Skipton and Ripon: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Skipton and Ripon is represented in the House of Commons by Sir Julian Smith (Conservative). The 2024 count gave Julian Smith (Conservative) 18,833 votes and Malcolm Birks (Labour) 17,183, a majority of 1,650. 53,450 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 79,238, 67.5% of those registered.
Key figures
What the figures show
On the official figures, Skipton and Ripon has the 9th lowest population density (2021) of the 575 constituencies with this figure (48.1 per sq km), and the 39th highest share of adults retired (2021) of the 575 constituencies with this figure (30.6%).
Workplaces in Skipton and Ripon accounted for 50,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 7,260 local units for March 2026.
DWP figures count 2,580 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 17.2% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 11.7% in 2021/22 to 13.0% in 2024/25.
The ONS estimates 100,269 people lived in Skipton and Ripon in mid-2024, up 4.0% on 2014. There were more residents aged 65 and over (28,500) than children under 16 (15,004).
78.3% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±7.8 points). 20.5% were economically inactive.
Full-time employees living in Skipton and Ripon had median pay of £37,105 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £36,541. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £33,713. The residents' figure ranks 247th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Skipton and Ripon counted 43,731 households on Census day 2021; 30.6% of adults were retired and 33.2% of those in work were mostly working from home.
The median price paid for a home was £288,725 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £205,000. The highest March-year median in the series was £296,357, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 283rd highest of 575 constituencies. 1,360 sales were registered in the period, against 1,725 in the year to March 2025.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 990, or 1.7% of the working-age population. That is up from 905 twelve months before.
MP
Sir Julian Smith, Conservative
- MP for Skipton and Ripon since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 6 May 2010
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Sir Julian Smith on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Sir Julian Smith's latest words in Parliament, from 15 October 2026 to 21 October 2026. Hansard search returns 133 spoken contributions by Sir Julian Smith since 4 July 2024.
On the issue of postwomen and postmen, in areas such as mine, the most rural areas of our country, those people are a lifeline.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I apologise for not intervening earlier, but I want to ask a question about cost and funding.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
On the Irish legislation, how confident is the Secretary of State that, if there is a Sinn Féin-led Government, that legislation will not be overturned?
I want to speak in favour of the argument for more time that the shadow Secretary of State has put forward. The issue of legacy has been dealt with by the UK Government for more than seven years.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
As the Minister knows, in areas like mine, the hospitality sector provides the bulk of employment for young people.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 28 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Smith | Conservative | 18,833 | 35.2% | −23.6 |
| Malcolm Birks | Labour | 17,183 | 32.1% | +13.0 |
| Simon Garvey | Reform UK | 8,516 | 15.9% | |
| Andrew Murday | Liberal Democrat | 4,194 | 7.8% | −7.4 |
| Andy Brown | Green Party | 3,446 | 6.4% | +1.7 |
| Ryan Kett | The Yorkshire Party | 627 | 1.2% | |
| Keith Tordoff | Independent | 493 | 0.9% | |
| Guy Phoenix | Heritage Party | 158 | 0.3% |
Result summary as published: Con hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Conservative 35.2% | Labour 32.2% | 1,650 | 67.5% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 58.9% | Labour 19.2% | 22,517 | 74.0% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Skipton and Ripon lies within North Yorkshire.
- North Yorkshire E06000065
Who has power over Skipton and Ripon
Every body that makes decisions for Skipton and Ripon, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority combined authority
- North Yorkshire Police police force
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board NHS
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- Yorkshire and the Humber in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Skipton and Ripon this page: Sir Julian Smith (Conservative) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Skipton and Ripon?
Sir Julian Smith (Conservative), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Skipton and Ripon?
The House of Commons Library records 18,833 votes for Julian Smith of Conservative and a majority of 1,650; 67.5% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Skipton and Ripon?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 990, 1.7% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Skipton and Ripon?
£288,725: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Skipton and Ripon?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £37,105 (April 2025).
How many children in Skipton and Ripon live in low income families?
2,580 children under 16, 17.2%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Skipton and Ripon?
100,269 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.