Lancaster and Wyre

Lancaster and Wyre is a constituency located in Lancashire. It covers the city of Lancaster and most of the rural Borough of Wyre to its south, which is named after the river that forms its western boundary. Other settlements in the constituency include the ancient market town of Garstang and the villages of Knott End-on-Sea, Catterall and Hambleton. Lancaster is a city with a population of around 54,000 people and has a long history dating back to the Roman era. The city was a centre for slave trading in the 18th century and has a history of maritime industry, including shipbuilding. The eastern part of the constituency lies within the Forest of Bowland, an upland area of fells and moors. The constituency contains Lancaster University, which has around 19,000 students. Lancaster has average levels of wealth and deprivation whilst the Wyre towns and villages are generally affluent. House prices are similar to the rest of North West England but lower than the national average. Compared to the rest of the country, residents of Lancaster and Wyre are well-educated and have average rates of income and homeownership. White people made up 91% of the population at the 2021 census. At local council level, Lancaster is mostly represented by Green Party councillors with some Labour Party representation, whilst the Wyre district elected Conservative and Reform UK councillors. An estimated 51% of voters in Lancaster and Wyre supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the nationwide figure of 52%. ==History==

This seat was originally created for the 1997 general election and was abolished at the 2010 general election. It was a marginal seat between the Labour and Conservative parties throughout its existence, and was the only seat gained by the Conservatives in the North West in the 2005 general election. Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election. Its boundaries are similar to those of the 1997–2010 version. The seat was won in 2024 for Labour by Cat Smith, who had been MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood from 2015 to 2024. == Boundaries ==

1997–2010 The City of Lancaster wards of Bulk, Castle, Caton, Ellel, John O'Gaunt, Scotforth East, and Scotforth West, and the Borough of Wyre wards of Breck, Brock, Calder, Carleton, Catterall, Duchy, Garstang, Hambleton, Hardhorn, High Cross, Norcross, Pilling, Preesall, Staina, Tithebarn, and Wyresdale. The Boundary Commission for England's proposals for parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire were completed in 2006. They proposed to split this seat into two. As a result, Lancaster was attached to another part of Wyre borough, over the River Wyre to the fishing port of Fleetwood. The new seat of Lancaster and Fleetwood represents the first time the two places have been linked for parliamentary reasons for many years. The other seat was the new Wyre and Preston North. The constituency replaces Lancaster and Fleetwood – excluding the town of Fleetwood. It has been expanded to include the community of Skerton, transferred from Morecambe and Lunesdale, together with Garstang and surrounding rural areas, previously part of the Wyre and Preston North constituency (now abolished). ==Members of Parliament==

Ben Wallace was selected to represent the Conservatives at the 2010 election in the successor seat of Wyre and Preston North. ==Elections==

Elections in the 2020s Elections in the 2000s Elections in the 1990s ==See also==