The constituency includes as its major settlements the towns of Barnard Castle, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Spennymoor and its contiguous suburb village, Tudhoe, with their surrounding villages, dales and fields. The seat contains the market town of Bishop Auckland which has a mixed modern and historic high street, the similarly sized Barnard Castle, and large areas used for agriculture, particularly hill farming on the rolling landscape that cuts into the Pennines with substantial livestock.[3] Most housing, many small towns and most facilities were built in the prosperous era of coal mining which brought thousands of workers to live in Bishop Auckland town and neighbouring settlements. Manufacturing, including food processing and packaging, public sector employment, retail and agriculture are the main employers.[3]
The urban and rural districts of Barnard Castle transferred from the abolished constituency thereof.
1955–1974edit
As above, except the part of the Middridge ward transferred to the Rural District of Darlington by the County of Durham (Parish of Great Aycliffe) Confirmation Order 1952 (Statutory Instrument 1953/741).[9]
1974–1983edit
The Urban Districts of Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, and Shildon; and
the Rural Districts of Barnard Castle and Darlington.[10]
Gained the rural district of Darlington (which contained the new town of Newton Aycliffe) from the abolished constituency of Sedgefield.
1983–1997edit
The District of Wear Valley wards of Bishop Auckland Town, Cockton Hill, Coundon, Coundon Grange, Escomb, Henknowle, St Helen's, West Auckland, and Woodhouse Close;
the District of Sedgefield wards of Byerley, Middridge, Neville, Shafto, Simpasture, Sunnydale, Thickley, West, and Woodham.[11]
Rural areas around Darlington returned to the re-established Sedgefield constituency.
1997-presentedit
Map of current boundaries
The District of Wear Valley wards of Bishop Auckland Town, Cockton Hill, Coundon, Coundon Grange, Escomb, Henknowle, St Helen's, West Auckland, and Woodhouse Close;
the District of Teesdale; and
the District of Sedgefield wards of Byerley, Low Spennymoor and Tudhoe Grange, Middlestone, Spennymoor, Sunnydale, Thickley, and Tudhoe.[12][13]
Gained Spennymoor from Sedgefield in exchange for Newton Aycliffe.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following electoral divisions of the County of Durham (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
Barnard Castle East; Barnard Castle West; Bishop Auckland Town; Coundon; Crook; Evenwood; Shildon and Dene Valley; Tow Law; Weardale; West Auckland; Woodhouse Close.[14]
From 1935 to 2017 inclusive, the seat's voters returned MPs from the Labour Party; the former Labour Chancellor of the ExchequerHugh Dalton, was the MP for Bishop Auckland from 1929 to 1931, and after regaining the seat in 1935, remained an MP until 1959. The 2019 result returned a Conservative; the party's results had shown an increase from election to election from 2001 onwards, going from 20% of the vote in the previous 1997 election to a majority of votes at 53% in 2019.
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
^"Bishop Auckland: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
^"Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
^ ab"Local statistics – Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
^"Ordnance Survey map, courtesy of English Heritage". Archived from the original on 24 April 2012.
^Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. p. 10. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
^ abCraig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. p. 58. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
^Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. p. 129. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF). p. 22.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". In the County of Durham.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". In Durham and Darlington.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 4 North East region.
^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)
^"Bishop Auckland Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
^"Our candidates for the 2024 General Election". County Durham Green Party. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
^"Parliamentary Candidate". Bishop Auckland Labour Party. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
^Collins, Terry (14 November 2019). "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations. Election of a Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland Constituency" (PDF). Durham County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
^"Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
^Collins, Terry (17 May 2017). "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations. Election of a Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland Constituency" (PDF). Durham County Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
^"Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
^"General election 2017: latest updates". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Bishop Auckland". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^http://www.durham.gov.uk/PDFApproved/ParliamentaryElection2010_SoPN_BA.pdf[permanent dead link]
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.