North East constituency changes guide

The Prime Minister announced on Wednesday that a general election will be held on July 4.

But many people across the region will find that the name or makeup of their constituency has changed substantially since the last general election in 2019.

Major boundary changes that will reduce the overall number of seats in the North East by two will come into force at this election.

Some seats, most notably North West Durham and North Tyneside, are being abolished entirely while other constituencies have been significantly redrawn.

Below is a guide to every constituency that will be contested across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham on July 4.

Bishop Auckland

Wards: Barnard Castle East, Barnard Castle West, Bishop Auckland Town, Coundon, Crook, Evenwood, Shildon and Dene Valley, Tow Law, Weardale, West Auckland, Woodhouse Close

  The existing Bishop Auckland constituency is held by Conservative Dehenna Davison, who is standing down at this election, with a majority of 7,962. Ms Davison was one of the 2019 Tory intake who won ‘red wall’ seats from Labour at the last general election.

Boundary changes will see the constituency extend further north than it currently does, taking in the Crook, Tow Law, and Weardale wards that are currently part of North West Durham, a seat which is being abolished.

Blaydon and Consett

Wards: Benfieldside, Burnopfield and Dipton, Consett North, Consett South, Delves Lane, Leadgate and Medomsley, Blaydon, Chopwell and Rowlands Gill, Crawcrook and Greenside, Ryton, Crookhill and Stella, Winlaton and High Spen

 This new constituency is combining some wards from the existing Blaydon and North West Durham constituencies, crossing the boundaries of Gateshead and County Durham.

Blaydon is held by Labour’s Liz Twist, who will contest this new constituency, with a majority of 55,31.

North West Durham, held by Tory Party chairman Richard Holden, is being completely abolished and its wards divided among other constituencies.

Blyth and Ashington

Wards: Ashington Central, Bedlington Central, Bedlington East, Bedlington West, Bothal, Choppington, College, Cowpen, Croft, Haydon, Hirst, Isabella, Kitty Brewster, Newbiggin Central and East, Newsham, Plessey, Seaton with Newbiggin West, Sleekburn, South Blyth, Stakeford, Wesnleydale  

The new Blyth and Ashington constituency will take in the majority of the Wansbeck seat, currently held by Labour’s Ian Lavery, but not Morpeth. It also includes a portion of the existing Blyth Valley constituency, which was won by Tory Ian Levy in 2019.

Mr Lavery, who has an 814 majority in Wansbeck currently, will contest this seat against Mr Levy’s wife, Maureen, who has been chosen as the Conservative candidate.   

City of Durham

Wards: Belmont, Brandon, Deerness, Durham South, Elvet and Gilesgate, Esh and Witton Gilbert, Framwellgate and Newton Hall. Neville’s Cross, Sherburn, Willington and Hunwick  

The existing City of Durham constituency is held by Labour’s Mary Kelly Foy, with a 5,025 majority. Its boundaries are changing to take in the ward of Esh and Witton Gilbert as well as Willington and Hunwick from North West Durham, while Coxhoe will be transferred to the Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor constituency.

  Cramlington and Killingworth

Wards: Castle (part), Camperdown, Killingworth, Valley, Weetslade, Cramlington East, Cramlington Eastfield, Cramlington North, Cramlington South East, Cramlington Village, Cramlington West, Hartley, Holywell, Seghill with Seaton Delaval.

  This new constituency crosses the boundaries of Northumberland, North Tyneside, and Newcastle. It takes in the majority of Blyth Valley seat, where Conservative Ian Levy secured a headline-grabbing gain in what was viewed as a ‘red wall’ Labour heartland in 2019.

Mr Levy will stand here at this election, in a constituency that also takes in three wards from the to-be-abolished North Tyneside seat.

Easington

Wards: Blackhalls, Dawdon, Deneside, Easington, Horden, Murton, Passfield, Peterlee East, Peterlee West, Seaham, Shotton and South Hetton, Trimdon and Thornley (part), Wingate .

 Easington is currently held by Labour’s Grahame Morris, with a 6,581 majority. The constituency is being expanded to take in the community of Wingate and parts of the Trimdon and Thornley ward from Sedgefield.

Gateshead

Central and Whickham Wards: Bridges, Chowdene, Deckham, Dunston Hill and Whickham East, Dunston and Teams, High Fell, Lobley Hill and Bensham, Low Fell, Saltwell, Whickham North, Whickham South and Sunniside

  The new Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency will contain most of the existing Gateshead seat, which is held by Labour’s Ian Mearns. Mr Mearns is retiring at this election and Labour have, at time of writing, not yet chosen a candidate to stand in his place.

The seat also takes in three wards around the Whickham area, which are currently within the Blaydon constituency.

Hexham

Wards: Callerton and Throckley, Bellingham, Bywell, Corbridge, Haltwhistle, Haydon and Hadrian, Hexham Central with Acomb, Hexham East, Hexham West, Humshaugh, Longhorsley, Ponteland East and Stannington, Ponteland North, Ponteland South with Heddon, Ponteland West, Prudhoe North, Prudhoe South, South Tynedale, Stocksfield and Broomhaugh  

Hexham is held by Conservative Guy Opperman with a majority of 10,549. This seat has long been viewed as one of the few Tory safe seats in the North East, having been blue for 100 years. But, with some polls having predicted that the Tories could be on course for electoral wipeout in the North East, there will be plenty of eyes on Hexham this year and whether Labour challenger Joe Morris can claim what would be a statement gain.

The constituency is expanded into the city borders of Newcastle, adding the ward of Callerton and Throckley.

Houghton and Sunderland South

Wards: Copt Hill, Doxford, Hetton, Houghton, Sandhill, Shiney Row, Silksworth, St Anne’s, St Chad’s  

This is the seat of Labour’s shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, who secured a 3,115 majority at the last election. It is expanding slightly to take in the St Anne’s ward from Washington and Sunderland West.

 Jarrow and Gateshead

East Wards: Felling, Pelaw and Heworth, Wardley and Leam Lane, Windy Nook and Whitehalls, Bede, Boldon Colliery, Fellgate and Hedworth, Hebburn North, Hebburn South, Monkton, Primrose  

This seat is being formed from the existing Jarrow seat, excluding Cleadon and East Boldon, plus the Felling and Windy Nook and Whitehalls wards from Gateshead.

Sitting Jarrow MP Kate Osborne is standing again for Labour, which has a 7,120 majority in the current Jarrow seat.

Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West

Wards: Arthur’s Hill, Benwell and Scotswood, Blakelaw, Chapel, Denton and Westerhope, Elswick, Kingston Park and Newbiggin Hall South (part), Lemington, Monument, West Fenham, Wingrove

  The existing Newcastle Central seat, held by Labour’s Chi Onwurah, is being expanded west to take in Denton and Westerhope, Lemington, and Newbiggin Hall. Journalist and prominent anti-war activist Yvonne Ridley has announced she is standing against Ms Onwurah, who has been an MP since 2010.

At the last two general elections, Newcastle Central has been the first seat in the country to declare.

Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend

Wards: Byker, Heaton, Manor Park, Ouseburn, Walker, Walkergate, Battle Hill, Howdon, Northumberland, Riverside (part), Wallsend

  This election will mark the end of the Westminster career of long-serving Nick Brown, who announced that he would be standing down after quitting the Labour Party in December 2023. His existing Newcastle East constituency is being redrawn and will take in several wards from neighbouring North Tyneside.

Labour’s current North Tyneside MP Mary Glindon will be contesting this seat as hers is being abolished.

Newcastle upon Tyne North

Wards: Castle (part), Dene and South Gosforth, Fawdon and West Gosforth, Gosforth, Kenton, Kingston Park and Newbiggin Hall South (part), North Jesmond, Parklands, South Jesmond, Benton, Longbenton

  Labour MP Catherine McKinnell’s existing Newcastle North constituency is undergoing major alterations – losing existing wards to the Newcastle Central and West, Hexham, and Cramlington and Killingworth seats. The reconfigured seat takes in the areas of Kenton and Jesmond, plus the Benton and Longbenton wards from North Tyneside.

Ms McKinnell, elected with a 5,765 majority in 2019, is standing in this redrawn constituency.

Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor

Wards: Aycliffe East, Aycliffe North and Middridge, Aycliffe West, Bishop Middleton and Cornforth, Chilton, Coxhoe, Ferryhill, Sedgefield, Spennymoor, Trimdon and Thornley (part), Tudhoe

  This election will see the end of the Sedgefield seat previously held by Tony Blair and taken from Labour by Conservative Paul Howell in 2019.

Under its new name of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, the seat comprises the majority of the current Sedgefield constituency but takes in Spennymoor, Tudhoe, and Coxhoe.

North Durham

Wards: Annfield Plain, Chester-le-Street East, Chester-le-Street North, Chester-le-Street South, Chester-le-Street West Central, Craghead and South Moor, Lanchester, Lumley, North Lodge, Pelton, Sacriston, Stanley, Tanfield  

North Durham has been represented by Labour’s Kevan Jones since 2001, currently holding a majority of 4,742, but announced on Thursday afternoon that he will not be standing on July 4. The constituency is expanding with the addition of Lanchester from the North West Durham seat, which will be abolished.

North Northumberland

Wards: Alnwick, Amble, Amble West with Warkworth, Bamburgh, Berwick East, Berwick North, Berwick West with Ord, Druridge Bay, Longhoughton, Lynemouth, Morpeth Kirkhill, Morpeth North, Morpeth Stobhill, Norham and Islandshires, Pegswood, Rothbury, Shilbottle, Wooler

  Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s Berwick seat is one where the Tories have enjoyed comfortable victories at recent elections, though it was held for many years previously by Liberal Democrat Alan Beith.  The new North Northumberland constituency adds the areas of Morpeth and Pegswood to the renamed and enlarged seat, for which Labour announced David Smith as its candidate this week.

With some polls predicting that the Tories could lose every seat in the North East, whether Ms Trevelyan can hold on after winning a majority of almost 15,000 in 2019 will be the subject of much interest on election night.

 South Shields

Wards: Beacon and Bents, Biddick and All Saints, Cleadon Park, Cleadon and East Boldon, Harton, Horsley Hill, Simonside and Rekendyke, West Park, Westoe, Whitburn and Marsden, Whiteleas

  The only change to the South Shields constituency comes with the addition of Cleadon and East Boldon, which are currently within the Jarrow seat. Labour’s Emma Lewell-Buck has been the MP for South Shields since 2013 and currently has a 9,585 majority.

Sunderland Central

Wards: Barnes, Fulwell, Hendon, Millfield, Pallion, Ryhope, Southwick, St Michael’s, St Peter’s  

There is no change to the boundaries of Sunderland Central for this election. The seat is held by Labour’s Julie Elliott, who retained her seat in 2019 with a 2,964 majority despite her share of the vote dropping by more than 13% as the Brexit Party finished third.

Tynemouth

Wards: Chirton, Collingwood, Cullercoats, Monkseaton North, Monkseaton South, Preston, Riverside (part), St Mary’s, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay

  Changes to the Tynemouth constituency will see the Valley ward move into the Cramlington and Killingworth seat, while most of the Riverside ward will come in from the abolished North Tyneside. Labour’s Alan Campbell has held this seat since 1997.

Mr Campbell secured a majority of 4,857 ahead of Tory Lewis Bartoli in 2019, despite his vote share falling by nine per cent.

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  Washington and Gateshead

South Wards: Birtley, Lamesley, Castle, Redhill, Washington Central, Washington East, Washington North, Washington South, Washington West

  The new Washington and Gateshead South seat is made up of most of the existing Washington and Sunderland West constituency, with the addition of Birtley and Lamesley.

Sitting MP Sharon Hodgson will be standing here, having represented  Washington and Sunderland West since 2010.

She won with a significantly reduced majority of 3,723 in 2019, ahead of Conservative Valerie Allen as the Brexit Party finished third with 14.5% of the vote.