The Thoresby Society

The constituency was established in 1885, abolished in 1918 and re-established in 1955.

By the end of the nineteenth century the coming of the railway to this predominantly agricultural area saw villages like Cross Gates and Whitkirk develop into middle-class residential commuter suburbs of Leeds. In 1915 a major munitions factory was built at Barnbow. Private housing continued building in the early years of the twentieth century but from 1920 extensive council housing estates were established at Gipton, Seacroft, Halton Moor, Cross Gates and Osmondthorpe. By the mid-twentieth century they had been designated Urban Priority Areas affected by social deprivation, poverty and crime. More than 33% of residents in the constituency have no qualifications. Located here is Seacroft Hospital, which is a major employer and the 270-acre Thorpe Park Leeds, a ‘business destination’. Since its re-establishment in 1955 it has been Labour.

 

 

BOUNDARIES

1885–1918: East Ward and parts of the wards of Central Ward, North Ward, and North East Ward.

1955–1974: Burmantofts Ward, Crossgates Ward, Halton Ward, Harehills Ward, and Osmondthorpe Ward.

1983–2010: Burmantofts Ward, Halton Ward, Harehills Ward, and Seacroft Ward.

2010 – 2024: Crossgates Ward, Whinmoor Ward, Gipton Ward, Harehills Ward, Killingbeck Ward, Seacroft Ward and Temple Newsam Ward.

2024 - : Leeds Wards: Crossgates & Whinmoor, Garforth & Swillington, Gipton & Harehills, Killingback & Seacroft, Temple Newsam (polling districts TEA, TEB, TEC, TED)

 

TURNOUT

For elections after 1929 when universal suffrage had been granted

	Electorate	Turnout	Turnout
1955	61,944	47,227	76.24%
1959	66,074	52,629	79.65%
1964	66,944	50,954	76.11%
1966	67,189	48,869	72.73%
1970	76,591	50,452	65.87%
1974	67,091	50,492	75.26%	February
1974	67,736	44,476	65.66%	October
1979	67,048	47,532	70.89%
1983	63,611	42,164	66.28%
1987	61,178	42,968	70.23%
1992	61,695	43,201	70.02%
1997	57,023	35,792	62.77%
2001	56,400	29,055	51.50%
2005	53,893	30,077	55.81%
2010	64,698	37,813	58.45%
2015	64,754	38,196	58.99%
2017	65,950	41,441	62.84%
2019	67,286	39,052	58.04%
2024	76,207	47,388	62.18%

HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTES RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
1966 D. W. Healey (Labour) 30,073

LOWEST NUMBER OF VOTES RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
1900 H. S. Cautley (Conservative) 3,453

HIGHEST MAJORITY RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
1997 G. Mudie (Labour) 17,466

LOWEST MAJORITY RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
1885 R. Dawson (Conservative) 345

RESULTS

1885 - 25th November

East
R. Dawson (Conservative) 3,849
J. L. Gane (Liberal) 3,504

1886 - 2nd July

East
J. L. Gane (Gladstonian Liberal) 3,930
R. Dawson (Conservative) 2,820

 

1892 - 7th July

East
J. L. Gane (Gladstonian Liberal) 4,024 *
A. H. A. Morton (Conservative) 3,197
[ * Died 1895. ]

 

1895 - 30th April - by-election

East
T. R. Leuty (Gladstonian Liberal) 3,999
J. D. Power (Conservative) 2,868

 

1895 - 17th July

East
T. R. Leuty (Liberal) 3,857
J. D. Power (Conservative) 3,147

 

1900 - 4th October

East
H. S. Cautley (Conservative) 3,453
R. Maguire (Liberal) 1,586
W. P. Byles (Ind. Liberal) 1,266

 

1906 - 15th January

East
J. O’Grady (Labour) 4,299 *
H. S. Cautley (Conservative) 2,208
[ * Technically he was a Labour Representation Committee candidate; the party’s name changed soon after. ]

1910 - 17th January

East
J. O’Grady (Labour) 5,373
W. H. Clarke (Conservative) 2,308

1910 - 5th December

East
J. O’Grady (Labour) 4,028
W. H. Clarke (Conservative) 1,892

 

Boundary Commission 1955

1955 - 26th May

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 26,083
C. D. Chapman (Conservative) 21,144

1959 - 8th October

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 28,707
J. A. Fawcett (Conservative) 23,922

1964 - 15th October

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 29,480
J. A. Fawcett (Conservative) 21,474

 

1966 - 31st March

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 30,073
A. R. M. Graham (Conservative) 18,796

Representation of the People Act 1969 – Franchise extended to those over 18 years of age

1970 - 18th June

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 28,827
P. Crotty (Conservative) 21,112
J. Bellamy (Communist) 153

1974 - 28th February

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 25,550
R. A. Nelson (Conservative) 15,036
S. Marsh (Liberal) 9,906

1974 - 10th October

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 24,745
J. W. Dawson (Conservative) 12,434
S. Marsh (Liberal) 6,970
N. Russell (People) 327

 

1979 - 3rd May

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 26,346
A. Carter (Conservative) 15,810
M. L. Ellis (Liberal) 4,622
S. J. Rigby (National Front) 445
A. C. Hill (Ecology) 206
B. Slaughter (Workers’ Revolutionary ) 103

 

Boundary Commission 1983

1983 - 9th June

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 18,450
A. Bell (Conservative) 12,355
M. G. Clay (Social Democratic/Liberal Alliance) 10,884
A. H. Brons (National Front) 475

1987 - 11th June

East
D. W. Healey (Labour) 20,932
J. S. W. Sheard (Conservative) 11,406
M. G. Clay (Social Democratic/Liberal Alliance) 10,630

1992 - 8th April

East
G. Mudie (Labour) 24,929
W. N. Carmichael (Conservative) 12,232
P. Wrigley (Liberal Democrat) 6,040

 

Boundary Commission 1995

1997 - 1st May

East
G. Mudie (Labour) 24,151
J. Emsley (Conservative) 6,685
M. Kirk (Liberal Democrat) 3,689
L. Parrish (Referendum) 1,267

 

2001 - 7th June

East
G. Mudie (Labour) 18,290
B. Anderson (Conservative) 5,647
B. Jennings (Liberal Democrat) 3,923
R. Northgreaves (United Kingdom Independence) 634
M. King (Socialist Labour) 419
P. L. B. Socrates (Independent) 142

2005 - 5th May

East
G. Mudie (Labour) 17,799
A. P Tear (Liberal Democrat) 6,221
D. D. A. Ponniah (Conservative) 5,557
P. L. B. Socrates (Independent) 500

Boundary Commission 2010

2010 - 6th May

East
G. Mudie (Labour) 19,056
B. J. Anderson (Conservative) 8,763
A. P Tear (Liberal Democrat) 6,618
T. D. Brown (British National) 2,947
M. F. Davies (Alliance for Green Socialism) 429

2015 - 7th May

East
R. Burgon (Labour) 20,530
R. Stephenson (Conservative) 7,997
M. Manniat (United Kingdom Independence) 7,256
E. Sanderson (Liberal Democrat) 1,296
K. Bisson (Green) 1,117

 

2017 - 8th June

East
R. Burgon (Labour) 25,428
M. Robinson (Conservative) 12,676
P. Spivey (United Kingdom Independence) 1,742
E. Sanderson (Liberal Democrat) 739
J. Moran (Green) 434
J. Otley (Yorkshire) 422

 

2019 - 12th December

East
R. Burgon (Labour) 19,464
C. Mortimer (Conservative) 13,933
S. Wass (Brexit) 2,981
D. Dresser (Liberal Democrat) 1,796
S. Adris (Green) 878

 

2024 - 4th July

East
Richard Burgon (Labour)18,610
David Stephen Dresser (Reform UK) 7,345
Sam Firth (Conservative) 6,898
Jennifer Norman (Green) 3,506
Robie James Abel (Liberal Democrat) 1,445
David Hough (Yorkshire Party) 664
Catherine Frances Dobson (Social Democrat) 519
Niko Omilana (Independent) 222
Pete Young (Independent) 179