Wigan (constituency)

Wigan was incorporated as a borough on 26 August 1246, after the issue of a charter by Henry III.^[2] In 1295 and January 1307 Wigan was one of the significant places called upon to send a representative, then known as a 'burgess', to the Model Parliament. However, for the remainder of the medieval period the seat was not summoned to send an official despite being one of only four boroughs in Lancashire possessing Royal Charters; the others were Lancaster, Liverpool and Preston. This changed in the Tudor period with Henry VIII's grant of two Members of Parliament to the town.

Following the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, single-member constituencies were imposed nationwide,^{[n 3]} meaning the seat saw a reduction of the number of its members.

The death of Roger Stott in office in 1999 made him the fourth Wigan MP in the twentieth century to die in office (uniquely for a constituency in the United Kingdom); the others were John Parkinson, Ronald Williams and William Foster.

Map of current boundaries

1832–1918: The Township of Wigan.^[3]

• In 1835 Wigan became a Municipal borough, using the then current Parliamentary boundaries of the Township.^[4][5]
• In 1888 Wigan Municipal Borough became the County Borough of Wigan on the same boundaries.^[6][7]
• In 1904 Pemberton Urban District was dissolved, with the area covered by it becoming part of the County Borough of Wigan.^[8] However, for Parliamentary purposes, that area remained part of South-West Lancashire, Ince Division^[9] until the Parliamentary boundaries were redefined in 1918.^[10][11][12]

1918–1983: The County Borough of Wigan^{[10][13][14][15]}

• In 1974 the County Borough of Wigan was abolished and superseded by the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, covering a far greater area.^[16] However, the boundary of the Parliamentary Constituency of Wigan remained unchanged until 1983, when it was expanded to cover the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough.^[17]

1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Aspull-Standish, Beech Hill, Ince, Langtree, Newtown, Norley, Swinley, Whelley.^[17]

1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Aspull-Standish, Beech Hill, Langtree, Newtown, Norley, Swinley, Whelley.^[18]

• In 2004, new ward boundaries in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan came in to effect. However, the Parliamentary boundaries remained unchanged until they were reviewed and adjusted to line up with the new ward boundaries in 2010.^[19]

2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Aspull, New Springs and Whelley; Douglas; Ince; Pemberton; Shevington with Lower Ground; Standish with Langtree; Wigan Central; Wigan West.^[19]

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.^[20]

The seat is productive and has excellent links to Manchester, as well as close links to the M6, which lies just within its western border. However, over the past century, Wigan has witnessed a fall in manufacturing, particularly in the production of textiles, which have been unable to compete with the Indian subcontinent and the Far East. Another industry which has suffered is coal mining, which had been a large employer in this part of Lancashire up until the mid-20th century. There are some industrial areas remaining in and around the town centre. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal flows through the town, including the famous Wigan Pier area.

As of May 2018, the rate of JSA and Universal Credit claimants was 3.9%, higher than the national average of 2.8% and regional average of 3.7%, based on a statistical compilation by the House of Commons Library.^[21] The constituency also includes more desirable semi-rural residential villages to the north of Wigan town centre, such as Standish, which are relatively more affluent.

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester