Bury South (UK Parliament constituency)

The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Middleton and Prestwich & Bury and Radcliffe, both of which were Labour-Conservative marginals, held by Labour on slim majorities at the 1979 election. It covers the suburban towns of Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich. The constituency does not contain any area of the town of Bury itself (which is in Bury North), but only towns in the south of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury.

1983–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses, Holyrood, Pilkington Park, Radcliffe Central, Radcliffe North, Radcliffe South, St Mary's, and Sedgley.

2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses, Holyrood, Pilkington Park, Radcliffe East, Radcliffe North, Radcliffe West, St Mary's, Sedgley, and Unsworth.

2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

• The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses; Holyrood; Pilkington Park; Radcliffe East; Radcliffe West; St. Mary’s; Sedgley; Unsworth.
• The City of Salford ward of Kersal & Broughton Park.{{Cite web |title=The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1230/schedules/made |at=Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region}}

The Radcliffe North ward was transferred to Bury North, offset by the gain of the City of Salford ward of Kersal & Broughton Park from the abolished Blackley and Broughton constituency.

Between 1997 and 2019, the seat was represented by Ivan Lewis. Lewis belonged to the Labour Party and was a minister during the Blair and Brown governments, but was suspended in 2018 due to allegations of indecent behaviour. He stood unsuccessfully as an independent in the 2019 election. Prior to 1997, it had been represented by Conservative David Sumberg since the constituency's creation in 1983.

The seat was contested by future cabinet minister Hazel Blears in 1992, narrowly losing and would later be elected in her hometown in nearby Salford the following election until retiring in 2015. The 2017 General Election saw Robert Largan as the runner-up Conservative candidate, who would later be elected for High Peak at the following general election in 2019.

At the 2019 General Election it was the 10th most marginal seat in the country,{{cite web |date=28 January 2020 |title=Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118043715/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2021 |access-date=19 January 2022 |publisher=House of Commons Library |page=72 |location=London}} with a majority of 402 for the Conservative Party candidate Christian Wakeford. Wakeford defected to the Labour Party on 19 January 2022. He was re-elected as the Labour Party candidate at the 2024 general election.

The seat covers Prestwich, Whitefield and Radcliffe, towns that were absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in 1974, plus, since 2024, the ward of Kersal and Broughton Park from the City of Salford. The western border along the Irwell Valley contains much of Bury's green belt land including Philips Park in Whitefield, Prestwich Clough and Drinkwater Park, making up 500 acres of green space. Prestwich, Whitefield and Broughton Park are residential areas with one of the largest Jewish communities outside London. Radcliffe is a former mill town which declined after the loss of industry, with its only secondary school shut down; it is attempting regeneration as a commuter suburb and features a large park-and-ride Metrolink station. Simister to the east of Prestwich opposite Heaton Park still has some farmland, which has been under threat from development. Overall this is an economically diverse area, as there are pockets of social housing in each town, while houses in areas such as Ringley Road in Whitefield, and Sheepfoot Lane in Prestwich, facing Heaton Park, can sell for over £1 million, with mostly owner-occupied semi-detached housing in between. The proportion of graduates and those employed in managerial/professional occupations is slightly above the national average.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/wpca/1929379923/report.aspx|title = Labour Market Profile – Nomis – Official Labour Market Statistics}}

At local elections, Prestwich mostly returns Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors, with some historic Conservative representation in Sedgley. Whitefield is a mix of safe Conservative and safe Labour, and Unsworth marginally Labour. Radcliffe was generally Labour with the exception of Radcliffe North, however a localist party, Radcliffe First, has taken from Labour all of the Radcliffe seats within this constituency. The Kersal and Broughton Park ward of Salford has returned mostly Conservative or Independent councillors.

{{Election box begin|title=General election 2024: Bury South[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001145 Bury South]{{cite web |title=STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED AND NOTICE OF POLL |url=https://www.bury.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections-and-voting/statement-of-persons-nominated-notice-of-poll-and-situation-of-polling-stations-for-bury-south |website=Bury Council |access-date=12 June 2024}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Christian Wakeford|votes=19,247|percentage=45.6|change=+4.0}}{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Arnie Saunders|votes=9,886|percentage=23.4|change=–20.1}}{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Reform UK|candidate=Jeff Armstrong|votes=6,865|percentage=16.3|change=+12.6}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Green Party of England and Wales|candidate=Michael Welton|votes=2,715|percentage=6.4|change=+4.6}}{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Andrew Page|votes=1,796|percentage=4.3|change=–1.9}}{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Workers Party of Britain|candidate=Sameera Ashraf|votes=1,023|percentage=2.4|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Independent politician|candidate=Michael Elston|votes=277|percentage=0.7|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=English Democrats|candidate=Stephen Morris|votes=224|percentage=0.5|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Communist Party of Britain|candidate=Dan Ross|votes=181|percentage=0.4|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority|votes=9,361|percentage=22.2|change=N/A}}{{Election box turnout|votes=42,214|percentage=56.0|change=–10.5}}

{{Election box registered electors

|reg. electors = 75,339

}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|loser = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing = +12.0

}}{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin|title=General election 2019: Bury South{{cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/greater-manchester-general-election-2019-17257421|title=All the Greater Manchester General Election 2019 candidates|last1=Sansome|first1=Jessica|last2=Otter|first2=Saffron|date=2019-11-14|website=Manchester Evening News|access-date=2019-11-15}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Christian Wakeford|votes=22,034|percentage=43.8|change=+2.2}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Lucy Burke|votes=21,632|percentage=43.0|change=–10.3}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Richard Kilpatrick|votes=2,315|percentage=4.6|change=+2.5}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Brexit Party|candidate=Andrea Livesey|votes=1,672|percentage=3.3|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent politician|candidate=Ivan Lewis withdrawn|votes=1,366|percentage=2.7|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Green Party of England and Wales|candidate=Glyn Heath|votes=848|percentage=1.7|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent politician|candidate=Michael Boyle|votes=277|percentage=0.6|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Women's Equality Party|candidate=Gemma Evans|votes=130|percentage=0.3|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority|votes=402|percentage=0.8|change=N/A}}

{{Election box turnout|votes=50,274|percentage=66.9|change=–2.3}}

{{Election box gain with party link

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

|loser = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = +6.3

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |title=General election 2017: Bury South|}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = Ivan Lewis

|votes =27,165

|percentage =53.3

|change =+8.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Robert Largan{{cite web|title=Norfolk North and Penistone & Stocksbridge choose their candidates. Latest selection news. {{!}} Conservative Home|url=http://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2017/05/exclusive-farris-completes-saffron-walden-shortlist-trouble-in-wales-latest-selections-news.html|website=Conservative Home|date=2 May 2017 }}|votes=21,200|percentage=41.6|change=+7.0}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=UKIP|candidate=Ian Henderson|votes=1,316|percentage=2.6|change=–10.7}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Andrew Page|votes=1,065|percentage=2.1|change=–1.5}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent (politician)|candidate=Peter Wright|votes=244|percentage=0.5|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority|votes=5,965|percentage=11.7|change=+1.2}}

{{Election box turnout|votes=50,990|percentage=69.2|change=+5.3}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing =+0.7

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 2015: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 2015|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt|archive-date=17 October 2015}}{{cite news

| title = Bury South

| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000612

| work = BBC News

| access-date = 11 May 2015}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = Ivan Lewis

|votes = 21,272

|percentage = 45.1

|change = +4.7

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Daniel Critchlow|votes=16,350|percentage=34.6|change=+1.0}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=UK Independence Party|candidate=Séamus Martin|votes=6,299|percentage=13.3|change=+11.2}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Paul Ankers|votes=1,690|percentage=3.6|change=–14.6}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Green Party of England and Wales|candidate=Glyn Heath|votes=1,434|percentage=3.0|change=+2.0}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=English Democrats|candidate=Valerie Morris|votes=170|percentage=0.4|change=–0.6}}

{{Election box majority|votes=4,922|percentage=10.5|change=+3.7}}

{{Election box turnout|votes=47,215|percentage=63.9|change=–1.7}}

{{Election box hold with party link

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = +1.8

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 2010: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 2010|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt|archive-date=26 July 2013}}{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/constituency/a83.stm|title=Election 2010 | Constituency | Bury South|website=news.bbc.co.uk}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Ivan Lewis|votes=19,508|percentage=40.4|change=–10.5}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Michelle Wiseman|votes=16,216|percentage=33.6|change=+5.5}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Victor D'Albert|votes=8,796|percentage=18.2|change=+1.1}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=British National Party|candidate=Jean Purdy|votes=1,743|percentage=3.6|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=UK Independence Party|candidate=Paul Chadwick|votes=1,017|percentage=2.1|change=–0.5}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=English Democrats Party|candidate=Valerie Morris|votes=494|percentage=1.0|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Green Party of England and Wales|candidate=George Heron|votes=493|percentage=1.0|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority||votes=3,292|percentage=6.8|change=–16.0}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=48,267|percentage=65.6|change=+7.1}}

{{Election box hold with party link

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = –8.0

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 2005: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 2005|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2005ob.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054249/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2005ob.txt|archive-date=15 October 2011}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Ivan Lewis|votes=19,741|percentage=50.4|change=–8.8}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Alexander Williams|votes=10,829|percentage=27.7|change=+0.8}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Victor D'Albert|votes=6,968|percentage=17.8|change=+3.9}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=UK Independence Party|candidate=Jim Greenhalgh|votes=1,059|percentage=2.7|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent (politician)|candidate=Yvonne Hossack|votes=557|percentage=1.4|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority||votes=8,912|percentage=22.7|change=–9.6}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=39,154|percentage=58.5|change=–0.3}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = –4.8

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 2001: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 2001|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2001ob.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054450/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2001ob.txt|archive-date=15 October 2011}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Ivan Lewis|votes=23,406|percentage=59.2|change=+2.3}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Nicola Le Page|votes=10,634|percentage=26.9|change=–5.4}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Tim Pickstone|votes=5,499|percentage=13.9|change=+5.5}}

{{Election box majority||votes=12,772|percentage=32.3|change=+7.7}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=39,539|percentage=58.8|change=–16.6}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = +3.9

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 1997: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 1997|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1997.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054424/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1997.txt|archive-date=15 October 2011}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Ivan Lewis|votes=28,658|percentage=56.9|change=+12.3}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=David Sumberg|votes=16,277|percentage=32.3|change=–13.7}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Victor D'Albert|votes=4,227|percentage=8.4|change=–0.5}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Referendum Party|candidate=Bryan Slater|votes=1,216|percentage=2.4|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority||votes=12,381|percentage=24.6|change=N/A}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=50,378|percentage=75.4|change=–6.7}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|loser = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing = +13.0

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 1992: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 1992|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1992ob.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054418/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1992ob.txt|archive-date=15 October 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=9 April 1992|work=Election 1992|publisher=Politics Resources|access-date=6 Dec 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724020412/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm|archive-date=24 July 2011|url-status=dead}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=David Sumberg|votes=24,873|percentage=46.0|change={{steady}} 0.0}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Hazel Blears|votes=24,085|percentage=44.6|change=+3.7}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Adrian Cruden|votes=4,832|percentage=8.9|change=–4.2}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Natural Law Party|candidate=Norma Sullivan|votes=228|percentage=0.4|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority||votes=788|percentage=1.4|change=–3.7}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=54,018|percentage=82.1|change=+2.4}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing = –1.9

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 1987: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 1987|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1987.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054243/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1987.txt|archive-date=15 October 2011}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=David Sumberg|votes=23,878|percentage=46.0|change=+2.0}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Derek Boden|votes=21,199|percentage=40.9|change=+4.4}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Social Democratic Party (UK)|candidate=Derek Eyre|votes=6,772|percentage=13.1|change=–6.4}}

{{Election box majority||votes=2,679|percentage=5.1|change=–2.4}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=51,849|percentage=79.7|change=+3.6}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

|swing = –1.2

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 1983: Bury South{{cite web|title=Election Data 1983|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1983.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054231/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1983.txt|archive-date=15 October 2011}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = David Sumberg

|votes = 21,718

|percentage = 44.0

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = Derek Boden

|votes = 17,998

|percentage = 36.5

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Social Democratic Party (UK)

|candidate = Keith Evans

|votes = 9,628

|percentage = 19.5

|change =

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 3,720

|percentage = 7.5

|change =

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 49,344

|percentage = 76.1

|change =

}}

{{Election box new seat win|

|winner = Conservative Party (UK)

}}

{{Election box end}}

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/wpca/1929379923/report.aspx nomis Constituency Profile for Bury South] — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.
• [https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/12976.html Bury South UK Parliament constituency] (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• [https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/65975.html Bury South UK Parliament constituency] (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• [https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/168633.html Bury South UK Parliament constituency] (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

{{Constituencies in North West England}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|53.580|-2.299|display=title|region:GB_scale:100000}}

Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester

Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1983

Category:Politics of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury