| Mid Staffordshire | |
|---|---|
| Formercounty constituency for theHouse of Commons | |
| County | Staffordshire |
| Major settlements | Lichfield,Rugeley,Stone |
| 1983–1997 | |
| Seats | one |
| Created from | Lichfield & Tamworth,Stafford & Stone andCannock[1] |
| Replaced by | Lichfield,Stone,Cannock Chase,Stafford |
Mid Staffordshire was aparliamentary constituency in theUnited Kingdom from 1983 until 1997.
It covered a swathe of territory across the centre ofStaffordshire, stretching fromLichfield andRugeley in the south toStone in the north.
At the1983 general election, the seat was won byJohn Heddle of theConservative Party, who had previously represented theLichfield and Tamworth constituency. Heddle held the seat at the1987 general election.
Following Heddle's suicide in December 1989, aby-election followed on 22 March 1990. The by-election attracted a blaze of publicity, and a large number of candidates (14), as it took place at the height of the public dissatisfaction with the Conservative government over the Community Charge orpoll tax (indeed, the notoriouspoll tax riots took place only days after the by-election).Sylvia Heal of theLabour Party was victorious in the by-election; however she failed to retain the seat at the1992 general election, losing to the Conservatives'Michael Fabricant.
In 1997, a review by theBoundary Commission reorganised the constituencies in Staffordshire, and Mid Staffordshire was abolished. It was replaced by parts of four constituencies: mostly by theLichfield andStone constituencies, apart from Rugeley which was included inCannock Chase, and the area around the village ofGreat Haywood which was covered by theStafford constituency. Michael Fabricant became MP for Lichfield at the 1997 general election.
The District of Lichfield wards of Armitage with Handsacre, Central, Chadsmead, Colton and Ridwares, Curborough, King's Bromley, Longdon, Leomansley, St John's, and Stowe, the Borough of Stafford wards of Barlaston, Chartley, Fulford, Haywood, Milwich, Oulton, St Michael's, and Stonefield and Christchurch, and the District of Cannock Chase wards of Brereton and Ravenhill, Brindley Heath, Etching Hill, Hagley, and Western Springs.
| Election | Member[2] | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | John Heddle | Conservative | Previously MP for Lichfield and Tamworth from 1979; died in office December 1989 | |
| 1990 by-election | Sylvia Heal | Labour | Subsequently MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis 1997–2010 and aDeputy Speaker of the House of Commons 2000–2010 | |
| 1992 | Michael Fabricant | Conservative | Subsequently MP forLichfield since 1997 | |
| 1997 | constituency abolished | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Heddle | 27,210 | 52.1 | ||
| Liberal | Timothy Jones | 13,330 | 25.5 | ||
| Labour | Peter Lane | 11,720 | 22.4 | ||
| Majority | 13,880 | 26.6 | |||
| Turnout | 52,260 | 77.5 | |||
| Conservativewin (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Heddle | 28,644 | 50.6 | −1.5 | |
| Labour | Crispin St. Hill | 13,990 | 24.7 | +2.3 | |
| Liberal | Timothy Jones | 13,114 | 23.2 | −2.3 | |
| Ind. Conservative | James Bazeley | 836 | 1.5 | New | |
| Majority | 14,654 | 25.9 | −0.7 | ||
| Turnout | 56,584 | 79.4 | +1.9 | ||
| Conservativehold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Sylvia Heal | 27,649 | 49.1 | +24.4 | |
| Conservative | Charles Prior | 18,200 | 32.3 | −18.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Timothy Jones | 6,315 | 11.2 | −12.0 | |
| SDP | Ian Wood | 1,422 | 2.5 | New | |
| Green | Robert Saunders | 1,215 | 2.2 | New | |
| Anti-Thatcher Conservative | James Bazeley | 547 | 1.0 | New | |
| Monster Raving Loony | Screaming Lord Sutch | 336 | 0.6 | New | |
| National Front | John Hill | 311 | 0.5 | New | |
| NHS Supporters Party | Christopher Abell | 102 | 0.2 | New | |
| Against Immigration Conservative Green | Nicholas Parker-Jervis | 71 | 0.1 | New | |
| Raving Loony Green Giant Supercalafragalistic Party | Stuart Hughes | 59 | 0.1 | New | |
| National Independent Correct Edification | Lindi St Clair | 51 | 0.1 | New | |
| Independent 'Save the2CV' | Bernard Mildwater | 42 | 0.1 | New | |
| Christian Patriotic Alliance - Save Britain Campaign | David Black | 39 | 0.1 | New | |
| Majority | 9,449 | 16.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 56,359 | 77.5 | −1.9 | ||
| Labourgain fromConservative | Swing | +21.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Michael Fabricant | 31,227 | 49.7 | −0.9 | |
| Labour | Sylvia Heal | 24,991 | 39.8 | +15.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | BJ Stamp | 6,402 | 10.2 | −13.0 | |
| Natural Law | D Grice | 239 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 6,236 | 9.9 | −16.0 | ||
| Turnout | 62,859 | 85.6 | +6.2 | ||
| Conservativehold | Swing | −8.0 | |||