High Peak is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jon Pearce of the Labour Party.

The constituency is in north west Derbyshire and based in the heart of the Peak District, including the towns of Buxton, Glossop and New Mills.

Since the 1966 general election, the seat has been somewhat of a bellwether, with only three exceptions: at the February and October 1974 general elections the seat was won by the Conservative Party when the Labour Party won the most seats nationally, and at the 2017 general election when the seat was won by Labour but the Conservatives won the most seats nationally.

Constituency profile High Peak is a rural constituency in Derbyshire, covering a large part of the Peak District National Park, and is coterminous with the local government district of the same name. Its largest town is Buxton, which has a population of around 20,000. Other towns in the constituency include Glossop, New Mills, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Whaley Bridge and Hadfield. Buxton is a historic spa town of Roman origins, and is popular with tourists.High Peak Profile , High Peak Borough Council, September 2010. Glossop and New Mills are traditionally industrial, particularly in coal mining and textile manufacturing. The area is generally upland and has closer transport connections to nearby Manchester and Sheffield than with Derby and the rest of the East Midlands. The constituency has average levels of wealth; there is some deprivation in Buxton, Gamesley and Hadfield whilst the rural areas are more affluent. House prices across the constituency are below the national average but above the rest of the East Midlands.

Residents of High Peak are generally older and well-educated compared to the rest of the country. Household income is higher than the regional average and a high proportion of residents work in the manufacturing and tourism sectors. White people made up 97% of the population at the 2021 census. At the local council level, most of the constituency is represented by the Labour Party, especially in the north around Glossop, particularly in the Manchester overspill Estate of Gamesley. Conservative councillors were elected in the areas surrounding Buxton. An estimated 51% of voters in High Peak supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the nationwide figure.

Boundaries 1885–1918: The Borough of Glossop, and the Sessional Divisions of Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, and Glossop.

1918–1950: The Boroughs of Buxton and Glossop, the Urban District of New Mills, the Rural Districts of Glossop Dale and Hayfield, and parts of the Rural Districts of Bakewell and Chapel-en-le-Frith.

1950–1983: The Boroughs of Buxton and Glossop, the Urban Districts of New Mills and Whaley Bridge, and the Rural District of Chapel-en-le-Frith.

1983–2010: The Borough of High Peak, and the District of West Derbyshire wards of Bradwell, Hathersage and Tideswell.

2010–present: The Borough of High Peak.

The boundaries were unchanged by the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies.

The constituency covers much of northern Derbyshire and represents most of the west of the Peak District which encircles Buxton and Glossop. Crowden, Tintwistle and Woodhead (formerly within the boundaries of Cheshire and in the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency) were brought into the seat in the boundary changes for the 1983 general election. The constituency boundaries became co-terminous with the local government district at the 2010 general election.

History The seat was created in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Since 1910, the seat has returned mostly Conservative MPs apart from during three periods. A Labour MP was elected for the first time in 1966, but was unseated at the next general election. Labour gained the seat at the 1997 general election and retained it at the following two general elections during the Blair ministry, but it was regained by the Conservatives at the 2010 general election. It was regained by Labour at the 2017 general election when Ruth George gained the seat, the first time Labour had won the High Peak seat without winning the overall general election in its history.

Members of Parliament

North Derbyshire prior to 1885

ElectionMemberParty 1885 William Sidebottom Conservative 1900 Oswald Partington Liberal December 1910 Samuel Hill-Wood Unionist 1929 Alfred Law Unionist1939 by-election Hugh Molson Conservative1961 by-election David Walder Conservative 1966 Peter Jackson Labour 1970 Spencer Le Marchant Conservative 1983 Christopher Hawkins Conservative 1992 Charles Hendry Conservative 1997 Tom Levitt Labour 2010 Andrew Bingham Conservative 2017Ruth George Labour 2019 Robert Largan Conservative 2024 Jon Pearce Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s At the 1939 High Peak by-election, Hugh Molson was elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1920s

Election results 1885–1918 Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

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; Unionist: Samuel Hill-Wood Liberal: Oswald PartingtonDerbyshire Courier, 4 Aug 1914

See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Derbyshire

Notes

References Specific

General Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. Guardian Unlimited Politics (Election results from 1992 to the present) Politics Resources (Election results from 1931 to the present)

External links High Peak UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK High Peak UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK High Peak UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK