The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley wards of Darton, Dodworth, Hoyland East, Hoyland West, Park, Penistone East, Penistone West, and Worsbrough. Barnsley West and Penistone constituency was created in 1983 when the former
Barnsley constituency was split into three divisions. This seat also contained parts of the former
Penistone constituency, which was abolished in the same boundary review: in total it covered the western part of the
Borough of Barnsley and included the town of
Penistone. It bordered the constituencies of
Sheffield Hillsborough,
Wentworth,
Barnsley East and Mexborough,
Barnsley Central,
Hemsworth,
Wakefield,
Colne Valley, and
High Peak. Penistone itself provides the highest
Conservative vote in the
Borough of Barnsley (although not always a majority - see for instance
1998 Barnsley Council election and
2008 Barnsley Council election), but the other small towns and villages, mostly former mining areas, are safely Labour.
Boundary review Following the
Boundary Commission for England's report on South Yorkshire's Parliamentary constituencies in 2004 and the subsequent inquiry in 2005 it was announced that the constituency of Barnsley West and Penistone would be abolished for future elections. The revisions split the constituency in two: the easternmost wards were to become part of a revised
Barnsley Central constituency, while the westernmost wards, around Penistone, would be combined with the northern wards from the
Sheffield Hillsborough constituency. This new constituency was to be named
Penistone and Stocksbridge, and covers a similar area to the historic Penistone constituency. ==Members of Parliament==