Lancaster and Wyre

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗

53°53′53″N 2°48′45″W / 53.898°N 2.8126°W / 53.898; -2.8126

Lancaster and Wyre
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Boundary within North West England
CountyLancashire
Electorate74,760 (2024)[1]
Major settlementsLancaster, Garstang and Catterall
Current constituency
Created2024
Member of ParliamentCat Smith (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromLancaster and Fleetwood, Wyre and Preston North
1997–2010
Created fromLancaster and Wyre
Replaced byLancaster and Fleetwood, Wyre and Preston North

Lancaster and Wyre is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since its recreation in 2024 by Cat Smith of the Labour Party. The seat was originally established in 1997 but was replaced by Lancaster and Fleetwood from 2010 to 2024.

Constituency profile

Lancaster and Wyre is a constituency located in Lancashire. It covers the city of Lancaster and most of the rural Borough of Wyre to its south, which is named after the river that forms its western boundary. Other settlements in the constituency include the ancient market town of Garstang and the villages of Knott End-on-Sea, Catterall and Hambleton. Lancaster is a city with a population of around 54,000 people[2] and has a long history dating back to the Roman era. The city was a centre for slave trading in the 18th century and has a history of maritime industry, including shipbuilding. The eastern part of the constituency lies within the Forest of Bowland, an upland area of fells and moors. The constituency contains Lancaster University, which has around 19,000 students.[3] Lancaster has average levels of wealth and deprivation whilst the Wyre towns and villages are generally affluent.[4] House prices are similar to the rest of North West England but lower than the national average.[5]

Compared to the rest of the country, residents of Lancaster and Wyre are well-educated and have average rates of income and homeownership.[5] A high proportion work in the education and healthcare sectors.[6] White people made up 91% of the population at the 2021 census.[5] At local council level, Lancaster is mostly represented by Green Party councillors with some Labour Party representation, whilst the Wyre district elected Conservative and Reform UK councillors. An estimated 51% of voters in Lancaster and Wyre supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the nationwide figure of 52%.[5]

History

This seat was originally created for the 1997 general election and was abolished at the 2010 general election. It was a marginal seat between the Labour and Conservative parties throughout its existence, and was the only seat gained by the Conservatives in the North West in the 2005 general election.

Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election.[7] Its boundaries are similar to those of the 1997–2010 version. The seat was won in 2024 for Labour by Cat Smith, who had been MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood from 2015 to 2024.

Boundaries

1997–2010

Map of boundaries 1997–2010

The City of Lancaster wards of Bulk, Castle, Caton, Ellel, John O'Gaunt, Scotforth East, and Scotforth West, and the Borough of Wyre wards of Breck, Brock, Calder, Carleton, Catterall, Duchy, Garstang, Hambleton, Hardhorn, High Cross, Norcross, Pilling, Preesall, Staina, Tithebarn, and Wyresdale.

The Boundary Commission for England's proposals for parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire were completed in 2006. They proposed to split this seat into two.[8] As a result, Lancaster was attached to another part of Wyre borough, over the River Wyre to the fishing port of Fleetwood. The new seat of Lancaster and Fleetwood represents the first time the two places have been linked for parliamentary reasons for many years.

The other seat was the new Wyre and Preston North.[8] This seat was newly created, and the bringing together of Garstang, Thornton, Poulton-le-Fylde and the Fulwood and northern rural areas of Preston was unprecedented.

2024–present

Following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the re-established constituency was composed of the following electoral wards:

  • The City of Lancaster wards of Bowerham, Bulk, Castle, Ellel, John O'Gaunt, Marsh, Scale Hall, Scotforth East, Scotforth West, Skerton, and University.
  • The Borough of Wyre wards of Brock with Catterall, Calder, Garstang, Great Eccleston, Hambleton & Stalmine, Pilling, Preesall, and Wyresdale.[9]

The constituency replaces Lancaster and Fleetwood – excluding the town of Fleetwood. It has been expanded to include the community of Skerton, transferred from Morecambe and Lunesdale, together with Garstang and surrounding rural areas, previously part of the Wyre and Preston North constituency (now abolished).

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[10]Party
1997 Hilton Dawson Labour
2005 Ben Wallace Conservative
2010 constituency abolished: see Lancaster and Fleetwood and Wyre and Preston North
2024 Cat Smith Labour

Ben Wallace was selected to represent the Conservatives at the 2010 election in the successor seat of Wyre and Preston North.

Elections

Election results 1997-2024

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Lancaster and Wyre[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Cat Smith 19,315 44.9 +3.0
Conservative Peter Cartridge 10,062 23.4 −24.6
Reform Nigel Alderson 6,866 16.0 +14.2
Green Jack Lenox 5,236 12.2 +7.8
Liberal Democrats Matt Severn 1,529 3.6 −0.3
Majority 9,253 21.5 N/A
Turnout 43,008 58.0 −8.3
Registered electors 74,760
Labour win (new seat)

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Lancaster and Wyre[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ben Wallace 22,266 42.8 +0.6
Labour Anne Sacks 18,095 34.8 −8.3
Liberal Democrats Stuart Langhorn 8,453 16.2 +5.9
Green Jon Barry 2,278 4.4 +1.4
UKIP John Mander 969 1.9 +0.5
Majority 4,171 8.0 N/A
Turnout 52,061 64.5 −1.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 2001: Lancaster and Wyre[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hilton Dawson 22,556 43.1 +0.3
Conservative Steve Barclay 22,075 42.2 +1.6
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Scott 5,383 10.3 −1.2
Green John Whitelegg 1,595 3.0 +1.7
UKIP John Whittaker 741 1.4 +0.2
Majority 481 0.9 −1.3
Turnout 52,350 65.9 −8.9
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Lancaster and Wyre[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hilton Dawson 25,173 42.8 +9.7
Conservative Keith Mans 23,878 40.6 −11.6
Liberal Democrats John Humberstone 6,802 11.5 −2.4
Referendum Vivien Ivell 1,516 2.6 New
Green Jon Barry 795 1.3 New
UKIP John Whittaker 698 1.2 New
Majority 1,295 2.2
Turnout 58,862 74.8
Labour win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

  1. "2024 General Election: Lancaster & Wyre". UK Parliament. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  2. "Lancaster". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  3. "Where do HE students study?". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Students by HE provider: HE student enrolments by HE provider. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  4. "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  5. "Seat Details - Lancaster and Wyre". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  6. "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  7. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – North West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  8. "Boundary Commission For England: Fifth Periodical Report" (PDF). London: The Stationery Office.
  9. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  10. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
  11. "Election results for Lancaster and Wyre". www.lancaster.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  12. "Lancaster and Wyre results". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  13. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.