Parliament created this seat under the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the general election later that year. It was one of four divisions of the parliamentary borough of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which had previously been represented by one two-member seat.[3]
The constituency covered the central part of Newcastle upon Tyne, being one of three constituencies in the city. Between 1983 and 2010, the seat did not actually include the city's commercial centre, being instead part of the now-abolished Tyne Bridge constituency.
From its creation, the constituency was represented by only members of the Labour and Conservative parties. The seat was represented by Labour from 1987 until its abolition.
At the 2017 and 2019 general elections, the constituency was the first in the UK to officially declare its result. It narrowly beat Houghton and Sunderland South, which had declared first in 2010 and 2015 (as did its predecessor Sunderland South in the four preceding general elections), and would do so again in 2024.[4]
Boundaries
1918–1950
The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of All Saints, St John's, St Nicholas, Stephenson, and Westgate.[3]
1950–1955
The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Armstrong, Byker, St Anthony's, St Nicholas, and Stephenson; and
The Rural District of Newcastle upon Tyne.[5]
NB: the Rural District of Newcastle upon Tyne contained just a single building ('the Moot Hall and Precincts') in the centre of Newcastle.[6]
Boundaries redrawn to take account of expansion of the County Borough and redistribution of wards. Expanded eastwards, gaining Byker and St Anthony's from Newcastle upon Tyne East, westwards, gaining Armstrong from Newcastle upon Tyne West. St John's and Westgate were transferred to Newcastle upon Tyne North. The constituency now comprised a narrow strip along the north bank of the River Tyne.
1955–1983
The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Armstrong, Benwell, Byker, St Anthony's, St Nicholas, and Stephenson; and
The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Blakelaw, Fenham, Jesmond, Kenton, Moorside, South Gosforth, and Wingrove.[8]
Following the reorganisation of local authorities as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the constituencies within the City of Newcastle upon Tyne were completely redrawn. The contents of the newly constituted seat comprised only a small area common to the previous version. The central and western areas of the old seat, including Benwell and the city centre, were incorporated into the new constituency of Tyne Bridge, which included parts of Gateshead Borough on the south side of the River Tyne. Byker and St Anthony's were returned to Newcastle upon Tyne East, along with the Battle Field area.
The constituency contained the city centre and surrounding suburbs. Previously based around heavy industry, such as shipbuilding, its adult population had mostly lower or middle incomes. The economy is now mainly focused on services and tourism.[12] In November 2012 total unemployment (based on the more up-to-date claimant statistics) placed the constituency in joint 17th place of 29 constituencies in the region, above, for example the City of Durham at the bottom of the list, with just 3.4% claimants whereas Newcastle had 6.0% claimants, identical to Sunderland Central.[13]
^"Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – North East | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
^ a bFraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell. p. 447.
^"Elections 2017: Declaration times in time order". Press Association. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
^"Representation of the People Act 1948" (PDF). p. 115.
^"Moot Hall and Precincts RD through time".
^Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. pp. 82, 140. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF). p. 74.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". In the county of Tyne and Wear.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". In Tyne and Wear.
^"Boundary Commission for England Fifth Periodical Report" (PDF). p. 170.
^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 1)
^ a b c d eBritish Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
^Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1922
^"'Newcastle upon Tyne Central', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2010".
^"BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Washington & Sunderland West". BBC News.
^"Newcastle upon Tyne Central". BBC News. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
^"General Elections Online 2015".
^Wearmouth, Rachel (17 January 2015). "Young Geordie Tory from Heaton to battle Labour for Newcastle Central seat". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
^"UKIP Gateshead-Newcastle - Candidates". Archived from the original on 13 February 2015.
^Tallentire, Mark (15 January 2015). "Greens name election candidates". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
^"Green Party announces its Newcastle candidates". Newcastle upon Tyne Green Party. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
^"Newcastle upon Tyne Central". BBC News. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
^"Newcastle upon Tyne Central Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
External links
Newcastle upon Tyne Central UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
Newcastle upon Tyne Central UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK