Skipton and Ripon
County
Parliamentuk
Caption 2Boundary of Skipton and Ripon in Yorkshire and the Humber
Year1983
Elects howmanyOne
PreviousSkipton, Ripon, Harrogate, Thirsk & Malton, Keighley, Barkston Ash and Richmond (Yorks)[1]
RegionEngland
CountyNorth Yorkshire
Electorate77,541 (December 2019)[2]
TownsMasham, Ripon, Settle, Skipton
MpJulian Smith
PartyConservative

Skipton and Ripon is a constituency[n 1] in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Julian Smith, a Conservative.[n 2]

Constituency profile

The constituency covers a mainly rural area of the Yorkshire Dales. It includes the whole of the former Craven District and the northern and western parts of the former Borough of Harrogate. The largest settlements are the town of Skipton and the city of Ripon. Smaller towns in the constituency are Bentham, Settle, Pateley Bridge and Masham.

At 1.6%, Skipton and Ripon had significantly lower than national average unemployment (3.8%) in November 2012.[3]

History

The constituency was created in 1983 from the parts of the former seats of Skipton and Ripon within the county of North Yorkshire.

Before the 2024 election, it was one of the safest seats in England, formed from an area with a long history of Conservative representation and with a large majority of its electorate having in the last election voted Conservative. It was also the constituency in 1992 that when declared, saw the Conservatives gain the 4th straight majority since 1979 and John Major re-elected as prime minister.

In 2024, the Conservative majority over Labour was cut from 40.4% to 3.1%.

Boundaries

Historic

1983–1997: The District of Craven, and the Borough of Harrogate wards of Almscliffe, Bishop Monkton, Boroughbridge, Fountains, Killinghall, Kirkby Malzeard, Lower Nidderdale, Mashamshire, Newby, Nidd Valley, Pateley Bridge, Ripon East, Ripon West, Wathvale, and Wharfedale Moors.

1997–2010: The District of Craven, and the Borough of Harrogate wards of Almscliffe, Bishop Monkton, Fountains, Killinghall, Kirkby Malzeard, Lower Nidderdale, Mashamshire, Nidd Valley, Pateley Bridge, Ripon East, Ripon West, and Wharfedale Moors.

2010–2024: The District of Craven, and the Borough of Harrogate wards of Bishop Monkton, Kirkby Malzeard, Lower Nidderdale, Mashamshire, Newby, Nidd Valley, Pateley Bridge, Ripon Minster, Ripon Moorside, Ripon Spa, Washburn, and Wathvale.

Current

Under the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was defined as being composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

  • The District of Craven.
  • The Borough of Harrogate wards of: Fountains & Ripley; Masham & Kirkby Malzeard; Nidd Valley; Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale Moors; Ripon Minster; Ripon Moorside; Ripon Spa; Ripon Ure Bank; Washburn; Wathvale.[4]

Minor changes to take account of changes to ward boundaries in the Borough of Harrogate.

However, before the new boundaries came into effect, the District of Craven and the Borough of Harrogate were abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of North Yorkshire with effect from 1 April 2023.[5] Consequently, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

  • The District of North Yorkshire electoral districts of: Aire Valley; Bentham & Ingleton; Glusburn, Cross Hills & Sutton-in-Craven; Masham & Fountains; Mid Craven; Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale; Ripon Minster & Moorside; Ripon Ure Bank & Spa; Settle & Penyghent; Skipton East & South; Skipton North & Embsay-with-Eastby; Skipton West & West Craven; Washburn & Birstwith; Wathvale & Bishop Monkton (part); Wharfedale.[6]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[7]Party
1983John WatsonConservative
1987David CurryConservative
2010Julian SmithConservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[8]
PartyVote%
Conservative33,41658.9
Labour10,89919.2
Liberal Democrats8,63415.2
Green2,6934.7
Others1,1312.0
Turnout56,77374.0
Electorate76,758

In 2017, the Liberal Democrats stood aside and endorsed the Green Party.[9]

See also

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. ^ "'Skipton and Ripon', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2016.[dead link]
  2. ^ "Constituency data: electorates – House of Commons Library". Parliament UK. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  3. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  4. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 9 Yorkshire and the Humber region.
  5. ^ "The North Yorkshire (Structural Changes) Order 2022"
  6. ^ "New Seat Details - Skipton and Ripon". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  7. ^
  8. ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  9. ^ "GENERAL ELECTION: Historic deal sees Lib/Dems stand down in Skipton and Ripon to make way for Greens". Craven Herald. 13 May 2017.