Rossendale and Darwen spans two neighbouring parts of east Lancashire and is centred on the Rossendale Valley and the town of Darwen. Its communities are shaped by steep Pennine hills, narrow valleys and a strong former textile and manufacturing heritage. Darwen is a substantial town with its own centre, while the Rossendale side contains several distinct valley settlements linked by road corridors. Open moorland and countryside rise quickly beyond the built-up areas. The constituency therefore combines closely spaced former industrial towns with a rugged upland setting and a series of smaller communities rather than one continuous urban centre.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Rossendale and Darwen, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population104,420
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationNorth West
Age profile
0 to 1721.0% · 21,968 people
18 to 246.9% · 7,179 people
25 to 3412.6% · 13,168 people
35 to 4919.0% · 19,886 people
50 to 6421.4% · 22,312 people
65 and over19.1% · 19,907 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
44,079 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners68.4% · 30,135 households
Private renters18.0% · 7,917 households
Social renters13.2% · 5,832 households
Other tenure0.4% · 195 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
44,077 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households31.6% · 13,913 households
Families with dependent children28.4% · 12,522 households
Other single-family households37.4% · 16,472 households
Other household types2.7% · 1,170 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
101,408 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: England & Wales
Day-to-day activities limited a lot8.8% · 8,917 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little10.7% · 10,864 people
Not disabled under the Equality Act80.5% · 81,627 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 8 December 2026
End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately
Signatures in this constituency308
Signatures nationally127,802
Government response published · 100,000-signature debate threshold reached
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded71
Total awarded£1,809,931
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 27 April 2026
Darwen Masters Summer School Skills Project
Darwen Masters Swimming Club
£2,750
Sport England · Sport
About this award
This project will deliver a swimming summer school to existing older members, to help improve swim skills and competitive training. Two hour sessions will take place four times. Funds will cover refreshments, coaching fees and facility hire.
National Lottery grantAwarded 21 April 2026
Whitaker Park Improvement Project
Civic Pride Rossendale
£20,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Civic Pride Rossendale - Environment - National Lottery Awards for All England
National Lottery grantAwarded 15 April 2026
ER - Emergency Response - Car Park Repairs - Bacup Cricket
Bacup Cricket Club
£12,201
Sport England · Sport
About this award
This project will resurface the club's car park to make it more accessible for people who drive to the organisation. Improving the car park will ensure visitors can park safely and easily. The funding will contribute towards completing the car park's construction.
National Lottery grantAwarded 15 April 2026
Lane Head Lane Improvement Project
Bacup Pride
£20,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Bacup Pride - Environment - National Lottery Awards for All England
National Lottery grantAwarded 9 April 2026
Surviving to Thriving: Independence Hub
DARWEN ASYLUM REFUGEE ENTERPRISE (DARE)
£20,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
DARWEN ASYLUM REFUGEE ENTERPRISE (DARE) - Other - National Lottery Awards for All England
66 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
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