The Dewsbury and Batley constituency is located in
West Yorkshire within the borough of
Kirklees. It covers the connected towns of
Dewsbury and
Batley as well as a rural area to the south, including the villages of
Thornhill and
Flockton. The area forms part of the
Heavy Woollen District, a region of West Yorkshire that was traditionally reliant on the textile trade. The constituency has high levels of deprivation, with parts of both towns falling within the 10% most-deprived areas in
England. House prices in the constituency are amongst the lowest in the country, and residents have low levels of income, education and professional employment compared to nationwide averages. The constituency has a significant
Muslim community of predominantly
Indian and
Pakistani origin who made up 44% of the population at the
2021 census. The Muslim population is concentrated in the neighbourhoods of
Savile Town (where they made up 90% of residents) and
Batley Carr. Most of the constituency is represented by
Labour Party and
independent councillors at
the local council, with some
Conservative representation in the rural south. An estimated 55% of voters in the constituency supported leaving the
European Union in the
2016 referendum compared to 52% nationwide. == Boundaries ==