Election 97

Calder Valley


Result 97 gain
from Conservative
Current MP 97 Sir Donald Thompson
Majority 0 ( 0.0%)
Conservative 97 19,795 (35.1%)
Labour 97 26,050 (46.1%)
LibDem 97 8,322 (14.7%)
Nationalist 97 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 97 2,299 ( 4.1%)
Elected party 97
Electorate 97 74,901
Turnout 97 56,466 (75.4%)



1992 MP Sir Donald Thompson
Old constituency name Calder Valley
Majority 92 4,878 ( 8.0%)
Conservative 92 27,753 (45.4%)
Labour 92 22,875 (37.4%)
LibDem 92 9,842 (16.1%)
Nationalist 92 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 92 622 ( 1.0%)
Elected party 92 Conservative
Electorate 92 74,824
Turnout 92 61,092 (81.6%)
Calder Valley



Tory change -10.4%
Labour change +8.7%
Lib Dem change -1.4%
Nationalist change +0.0%
Other change +3.1%
Electorate change +0.1%
Turnout Change -6.3%
Robert Waller wrote

Created in 1983 from parts of Labour-voting Sowerby together with a chunk of the super-marginal Brighouse and Spenborough seat, Calder Valley was expected to give rise to some close contests in general elections, but these have never materialised, the Tories always taking the seat with a reasonable majority. In fact, this seat, in both 1987 and 1992, replicated the national share of the vote fairly closely, so the decision by Channel 4 in 1987 to select it as being a typical marginal was justified. Labour's disappointment at not taking the seat in 1992 reflected the party's national failure. Calder Valley will be high on Labour's target list this time and, if they take it, it will reflect the party's success in the country as a whole, but its canny and thrifty electors will not easily be won over.


Super Profiles

2,843 6.58 9.03 73
2,591 6.00 11.17 54
5,755 13.33 11.25 119
11,032 25.55 14.70 174
402 0.93 10.45 9
100 0.23 2.81 8
4,582 10.61 8.01 132
9,133 21.15 15.25 139
5,800 13.43 7.13 188
500 1.16 10.17 11