Tynemouth was one of 20 new single-member parliamentary boroughs created by the Reform Act 1832.[2] However, under the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, it is referred to as Tynemouth and North Shields.[3] The constituency is referred to in various sources (e.g. Leigh Rayment[4] and F.W.S.Craig) by the latter name between 1832 and 1885 and then treated as abolished and replaced by Tynemouth from 1885 onwards. However, there is no mention of this in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and the boundaries were unchanged at that time. The current name of Tynemouth has officially been in use since the Representation of the People Act 1918.[5] It therefore appears that both names were used for the same constituency at different times from 1832 to 1918.
Boundaries
1832-1918
Under the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, the contents of Tynemouth and North Shields were defined as: The several Townships of Tynemouth, North Shields, Chirton, Preston and Cullercoats.[3][6]
1918–1950
The County Borough of Tynemouth.[5]
No change to the boundaries.
1950–1983
The County Borough of Tynemouth; and
The Urban District of Whitley Bay.[7]
Whitley Bay, which became a municipal borough in 1954, was transferred from the abolished constituency of Wansbeck.
1983–1997
The Borough of North Tyneside wards of Chirton, Collingwood, Cullercoats, Monkseaton, North Shields, Riverside, St Mary's, Seatonville, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay.[8]
Minor changes to take account of changes to local authority and ward boundaries following the reorganisation under the Local Government Act 1972.
1997–2010
The Borough of North Tyneside wards of Chirton, Collingwood, Cullercoats, Monkseaton, North Shields, St Mary's, Seatonville, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay.[9]
Riverside ward transferred to the new constituency of North Tyneside.
Map of 2010–2024 boundaries
2010–2024
The Borough of North Tyneside wards of Chirton, Collingwood, Cullercoats, Monkseaton North, Monkseaton South, Preston, St Mary's, Tynemouth, Valley, Whitley Bay.[10]
Valley ward transferred from North Tyneside.
2024–present
The Borough of North Tyneside wards of Chirton, Collingwood, Cullercoats, Monkseaton North, Monkseaton South, Preston, Riverside (majority, comprising polling districts FC, FD, FE, FF, FG, and FH), St. Mary's, Tynemouth, and Whitley Bay.
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the Valley ward was moved back out, to the new constituency of Cramlington and Killingworth, partly offset by the reinstatement of most of Riverside ward from North Tyneside (abolished).
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 close to the national average of 3.8%, at 3.9% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, lower than the regional average by 0.5%.[11]
Political history
The seat has tended to be one of the more Conservative-leaning seats in the North East of England, where the party has traditionally struggled against the Labour Party. As a relatively middle-class area, it returned Conservative MPs from 1950 to 1997, albeit often on narrow majorities. It has been represented by Labour since 1997, though the Conservatives remain strong at a local level. Similar to Sefton Central on Merseyside, despite being a traditionally strong Conservative area in a Labour-dominated county, the area has swung significantly to Labour during the twenty-first century, and has been won by semi-marginal to safe margins by Labour candidates at every general election since 1997, with significant swings to Labour seen in both 2015 and 2017.
For the 2010 election, this was the primary target seat for the Conservatives in North East England following impressive local council victories since 2006 and the recent marginality of Alan Campbell's 2005 re-election.
Michael McIntyre was councillor for the Whitley Bay Ward at the time of polling. The Conservatives hoped to snatch the seat, but could only diminish Alan Campbell's majority. In the Mayoral election held on the same day, Mayor Linda Arkley (Conservative) narrowly lost re-election.
In 1997 Labour won the seat for the first time since 1945. The Conservatives chose Gateshead Councillor Martin Callanan as their candidate to replace the retiring Neville Trotter. He would subsequently become a North East MEP and later a peer and government minister.
In 1992 Neville Trotter narrowly won his final term as the Labour candidate's fourth attempt failed. Many council seats were also unexpectedly won on the back of John Major's victory such as Whitley Bay and Monkseaton.
^A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
^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.
^Cosgrove was a Whitley Bay councillor and leading North East barrister
References
^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
^"Representation of the People Act 1832". vLex. S-IV. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
^ abBritain, Great (1832). The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Passed in the ... [1807-69]. His Majesty's statute and law Printers. p. 353.
^ abLeigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)
^ abFraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell. p. 459.
^Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. pp. 82, 140. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF). p. 62.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". In the County of Northumberland.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". In Northumberland.
^Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
^North Tyneside Conservatives [@ConservativesNT] (23 May 2024). "We're delighted that @Lewis4Tynemouth has been selected by local members to fight the new Tynemouth Constituency in the upcoming General Election…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"Tynemouth Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
^"General Election candidate statement". x.com. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
^Kelly Oliver Dougall [@powtynemouth] (3 June 2024). "I hereby declare that I intend to stand as a Party of Women candidate for Tynemouth constituency in the General Election on 4 July 2024" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"Tynemouth Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 24 November 2019.