Dudley West was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It existed from 1974 to 1997, returning one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.
History The constituency was created for the February 1974 general election, from the old Dudley constituency (which was created following the Reform Act in 1832) along with the Brierley Hill constituency, and abolished for the 1997 general election. It was a 'bellwether' constituency where the winner of each general election throughout its existence matched the party which won the election.
Boundaries 1974–1983: The County Borough of Dudley wards of Brierley Hill, Brockmoor and Pensnett, Gornal, Kingswinford and Wall Heath, Quarry Bank, Sedgley, and Wordsley.
1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley wards of Amblecote, Brierley Hill, Brockmoor and Pensnett, Gornal, Kingswinford North and Wall Heath, Kingswinford South, Sedgley, and Wordsley.
Dudley West was one of three constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, encompassing the western half of the town of Dudley. The constituency included Brierley Hill, Kingswinford, and parts of Sedgley. At abolition in 1997, both Dudley West and Dudley East were replaced by two new constituencies: Dudley North and Dudley South, with some constituents being transferred to the re-formed Stourbridge constituency.
Members of Parliament ElectionMemberPartyNotes Feb 1974 Dr. Colin Phipps Labour 1979 Dr. John Blackburn Conservative Died in office 12 October 1994 1994 by-election Dr. Ian Pearson Labour Elected on 15 December 1994 by-election1997 constituency abolished: see Dudley South, Dudley North and Stourbridge
Elections Elections in the 1970s 1970 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 26,800 51.1 Labour 25,600 48.9Turnout52,40072.0Electorate72,778
1979 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 29,385 51.9 Labour 27,207 48.0 Others 45 0.1Turnout56,637 Electorate
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1990s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Dudley
Notes and references