Leeds Central
Formerborough constituency for theHouse of Commons
2010–2024 boundary of Leeds Central in West Yorkshire
Location of West Yorkshire within England
County	West Yorkshire
Electorate	90,971 (December 2019)[1]
Major settlements	Leeds
1983–2024
Seats	One
Created from	Leeds South,Leeds South East,Leeds East,Leeds West andLeeds North East[2]
Replaced by	Leeds Central and Headingley Leeds South
1885–1955
Created from	Leeds
Replaced by	Leeds West,Leeds South andLeeds South East

Leeds Central was aconstituency represented in theHouse of Commons of theUK Parliament. The constituency first existed from 1885 until it was abolished in 1955. It was recreated in 1983.

Further to the completion of the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished again. Subject to boundary changes involving the loss of most Leeds city centre to the newly created constituency ofLeeds Central and Headingley, the seat will be reformed asLeeds South, to be first contested in the2024 general election.

Map of boundaries 2010–2024

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of Mill Hill and West, and parts of the wards of Brunswick and Central.

1918–1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Central, Mill Hill, South, and West, and parts of the wards of Brunswick, Headingley, and North West.

1950–1951: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Armley and New Wortley, Blenheim, Central, Holbeck North, Mill Hill, and South and Westfield.

1951–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Blenheim, City, Wellington, and Westfield.^[3]

1983–1997: The City of Leeds wards of Beeston, City and Holbeck, Richmond Hill, and University.

1997–2010: As above plus Hunslet.

2010–2024: The City of Leeds wards ofBeeston and Holbeck,Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, City and Hunslet, Hyde Park and Woodhouse, andMiddleton Park.

Following theLeeds City Councilward boundary changes prior to the2018 election, the majority of the City and Hunslet ward became the newHunslet and Riverside ward, whilstLeeds city centre was included in the newLittle London and Woodhouse ward.Hyde Park became part of a newHeadingley and Hyde Park ward, shared with theLeeds North West constituency.

The business and retail centre of Leeds was at the constituency's heart. A relatively affluent hub having a large minority of its housing forming by luxury, well-served apartments or streets of grand middle-class Victorian houses, the seat has sporadic deprivation, typified by certain densely packed rows of terraced houses, home to many Labour-inclined and often low-income voters. Two large, well-ranked universities in the city centre, the professional services sector and a 21st-century increase in technology businesses has brought prosperity to the younger generations of the city. The older generations of the city have lived through the closure of many mass consumer product manufacturing and materials processing businesses in Leeds throughout the mid-20th century.^[4] Leeds' two universities produce a significant studentelectorate.^[4][5] Middleton in the south of the seat has a golf course, a miniature railway and an upcoming urban mountain bike trail centre within the boundaries.

The constituency was created in 1885 by theRedistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in thegeneral election of that year *the largeLeeds seat had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885)). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central,Leeds East,Leeds North,Leeds South andLeeds West. The constituencies ofMorley,Otley andPudsey were also created in 1885. The constituency was abolished in 1955. After the1955 general election: Leeds was represented by Leeds East (created 1885, abolished 1918, recreated 1955),Leeds North East (created 1918),Leeds North West (created 1950),Leeds South (created 1885), andLeeds South East (created 1918). There were also constituencies ofBatley and Morley (created 1918) and Pudsey (created 1885, replaced by Pudsey and Otley 1918–1950).

Revival

The constituency was re-created for the1983 general election.

Results of the winning party

The seat has been won by theLabour Party's candidate since 1983. Benn, elected in 1999 on the demise of Fatchett, has achieved an absolute majority (plurality of votes) in three of five elections for Leeds Central. The 2015 result made the seat the 40-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.^[7]

Opposition parties

Conservative runner-up, Wilson, in 2015 failed to reflect the positive national swing and fell to 17.3% of the votes cast. A candidature ofUKIP, not present in 2010, saw a total share of the vote, hence positive swing, of 15.7% and thus third position.^{[n 1]}. Green Party running, not present in 2010, resulted in a 7.9% polling and fourth-place, its candidate retained his deposit. The fifth-placed Liberal Democrat forfeited herdeposit.^{[n 2]}.

Turnout

In general elections, turnout ranged from 87.9% in 1910 to 41.7% in 2001. In its 1999 by-election the constituency experienced the lowest voter turnout post-war of 19.6%.^[8][9][5]

Leeds prior to 1885

Leeds South andLeeds South East prior to 1983

General Election 1914–15:

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;

• Liberal:Robert Armitage

* Terry was supported by the three local branches ofNational Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers,National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers andComrades of the Great War.

• List of parliamentary constituencies in West Yorkshire
• 1999 Leeds Central by-election

• Leeds Central UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) atMapIt UK
• Leeds Central UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) atMapIt UK

• Parliamentary constituencies in West Yorkshire (historic)
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1885
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1955
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1983
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 2024
• Politics of Leeds

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