North Durham (UK Parliament constituency)

North Durham is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Luke Akehurst of the Labour Party.

History
A constituency formally named the Northern Division of Durham was created by the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, when the former Durham constituency was split into the northern and southern divisions, each electing two members using the bloc vote system.

This seat was abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 when the two divisions were replaced by eight single-member divisions. These were Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Chester-le-Street, Houghton-le-Spring, Jarrow, Mid Durham, North West Durham and South East Durham. In addition, there were seven County Durham borough constituencies.

The seat was re-created as a single-seat constituency for the 1983 general election as a result of the redistribution following the changes to local authority boundaries under the Local Government Act 1972. The new constituency comprised those parts of the abolished Chester-le-Street constituency retained within the reconstituted county of Durham, together with those parts of the abolished Consett constituency which had comprised the urban district of Stanley.

1832–1885

 * The Wards of Chester and Easington, with a place of election at Durham.

See map on Vision of Britain website.

Included non-resident 40 shilling freeholders in the parliamentary boroughs of Durham, Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland.

1983–1997

 * The District of Chester-le-Street; and
 * the District of Derwentside wards of Annfield Plain, Burnopfield, Catchgate, Craghead, Dipton, Havannah, South Moor, South Stanley, Stanley Hall, and Tanfield.

1997–2010

 * The District of Chester-le-Street; and
 * the District of Derwentside wards of Annfield Plain, Catchgate, Craghead, Havannah, South Moor, South Stanley, Stanley Hall, and Tanfield.

Burnopfield and Dipton wards were transferred to the redrawn North West Durham.

2010–2024

 * The District of Chester-le-Street; and
 * the District of Derwentside wards of Annfield Plain, Catchgate, Craghead and South Stanley, Havannah, South Moor, Stanley Hall, and Tanfield.

The 1997 boundaries were retained despite the official description of the constituency changing slightly in terms of the names of the local authority wards.

2024–present
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral divisions of the County of Durham (as they existed on 1 December 2020):


 * 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.

The constituency was expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range, by adding the Lanchester ward from the abolished constituency of North West Durham.

The constituency spans the north of County Durham in North East England. It includes the whole of the former Chester-le-Street district and the eastern part of the former Derwentside district. The main population centres (large settlements) are Chester-le-Street, Stanley and Sacriston. The constituency includes the North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish.

Elections in the 1870s

 * Caused by the 1874 election being declared void on petition.

Elections in the 1860s

 * Caused by Vane-Tempest's death.

Elections in the 1850s

 * Caused by Vane-Tempest's succession to the peerage, becoming Earl Vane