Bolton West
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bolton West in Greater Manchester
Location of Greater Manchester within England
County	Greater Manchester
Population	94,523 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate	71,454 (December 2010)[2]
Major settlements	Atherton, Blackrod, Heaton, Horwich, Westhoughton
Current constituency
Created	1950
Member of Parliament	Chris Green (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Bolton

Bolton West is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Chris Green, a Conservative.^{[n 2]}

Constituency profile

The seat is on the outskirts of Greater Manchester with fields making for separate villages and towns, these buffer zones most often designated as Green belt, which includes areas for sport such as the ground of Bolton Wanderers at the University of Bolton Stadium. It includes the generally affluent towns of Blackrod, Horwich and Westhoughton in the western half of Bolton borough though in 2010 Atherton from the Wigan borough was added, a more Labour-leaning former coal mining town. To date the seat has been a marginal seat^{[n 3]} between the Labour and the Conservative parties, however as of the 2019 election, it is also the safest Conservative seat in Greater Manchester, with a larger majority than Altrincham and Sale West.

Boundaries

Map of current boundaries

1950–1983: The County Borough of Bolton wards of Deane-cum-Lostock, Derby, Halliwell, Heaton, Rumworth, Smithills, and West.

1983–1997: The Borough of Bolton wards of Blackrod, Deane-cum-Heaton, Halliwell, Horwich, Hulton Park, Smithills, and Westhoughton.

1997–2010: The Borough of Bolton wards of Blackrod, Deane-cum-Heaton, Horwich, Hulton Park, Smithills, and Westhoughton.

2010–present: The Borough of Bolton wards of Heaton and Lostock, Horwich and Blackrod, Horwich North East, Smithills, Westhoughton North and Chew Moor, and Westhoughton South, and the Borough of Wigan ward of Atherton.

There were major boundary changes to Bolton West in 1983 when part of its area went to create Bolton North East, but compensated by taking most of the former Westhoughton constituency. 2010 saw the town of Atherton added from the Wigan borough, previously in the Leigh constituency. It is the only part of the Wigan borough not represented by a constituency fully within Wigan borough.

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 general election, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• Heaton and Lostock; Horwich and Blackrod; Horwich North East; Hulton; Smithills; Westhoughton North and Chew Moor; Westhoughton South.^[3]

The Wigan Borough ward of Atherton is to be transferred back out, to the new constituency of Leigh and Atherton, offset by the addition of Hulton ward from Bolton South East (to be abolished).

Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023,^[4][5] the constituency will now comprise the following wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton from the 2024 general election:

• Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor; Horwich North; Horwich South & Blackrod; Hulton (nearly all); Smithills; Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill; Westhoughton South; and a very small part of Rumsworth.^[6]

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s