Hazel Grove (constituency)

Hazel Grove is a constituency located on the outskirts of Greater Manchester within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It is named after the large village of Hazel Grove and also contains the Stockport neighbourhoods of Offerton and Bosden Farm, the town of Bredbury and its connected villages of Woodley and Romiley, the town of Marple and the village of High Lane. Much of the area was developed during the early 20th century as suburban residential neighbourhoods serving Stockport's large textile industry.^[2] Bredbury also has a history of coal mining. The constituency overall has average levels of wealth; there is some deprivation in the areas close to Stockport town centre whilst Marple and Hazel Grove itself are affluent.^[3] House prices in the constituency are higher than the rest of North West England but lower than the national average.^[4]

In general, residents of the constituency are older and have high rates of homeownership. Levels of education and income are higher than the surrounding region and similar to the rest of the country.^[4] A high proportion of residents work in the retail and construction industries, and also in professional and scientific occupations.^[5] White people made up 94% of residents at the 2021 census. At the local borough council, most of the constituency is represented by Liberal Democrats whilst Offerton and Bredbury elected Labour Party councillors. An estimated 52% of residents supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, identical to the nationwide figure.^[4]

Along with the neighbouring constituency of Cheadle, Hazel Grove has usually been a marginal contest between the Conservative Party and Liberal-affiliated candidates.

In its first election in February 1974, the seat was won by Michael Winstanley of the Liberal Party, who had been the MP for Cheadle between 1966 and 1970. Winstanley only held it for a few months because, at the general election in October 1974, he lost to the Conservatives' Tom Arnold.

Arnold held the seat until 1997, although (with the exception of the 1979 election) this was with small majorities over the local Liberals/SDP-Liberal Alliance/Liberal Democrats' candidate. At the 1997 general election, Arnold stood down and the seat was taken by Andrew Stunell of the Liberal Democrats. Stunell held the seat until his retirement in 2015, although with reduced majorities.

The Conservative share of the vote fell in Hazel Grove in both the 2001 and 2005 general elections, from a (winning) peak under Tom Arnold of 44.8% in 1992 to a low of 29.7% in 2005. Following three failed attempts to increase the share of the vote (1997, 2001 and 2005), this decline was reversed in the 2010 election by Annesley Abercorn, who achieved a 33.6% share of the vote (+3.9%) and a 2.4% swing from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives.

In 2015, Conservative William Wragg captured the seat with a majority of 15.8% on a swing of 15.2%. He retained the seat at the 2017 and 2019 elections, albeit with slightly reduced majorities. Wragg stood down for the 2024 election, having resigned the Conservative Party whip earlier in the year. Subsequently the seat was taken for the Liberal Democrats by Lisa Smart at her fourth attempt, with Labour moving into second place in the seat for the first time, the Conservatives dropping into third.

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester
• History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Cheshire