The Thoresby Society

The constituency was established in 1983 and abolished in 2010.

This was a rural constituency with agriculture its main industry though some coal mining was carried out. The Boundary Commission for England intended the name to be Leeds East with the present Leeds East constituency renamed Leeds East Central. Objections were made and the name Elmet based on the pre-Anglian ancient British kingdom was chosen though it is considerably smaller than the original kingdom. Its principal areas of population are the town of Wetherby and the large middle-class settlement of Garforth.

 

 

BOUNDARIES

1983 – : The constituency was created from parts of the old Leeds East division, Barkston Ash and Normanton and comprised the wards of Barwick-in-Elmet, Garforth, Kippax, Swillington, and Wetherby. It also includes the Whinmoor area

 

TURNOUT

For elections after 1929 when universal suffrage had been granted

	Electorate	Total votes cast	Turnout
1983	67,008	50,551	75.44%
1987	69,024	54,715	79.27%
1992	70,558	58,237	82.54%
1997	70,423	54,095	76.81%
2001	70,041	45,937	65.6%
2005	68,515	47,146	68.81%

 

 

HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTES RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
1997 C. Burgon (Labour) 28,348

LOWEST NUMBER OF VOTES RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
2001 C. Burgon (Labour) 22,038

HIGHEST MAJORITY RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
1997 C. Burgon (Labour) 8,779

LOWEST MAJORITY RECORDED BY A WINNING CANDIDATE
1992 S. Batiste (Conservative) 3,261

 

RESULTS

 

Boundary Commission 1983

1983 - 9th June

Elmet
S. Batiste (Conservative) 23,909
R. Wilson (Labour) 16,053
G. Paterson (Social Democratic/Liberal Alliance) 10,589

1987 - 11th June

Elmet
S. Batiste (Conservative) 25,658
C. Burgon (Labour) 20,302
J. D. Macarthur (Social Democratic/Liberal Alliance) 8,755

1992 - 8th April

Elmet
S. Batiste (Conservative) 27,677
C. Burgon (Labour) 24,416
A. Beck (Liberal Democrat) 6,144

 

Boundary Commission 1995

1997 - 1st May

Elmet
C. Burgon (Labour) 28,348
S. Batiste (Conservative) 19,569
B. Jennings (Liberal Democrat) 4,691
C. Zawadski (Referendum) 1,487

 

2001 - 7th June

Elmet
C. Burgon (Labour) 22,038
A. Millard (Conservative) 17,867
M. Kirk (Liberal Democrat) 5,001
A. Spence (United Kingdom Independence) 1,031

2005 - 5th May

Elmet
C. Burgon (Labour) 22,260
A. Millard (Conservative) 17,732
M. A. Kirk (Liberal Democrat) 5,923
T. A. Andrews (British National) 1,231