the UK's withdrawal from the EU, second only to neighbouring Boston.^[2] At the 2019 general election, the Conservative majority was 62.7%, the highest of any Conservative in any constituency in any general election since Kensington South in 1955.^{[citation needed]} Hayes took 75.9% of the vote, the third highest for the Conservatives only after Castle Point in Essex and Boston and Skegness.

Constituency profile

This is a largely rural seat with agriculture, bulb growing and food processing as the main economic activities.^[3] Incomes and house prices are below UK averages.^[4]

Boundaries

1997–2010: The District of South Holland, with the wards of Deeping St James, Market Deeping, West Deeping and Truesdale, which are all in the District of South Kesteven.

The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the former seats of Holland with Boston and Stamford and Spalding. It covers the area around Spalding. It corresponds to the local government District of South Holland, but with Market Deeping, Deeping St James and West Deeping added.

2010–present: The District of South Holland, with the District of South Kesteven wards of Deeping St James, and Market & West Deeping.

In minor boundary changes that were put in place for the 2010 general election, parts of the two civil parishes of Baston and Langtoft, forming much of the Truesdale ward, were moved to the neighbouring constituency of Grantham and Stamford. This made Deeping St James, Market Deeping and West Deeping the only South Kesteven civil parishes to stay in the constituency, the remainder comprising South Holland District.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.^[5]

History

The last non-Conservative member for the predecessor main seat was Sir Herbert Butcher (served 1937–1966) who for much of that time was in the National Liberal Party set up in 1931.

The member from 1966 until 1997 was Richard Body for the main contributor seat (in later years as MP, knighted), who had previously been an MP during the Eden government and the start of the Macmillan government for Billericay, and later wrote assertive books on agriculture and on the Common Agricultural Policy.

In the 2017 general election, the seat returned the highest vote share for the Conservatives nationally at 69.9%.^[6] In the 2019 general election, it was an extremely safe Conservative seat. It had the largest percentage majority, third-largest absolute majority, and third-largest Conservative vote share of any seat held by the party; nationally the seat had the eleventh-largest percentage majority of any constituency.^[7]

Members of Parliament

Holland with Boston and Stamford & Spalding prior to 1997

Election		Member[8]	Party
	1997	John Hayes	Conservative

Elections

Graph of general election results in South Holland and the Deepings (independent candidates, who all got below 2% of the vote, are omitted)

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: South Holland and the Deepings^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	17,462	38.0	−37.9
	Reform UK	Matthew Swainson	10,606	23.1	N/A
	Labour	Paul Hilliar	9,086	19.8	+6.6
	Independent	Mark Edward Le Sage	5,031	11.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Jack Braginton	1,945	4.2	−2.4
	Green	Rhys Baker	1,800	3.9	+0.6
Majority			6,856	14.9	−47.8
Turnout			45,930	60.4	−4.3
Registered electors			78,473
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: South Holland and the Deepings^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	37,338	75.9	+6.0
	Labour	Mark Popple	6,500	13.2	−7.2
	Liberal Democrats	Davina Kirby	3,225	6.6	+3.8
	Green	Martin Blake	1,613	3.3	+1.5
	Independent	Rick Stringer	503	1.0	+0.3
Majority			30,838	62.7	+13.2
Turnout			49,179	64.7	−1.1
Registered electors			75,990
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.6

General election 2017: South Holland and the Deepings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	35,179	69.9	+10.3
	Labour	Voyteck Kowalewski	10,282	20.4	+8.0
	UKIP	Nicola Smith	2,185	4.3	−17.5
	Liberal Democrats	Julia Cambridge	1,433	2.8	−0.2
	Green	Daniel Wilshire	894	1.8	−1.4
	Independent	Rick Stringer	342	0.7	New
Majority			24,897	49.5	+11.7
Turnout			50,315	65.8	−1.9
Registered electors			76,381
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.2

General election 2015: South Holland and the Deepings^[12][13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	29,303	59.6	+0.5
	UKIP	David Parsons	10,736	21.8	+15.3
	Labour	Matthew Mahabadi	6,122	12.4	−1.6
	Green	Daniel Wilshire	1,580	3.2	+1.8
	Liberal Democrats	George Smid	1,466	3.0	−12.5
Majority			18,567	37.8	−5.8
Turnout			49,207	63.9	+1.9
Registered electors			77,015
	Conservative hold		Swing	−7.9

General election 2010: South Holland and the Deepings^[14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	29,639	59.1	+2.1
	Liberal Democrats	Jennifer Conroy	7,759	15.5	+2.6
	Labour	Gareth Gould	7,024	14.0	−10.5
	UKIP	Richard Fairman	3,246	6.5	+2.5
	BNP	Roy Harban	1,796	3.6	New
	Green	Ashley Baxter	724	1.4	New
Majority			21,880	43.6	+11.1
Turnout			50,188	65.8	+4.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.2

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: South Holland and The Deepings^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	27,544	57.1	+1.7
	Labour	Linda Woodings	11,764	24.4	−7.0
	Liberal Democrats	Steve Jarvis	6,244	12.9	+2.6
	UKIP	Jamie Corney	1,950	4.0	+1.1
	Independent	Paul Poll	747	1.5	New
Majority			15,780	32.7	+8.7
Turnout			48,249	60.6	−1.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

General election 2001: South Holland and The Deepings^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	25,611	55.4	+6.1
	Labour	Graham Walker	14,512	31.4	−1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Grace Hill	4,761	10.3	−5.3
	UKIP	Malcolm Charlesworth	1,318	2.9	New
Majority			11,099	24.0	+8.0
Turnout			46,202	62.1	−9.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: South Holland and The Deepings^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hayes	24,691	49.3
	Labour	John Lewis	16,700	33.3
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Millen	7,836	15.6
	Non-party Conservative	Guy Erwood	902	1.8
Majority			7,991	16.0
Turnout			50,129	72.0
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Lincolnshire

References

1. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – East Midlands". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
2. "EU referendum: The result in maps and charts". BBC News. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
3. UK Polling Report https://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/southhollandandthedeepings/
4. "Seat Details - South Holland and The Deepings". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 1 East Midlands.
6. "GE2017 - Constituency results". Britain Elects (Google Docs). Retrieved 11 June 2017.
7. Uberoi, Elise; Baker, Carl; Cracknell, Richard (19 December 2019). General Election 2019: results and analysis (PDF) (Report). House of Commons Library. pp. 10, 73. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
8. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)
9. "South Holland and the Deepings - General election results 2024". BBC News.
10. "South Holland & The Deepings Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
11. "South Holland and the Deepings Election Result 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
12. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
13. "South Holland & The Deepings". Election 2015. BBC. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
14. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
15. "BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | South Holland & The Deepings". news.bbc.co.uk.
16. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
17. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

External links

• South Holland and the Deepings UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• South Holland and The Deepings UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• South Holland and The Deepings UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

52.75°N 0.10°W / 52.75; -0.10