| Altrincham and Sale West | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1997 |
| Type: | Borough |
| Seat: | 1 |
| Population: | 96,591 (2011 census)[1] |
| Electorate: | 73,394 (2023)[2] |
| Region: | England |
| European: | North West England |
Altrincham and Sale West is a constituency in the House of Commons.
The seat has been represented by Connor Rand of the Labour Party since the 2024 general election.
The 1995 Boundary Commission review led to the constituency's creation for the 1997 election, largely from the old seat of Altrincham and Sale; from that time until the dissolution of parliament in advance of the 2024 United Kingdom general election it was held by Graham Brady, long elected by his colleagues the chairman of the Conservative Party's backbench 1922 Committee (2010 to present; he stood down in May 2019, returning that September). In March 2023 Brady announced he would not seek reelection.
From 2001 to 2010, it was the only Conservative seat in Greater Manchester; its predecessor seats were always Conservative. In 1997, local grammar school–educated Brady was elected on a small majority of 1,500. His majority peaked at over 13,000 in 2015, being reduced in 2017 to just under 7,000. In 2019, it fell further to 6,139, a swing of 0.5% from Conservative to Labour, bucking the trend of large swings in the opposite direction.
Trafford was one of three areas in Greater Manchester to vote Remain in the EU referendum. However, Brady campaigned for Leave.
The constituency is one of three covering the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford. It covers the south of the borough, covering the town of Altrincham and the west of Sale. It is bordered by the constituencies of Stretford and Urmston, Tatton, Warrington North, Warrington South, and Wythenshawe and Sale East.
1997–2010: The Borough of Trafford wards of Altrincham, Bowdon, Broadheath, Hale, Mersey St Mary's, St Martin's, Timperley, and Village.
2010–2023: The Borough of Trafford wards of Altrincham, Ashton upon Mersey, Bowdon, Broadheath, Hale Barns, Hale Central, St Mary's, Timperley, and Village.
2023–present: Further to a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023,[3] [4] the constituency now comprises the following wards of Metropolitan Borough of Trafford:
Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency (based on the ward structure which existed on 1 December 2020) is unchanged.[6]
The economy of the area is diverse and closely linked to the success of private business in the North West.
A highly affluent area, workless claimants who were registered jobseekers, based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian in November 2012, were a lower proportion of Altrincham and Sale West's population, at 2.3%, compared to the national average of 3.8%, and the slightly higher regional average of 4.2%.[7] The constituency includes some of the most expensive residential streets in North-West England,[8] typified by areas like Bowdon and Hale Barns, which are safely Conservative. Several Black British premiership footballers and millionaire British Asian businessmen and women also live in the constituency.[9]
In the 2023 local council elections, the Conservatives won in three of the nine wards making up the constituency, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party each winning two wards.
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Sir Graham Brady | Conservative | ||
| 2024 | Connor Rand | Labour | ||