Amber Valley is a constituency in Derbyshire, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It has been represented in Parliament by Linsey Farnsworth, a Labour politician, since the 2024 general election.
The Amber Valley constituency is located in the east of Derbyshire, covering the eastern half of the Amber Valley local government district. The constituency includes the market and manufacturing towns of Alfreton, Heanor and Ripley, as well as a number of nearby villages.
The area has a history of coal mining, ironworking and manufacturing. On average, residents of the constituency are older, have a lower household income and are less likely to be degree-educated than the country as a whole. The constituency has few ethnic-minority residents, with 98% of the population being white.
The local borough council has historically often switched between Labour and Conservative control. The constituency's three towns elected Labour councillors at most recent borough council election in 2023, but elected Conservative councillors at the most recent county council election in 2021. Voters in the constituency strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum.
The constituency was created in 1983, and was held by Phillip Oppenheim of the Conservative Party from its creation until Judy Mallaber of the Labour Party won the seat in 1997. She was narrowly defeated in 2010 by Nigel Mills, a Conservative, who increased his majority in 2015 and 2017. Amber Valley has been a bellwether seat in having been won by the winning party at each general election, since its creation.
1983âÂÂ1997: The District of Amber Valley wards of Aldercar, Alfreton East, Alfreton West, Codnor, Denby and Horsley Woodhouse, Heage and Ambergate, Heanor and Loscoe, Heanor East, Heanor West, Holbrook and Horsley, Kilburn, Riddings, Ripley, Ripley and Marehay, Shipley Park, Somercotes, Swanwick, and Wingfield, and the Borough of Erewash wards of Breadsall and Morley, Little Eaton, and Stanley.
1997âÂÂ2010: The Borough of Amber Valley wards of Aldercar, Alfreton East, Alfreton West, Codnor, Crich, Denby and Horsley Woodhouse, Heage and Ambergate, Heanor and Loscoe, Heanor East, Heanor West, Holbrook and Horsley, Kilburn, Riddings, Ripley, Ripley and Marehay, Shipley Park, Somercotes, Swanwick, and Wingfield, and the Borough of Erewash wards of Breadsall and Morley, Little Eaton, and Stanley.
2010âÂÂ2023: The Borough of Amber Valley wards of Alfreton, Codnor and Waingroves, Heage and Ambergate, Heanor and Loscoe, Heanor East, Heanor West, Ironville and Riddings, Kilburn, Denby and Holbrook, Langley Mill and Aldercar, Ripley, Ripley and Marehay, Shipley Park, Horsley and Horsley Woodhouse, Somercotes, Swanwick, and Wingfield.
Further to a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following wards of the Borough of Amber Valley:
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.
Belper, Derbyshire South East and Ilkeston prior to 1983
Going into the 2015 general election, this was the 24th most marginal constituency in Great Britain, Labour requiring a swing from the Conservatives of 0.6% to take the seat (based on the result of the 2010 general election).