Dulwich and West Norwood is a constituency in South London created in 1997. It has been represented by Helen Hayes of Labour since her election in 2015.
In the 2016 EU referendum, Dulwich and West Norwood voted to remain in the European Union by an estimated 78%. This was the third highest proportion in the UK, behind Gibraltar and the neighbouring constituency of Vauxhall.
Constituency profile
Dulwich and West Norwood is an urban and suburban constituency located in South London. It covers the neighbourhoods of Dulwich, West Norwood, Herne Hill and parts of Brixton. Like much of suburban London, the area grew rapidly in population during the late 19th century due to the arrival of rail transport. The constituency has average levels of deprivation, with more deprived areas around Brixton and wealthier areas in Dulwich. House prices are higher than the rest of London and more than double the national average. At the local council level, all wards covered by the constituency are represented by Labour Party councillors. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, voters in the constituency overwhelmingly supported remaining in the European Union; an estimated 79% voted to remain, the seventh-highest rate out of 650 constituencies nationwide according to Electoral Calculus.
| demographics1_title1 = White
| demographics1_info1 = 57.4%
| demographics1_title2 = Black
| demographics1_info2 = 23.3%
| demographics1_title3 = Mixed
| demographics1_info3 = 8.6%
| demographics1_title4 = Asian
| demographics1_info4 = 6.1%
| demographics1_title5 = Other
| demographics1_info5 = 4.6%
Boundaries
1997–2010: The London Borough of Southwark wards of Alleyn, Bellenden, College, Lyndhurst, Ruskin, and Rye, and the London Borough of Lambeth wards of Gipsy Hill, Herne Hill, Knight's Hill, and Thurlow Park.
2010–2024: The London Borough of Southwark wards of College, East Dulwich, and Village, and the London Borough of Lambeth wards of Coldharbour; Gipsy Hill; Herne Hill; Knight’s Hill; Thurlow Park.
2024–present: The London Borough of Southwark wards of Champion Hill, Dulwich Village, and Dulwich Wood, and the London Borough of Lambeth wards of Brixton North (part), Brixton Rush Common (part), Brixton Windrush, Gipsy Hill, Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction, Knight's Hill, St Martin's (part), and West Dulwich (part).
thumb|Tessa Jowell represented the constituency since its creation in 1997 up until she stepped down from office in 2015
thumb|Dulwich College is a local landmark
thumb|West Norwood Cemetery
Political history
The Labour Party has safe majorities of more than a 15% share of the vote since the seat was created in 1997. The runner-up party in four of the seven general elections to date has been the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats twice, and the Green Party twice.
When the constituency was created for the 1997 election, it was estimated that had the seat existed in 1992, Labour would have won it with a majority of less than 2,000 votes over the second placed Conservatives, making it a marginal seat. The 1997 result therefore suggested that the Conservative vote had halved since the previous election. This performance was poorer than the average fall of the Conservative vote in London and led the Almanac of British Politics to note that there was "now no question of this constituency being marginal."
Members of Parliament
The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the former seats of Dulwich and Norwood. It was represented from its creation until 2015 by the former Secretary of State for Culture (2001–2007), Tessa Jowell.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Election!!Member
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
| 1997
| Tessa Jowell
|
|-
| 2015
| Helen Hayes
|
|}
Election results
thumb|centre|upright=2.5|Election results 1997-2024
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 2019 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 33,649 ||align=right| 64.5
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 8,686 ||align=right| 16.6
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 8,475 ||align=right| 16.2
|-
|
| Brexit Party ||align=right| 566 ||align=right| 1.1
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 503 ||align=right| 1.0
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 315 ||align=right| 0.6
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|52,194
|align=right|70.2
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|74,314
|}
With a 14% increase in their vote share, this was the largest increase for any Green candidate at the 2019 General Election.
Elections of the 2000s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 2005 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 17,879 ||align=right| 45.3
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 9,588 ||align=right| 24.3
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 9,005 ||align=right| 22.8
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 1,901 ||align=right| 4.8
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 1,088 ||align=right| 2.8
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|39,461
|align=right|56.3
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|70,047
|}
Elections of the 1990s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 1992 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 23,582 ||align=right| 46.3
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 21,779 ||align=right| 42.8
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 4,998 ||align=right| 9.8
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 531 ||align=right| 1.0
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|50,890
|align=right|67.7
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|75,179
|}
See also
- List of parliamentary constituencies in London
- Lambeth local elections
- Southwark local elections
References
External links
- Politics Resources (Election results from 1922 onwards)
- Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)
- Dulwich and West Norwood UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
- Dulwich and West Norwood UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- Dulwich and West Norwood UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK