Redditch is a constituency in Worcestershire, England, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Chris Bloore of the Labour Party.

Constituency profile

Redditch is a constituency in Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. It covers the town and borough of Redditch, which has a population of around 88,000, and a rural area within the district of Wychavon to the west and south of the town, including the villages of Harvington and Wychbold.

Redditch is a large town located around south of Birmingham. It was traditionally a centre for the manufacture of needles and fishhooks; in the late 19th century, the town produced 90% of the world's needles. Redditch was designated a new town in 1964 to accommodate overspill from Birmingham, leading to rapid suburban development; the town's population more than doubled over the next twenty years. Redditch has overall average levels of wealth; the town has a mixture of housing types with some deprived and some affluent suburbs. House prices are generally higher than the rest of the West Midlands but lower than the UK average.

Residents of Redditch have a similar age profile to the rest of the country. They have average levels of income, homeownership and child poverty. Residents generally have below-average levels of education and a high proportion work in the retail and manufacturing sectors. The percentage claiming unemployment benefits is in line with the UK-wide rate. White people made up 91% of the population at the 2021 census.

Most of the town is represented by the Labour Party at the district council level, with some Conservatives elected in the rural areas and Reform UK councillors elected at the most recent election. At the county council, which held elections in 2025, all seats in the town were won by Reform UK. Voters in Redditch strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 62% voted in favour of Brexit compared to the UK-wide rate of 52%.

Boundaries This seat is located in Worcestershire and contains the whole borough of Redditch and parts of the district of Wychavon.

1997–2024: The Borough of Redditch and the District of Wychavon ward of Inkberrow.

To make the size of the constituency's electorate suitable, the nearby villages of Inkberrow, Callow Hill, Cookhill, Feckenham, and Astwood Bank were included upon the constituency's creation in 1997. For the 2010 general election the seat was expanded slightly in line with the revised boundaries of the Inkberrow ward. The villages of Hanbury and the Lenches were included, and the constituency reclassified from Borough to County.Letter from Jacqui Smith to the Boundary Commission

2024–present: Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020: The Borough of Redditch; and The District of Wychavon wards of: Dodderhill; Harvington and Norton; Inkberrow.

In addition to the Wychavon Borough ward of Inkberrow, which was already part of the seat, the two wards of Dodderhill to the north, and Harvington and Norton to the south, were transferred from Mid Worcestershire (renamed Droitwich and Evesham).

History For the 1997 general election, the Boundary Commission recommended the creation of a separate constituency for the town of Redditch. From 1983 to 1997, the borough had comprised the majority of the Mid Worcestershire constituency, which was consequently subject to major changes. Before 1983 Redditch had been included in the Bromsgrove and Redditch seat (Bromsgrove prior to 1955). The Mid Worcestershire seat was a much safer seat for the Conservatives since 1997 than beforehand, due to the Labour-voting wards within Redditch being taken out and made into its own constituency as it is today. There are nonetheless some Conservative-voting wards in the town, and the rural areas of the constituency are also strongly Conservative.

Since its creation in 1997, Redditch has been a bellwether seat, electing MPs from the party that formed the government at each general election. Its first MP was Labour's Jacqui Smith who served as Home Secretary under Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2009 and was the first woman to hold the position. She resigned as Home Secretary in June 2009 following her involvement in the parliamentary expenses scandal and went on to lose the seat to Karen Lumley at the 2010 general election. Lumley was succeeded by fellow Conservative Rachel Maclean in 2017; who then lost the seat in 2024 to Chris Bloore of the Labour Party, with a slim majority of 1.8%.

Members of Parliament ElectionMemberParty 1997 Jacqui Smith 2010 Karen Lumley 2017 Rachel Maclean 2024 Chris Bloore

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

See also parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region)

Notes

References

External links Redditch UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Redditch UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Redditch UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK