Redcar is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Anna Turley, of the Labour and Co-operative parties. She previously represented the constituency between 2015 and 2019, when she was defeated by Conservative Jacob Young.
Contents
Constituency profile
Redcar is a constituency in North Yorkshire in England within the Redcar and Cleveland borough. It is named after its main settlement, Redcar, which has a population of around 38,000. Other settlements include the suburban areas of Ormesby, Normanby, Eston, Teesville, South Bank and Grangetown on the outskirts of Middlesbrough, the town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea and the villages of Marske-by-the-Sea and New Marske.
Redcar is a coastal town with an industrial history. It was a small village until the mid-19th century when iron ore was discovered in the hills close to Eston and the town developed into a seaside resort and steelworking centre. The decline of domestic tourism and the British steel industry left this area with high levels of deprivation, especially in Saltburn, Grangetown, South Bank and Redcar town centre, although the constituency contains some wealthier neighbourhoods in Marske, Normanby and the outskirts of Redcar. Most residents live in mid-20th century semi-detached properties and the average house price is less than half the nationwide average.
Redcar contains a large retired population and below-average proportions of young and middle-aged adults. Residents have low levels of income, average rates of homeownership, and the child poverty rate is high. They generally have low levels of education and a high proportion work in the manufacturing and transport sectors. The percentage of residents claiming unemployment benefits is in line with the UK-wide rate. White people made up 97% of the population at the 2021 census.
Most of the constituency is represented by the Labour Party at the local borough council. Some Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were elected in Marske and the wealthier suburbs, and Saltburn elected independents. Voters in Redcar strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 66% voted in favour of Brexit compared to the UK-wide figure of 52%.
Boundaries
Historic
1974–1983: The County Borough of Teesside wards of Coatham, Eston Grange, Kirkleatham, Ormesby, Redcar, and South Bank.
1983–1997: The Borough of Langbaurgh wards of Bankside, Church Lane, Coatham, Dormanstown, Eston, Grangetown, Kirkleatham, Newcomen, Normanby, Ormesby, Overfields, Redcar, South Bank, Teesville, and West Dyke.
1997–2010: The Borough of Langbaurgh-on-Tees wards of Coatham, Dormanstown, Eston, Grangetown, Kirkleatham, Longbeck, Newcomen, Normanby, Ormesby, Redcar, St Germain's, South Bank, Teesville, and West Dyke.
2010–2024: The Borough of Redcar and Cleveland wards of Coatham, Dormanstown, Eston, Grangetown, Kirkleatham, Longbeck, Newcomen, Normanby, Ormesby, St Germain's, South Bank, Teesville, West Dyke, and Zetland.
Current
Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
The Borough of Redcar and Cleveland wards of: Coatham; Dormanstown; Eston; Grangetown; Kirkleatham; Longbeck; Newcomen; Normanby; Ormesby; St. Germain’s; Saltburn; South Bank; Teesville; West Dyke; Wheatlands; Zetland.
The constituency was expanded slightly to bring the electorate within the permitted range, by adding the town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea from Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.
The Redcar constituency on the Cleveland coast is formed from parts of the Redcar and Cleveland district. It takes its name from the coastal resort of Redcar although much of the population lives in the traditionally solid Labour areas between Redcar and Middlesbrough (such as Grangetown, Eston, Normanby, Ormesby and South Bank). It also includes Dormanstown, Kirkleatham, Marske-by-the-Sea and Saltburn-by-the-Sea.
History
Created in 1974 from the former Cleveland constituency, Redcar was a solidly Labour seat that was held by Mo Mowlam from 1987, who became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the Blair Government after Labour's landslide victory in 1997, with her majority of over 20,000 the largest in the seat's history.
After Mowlam stood down from the seat in 2001, Redcar became noted for its political volatility and very large swings towards and against all the three main political parties. It was gained by the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 general election on a massive 21.8% swing from Labour, the largest swing at the time in England since the Second World War outside of by-elections. In 2015, however, the sitting MP Ian Swales did not seek re-election, and Labour regained the seat on another huge swing of 18.9% away from the Liberal Democrats, who polled just ahead of UKIP with the Conservative candidate Jacob Young in fourth.
In 2019, the seat was one of a number of long standing Labour seats in the north of England which fell to the Conservatives, won by Young on a considerable swing of over 15%, but at the 2024 election it was regained for Labour by the previous MP, Anna Turley on another large swing of nearly 10%.