Beckenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Beckenham | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundary of Beckenham in Greater London | |
County | Greater London |
Population | 87,011 (2011 census)[1] |
Electorate | 66,470 (December 2010)[2] |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1950 |
Member of Parliament | Bob Stewart (Conservative) |
Number of members | One |
Created from | Bromley and Orpington |
Beckenham (/ˈbɛkənəm/) is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2010 by Bob Stewart, a Conservative.[n 2]
Constituency profile[]
The constituency is mostly leafy and suburban — one widely known gazetteer summarised this in 2012:
"The properties on these streets typically include a range of styles, from modern to Mock Tudor. However many local residents are wealthy city commuters. Keston Common and Keston Ponds are both popular attractions for locals...The common theme is large, detached houses with substantial land and typically with asking prices of over £1 million. At the lower end of the market, a one bedroom period conversion flat on Turpington Lane near Bromley Common, or a one bedroom flat in a modern block on Homesdale Road, near the Bickley border, would demand an asking price of approximately £160,000."[3]
There are significant areas of open land to the south around Hayes and Keston. The upmarket town centre of Beckenham is split between this constituency and Lewisham West and Penge to the west.
All wards have voted between 60-70% Conservative since the seat's inception. In times when Labour has led in the national polls the seat has remained Conservative. The smallest majority in a general election was 9.3%, in 1997; in all other elections except 2001 there have been majorities of more than 15%. The seat happened to become safer in its cut down to six wards (from ten) in 2010. This removed the three most Labour inclined wards of the borough, centered on Penge, and one other, taken from the more suburban parts that lean strongly or weakly Conservative.
Since 1983 there has been a close contest for second place between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Labour's share has remained much greater than in Orpington whereas the Liberal Democrat share has remained much greater than in Croydon Central.[n 3]
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/BeckenhamConstituency.svg/220px-BeckenhamConstituency.svg.png)
The constituency has only elected Conservatives as its MPs since 1950.
The closest the Conservatives have ever come to losing this seat was at a by-election in November 1997, at the height of Tony Blair's 'honeymoon period' as Prime Minister, following the resignation of the previous MP Piers Merchant in a sex scandal. Even then, the former MP for Hastings who lost her seat in the earlier 1997 general election, Jacqui Lait, managed to win the seat by just over 1,000 votes.
Between 1957 and 1992 the long-serving MP for Beckenham was Sir Philip Goodhart, who was soon after 1979 discovered by Margaret Thatcher to be a right-of-centre or 'wet conservative' and consequently his career as a junior minister came to a quick end. Goodhart is best known for his book on the workings of the Conservative MPs' 1922 Committee, and for his brother Charles, who was a famous economics professor at LSE and sat for some time on the Bank of England's monetary policy committee.
Before Sir Philip Goodhart, the former Conservative Chief Whip Patrick Buchan-Hepburn represented Beckenham in Parliament.
Boundaries[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Beckenham1955Constiuency.svg/260px-Beckenham1955Constiuency.svg.png)
1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Beckenham, and the Urban District of Penge.
1974–1983: The London Borough of Bromley wards of Anerley, Clock House, Copers Cope, Eden Park, Lawrie Park and Kent House, Manor House, Penge, and Shortlands.
1983–1997: The London Borough of Bromley wards of Anerley, Clock House, Copers Cope, Eden Park, Kelsey Park, Lawrie Park and Kent House, Penge, and Shortlands.
1997–2010: The London Borough of Bromley wards of Anerley, Clock House, Copers Cope, Eden Park, Kelsey Park, Lawrie Park and Kent House, Penge, Shortlands, West Wickham North, and West Wickham South.
2010–present: The London Borough of Bromley wards of Bromley Common and Keston, Copers Cope, Hayes and Coney Hall, Kelsey and Eden Park, Shortlands, and West Wickham.
Beckenham constituency covers the north-western part of the London Borough of Bromley. The local government ward boundaries were redrawn for the 2002 local elections, though this did not affect parliamentary limits until the 2010 general election.
Pre-2010 boundary review[]
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South London, the Boundary Commission for England made revisions to this seat. Clock House ward, Crystal Palace ward, and Penge and Cator ward were transferred from Beckenham to help create the new constituency of Lewisham West and Penge. Parts of Bromley Common and Keston, Hayes and Coney Hall, and Shortlands wards were transferred to Beckenham from Bromley and Chislehurst. A small part of Bromley Common and Keston ward was transferred to Beckenham from Orpington and a tiny part of Bromley Town ward was transferred from Beckenham to Bromley and Chislehurst.
Members of Parliament[]
Election | Member[4] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1950 | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn | Conservative | |
1957 by-election | Philip Goodhart | Conservative | |
1992 | Piers Merchant | Conservative | |
1997 by-election | Jacqui Lait | Conservative | |
2010 | Bob Stewart | Conservative |
Elections[]
Elections in the 2010s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Bob Stewart | 27,282 | 54.0 | -5.3 | |
Labour | Marina Ahmad | 13,024 | 25.8 | -4.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Chloe-Jane Ross | 8,194 | 16.2 | +8.3 | |
Green | Ruth Fabricant | 2,055 | 4.1 | +1.4 | |
Majority | 14,258 | 28.2 | -1.0 | ||
Turnout | 50,555 | 73.6 | -2.4 | ||
Registered electors | 68,671 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -0.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Bob Stewart | 30,632 | 59.3 | +2.0 | |
Labour | Marina Ahmad | 15,545 | 30.1 | +10.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Julie Ireland | 4,073 | 7.9 | +1.0 | |
Green | Ruth Fabricant | 1,380 | 2.7 | -1.1 | |
Majority | 15,087 | 29.2 | -8.7 | ||
Turnout | 51,630 | 76.0 | +2.8 | ||
Registered electors | 67,925 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -4.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Bob Stewart | 27,955 | 57.3 | −0.6 | |
Labour | Marina Ahmad | 9,484 | 19.4 | +4.9 | |
UKIP | Rob Bryant | 6,108 | 12.5 | +9.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Anuja Prashar | 3,378 | 6.9 | -13.7 | |
Green | Ruth Fabricant[10] | 1,878 | 3.8 | +2.5 | |
Majority | 18,471 | 37.9 | +0.6 | ||
Turnout | 48,803 | 73.2 | +1.2 | ||
Registered electors | 67,439 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Bob Stewart | 27,597 | 57.9 | -1.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Stephen Jenkins | 9,813 | 20.6 | +4.5 | |
Labour | Damien Egan[12] | 6,893 | 14.5 | -4.9 | |
UKIP | Owen Brolly | 1,551 | 3.3 | +0.4 | |
BNP | Roger Tonks | 1,001 | 2.1 | New | |
Green | Ann Garrett | 608 | 1.3 | New | |
English Democrat | Dan Eastgate | 223 | 0.5 | New | |
Majority | 17,784 | 37.3 | +20.1 | ||
Turnout | 47,686 | 72.0 | +6.7 | ||
Registered electors | 66,219 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.15 |
Elections in the 2000s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Jacqui Lait | 22,183 | 45.3 | 0.0 | |
Labour | Liam K. Curran | 13,782 | 28.1 | -6.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jef W. Foulger | 10,862 | 22.2 | +6.2 | |
UKIP | James D. C. Cartwright | 1,301 | 2.7 | +1.0 | |
Independent | Roderick A. Reed | 836 | 1.7 | New | |
Majority | 8,401 | 17.2 | +6.3 | ||
Turnout | 48,964 | 65.5 | +2.9 | ||
Registered electors | 74,706 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Jacqui Lait | 20,618 | 45.3 | +2.8 | |
Labour | Richard F. Watts | 15,659 | 34.4 | +1.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Alexander D. Feakes | 7,308 | 16.0 | -2.1 | |
Green | Karen A. Moran | 961 | 2.1 | New | |
UKIP | Christopher N. Pratt | 782 | 1.7 | +0.8 | |
Liberal | Rif Winfield | 234 | 0.5 | -0.8 | |
Majority | 4,959 | 10.9 | +7.2 | ||
Turnout | 45,562 | 62.6 | -11.7 | ||
Registered electors | 72,772 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 |
Elections in the 1990s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Jacqui Lait | 13,162 | 41.3 | −1.2 | |
Labour | Robert N. Hughes | 11,935 | 37.4 | +4.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Rosemary E. Vetterlein | 5,864 | 18.4 | +0.3 | |
Liberal | Phil H. Rimmer | 330 | 1.0 | −0.3 | |
National Front | John C. McAuley | 267 | 0.8 | +0.1 | |
Referendum | Leonard F. Mead | 237 | 0.8 | -2.3 | |
Independent | John Campion | 69 | 0.2 | New | |
Natural Law | John D. Small | 44 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 1,227 | 3.8 | -5.3 | ||
Turnout | 31,908 | 43.7 | -30.6 | ||
Registered electors | 74,019 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Piers Merchant | 23,084 | 42.5 | -14.4 | |
Labour | Robert N. Hughes | 18,131 | 33.4 | +9.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Rosemary E. Vetterlein | 9,858 | 18.1 | +0.7 | |
Referendum | Leonard F. Mead | 1,663 | 3.1 | New | |
Liberal | Phil H. Rimmer | 720 | 1.3 | -0.1 | |
UKIP | Christopher N. Pratt | 506 | 0.9 | New | |
National Front | John C. McAuley | 388 | 0.7 | New | |
Majority | 4,953 | 9.1 | -23.9 | ||
Turnout | 54,350 | 74.3 | -3.3 | ||
Registered electors | 73,126 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -15.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Piers Merchant | 26,323 | 56.9 | +0.6 | |
Labour | Ken Ritchie | 11,038 | 23.8 | -2.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mary C. Williams | 8,038 | 17.4 | -0.4 | |
Liberal | Gerry Williams | 643 | 1.4 | N/A | |
Natural Law | Patrick J. Shaw | 243 | 0.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 15,285 | 33.0 | +2.6 | ||
Turnout | 46,285 | 77.8 | +4.2 | ||
Registered electors | 59,440 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -2.7 |
Elections in the 1980s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 24,903 | 56.2 | -1.2 | |
Labour | Ken Ritchie | 11,439 | 25.8 | 10.3 | |
Liberal | Colin Darracot | 7,888 | 17.8 | -8.8 | |
Majority | 13,464 | 30.4 | -0.4 | ||
Turnout | 43,979 | 73.6 | +3.6 | ||
Registered electors | 60,110 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 23,606 | 57.4 | +0.55 | |
Liberal | C. Forrest | 10,936 | 26.6 | +11.70 | |
Labour | Jim Dowd | 6,386 | 15.5 | -9.58 | |
BNP | R. Younger | 203 | 0.5 | -0.9 | |
Majority | 12,670 | 30.8 | -0.97 | ||
Turnout | 41,131 | 70.0 | -4.70 | ||
Registered electors | 58,719 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 24,607 | 56.85 | +9.16 | |
Labour | J. W. Mordecai | 10,856 | 25.08 | -1.75 | |
Liberal | C. Forrest | 6,450 | 14.90 | -10.58 | |
Ecology | W. Vernon | 762 | 1.76 | New | |
National Front | N. Dickson | 606 | 1.40 | New | |
Majority | 13,751 | 31.77 | +10.91 | ||
Turnout | 43,281 | 74.70 | +4.94 | ||
Registered electors | 57,939 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 19,798 | 47.69 | -1.39 | |
Labour | N. J. Sharp | 11,140 | 26.83 | +3.29 | |
Liberal | G. D. Mitchell | 10,578 | 25.48 | -1.91 | |
Majority | 8,658 | 20.86 | -0.83 | ||
Turnout | 41,516 | 69.76 | -9.63 | ||
Registered electors | 59,512 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 22,976 | 49.08 | -8.75 | |
Liberal | G. Mitchell | 12,821 | 27.39 | +9.71 | |
Labour | N. J. Sharp | 11,018 | 23.54 | -0.96 | |
Majority | 10,155 | 21.69 | -11.64 | ||
Turnout | 46,815 | 79.39 | +10.71 | ||
Registered electors | 58,969 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 30,763 | 57.83 | +6.30 | |
Labour | I. G. Bing | 13,031 | 24.50 | -2.25 | |
Liberal | Philip A. Golding | 9,404 | 17.68 | -4.04 | |
Majority | 17,732 | 33.33 | +8.55 | ||
Turnout | 53,198 | 68.68 | -9.10 | ||
Registered electors | 77,459 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 28,837 | 51.53 | -1.95 | |
Labour | John Grant | 14,972 | 26.75 | +3.03 | |
Liberal | Philip Alan Golding | 12,155 | 21.72 | -1.08 | |
Majority | 13,865 | 24.78 | -4.98 | ||
Turnout | 55,964 | 77.78 | +0.43 | ||
Registered electors | 71,952 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 30,070 | 53.48 | -8.13 | |
Labour | Alistair H. Macdonald | 13,338 | 23.72 | +1.13 | |
Liberal | Hubert Holmes Monroe | 12,821 | 22.80 | +7.00 | |
Majority | 16,732 | 29.76 | -9.26 | ||
Turnout | 56,229 | 77.35 | -3.40 | ||
Registered electors | 72,692 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 36,528 | 61.61 | -7.35 | |
Labour | H. Ferguson | 13,395 | 22.59 | -8.45 | |
Liberal | Hubert Holmes Monroe | 9,365 | 15.80 | New | |
Majority | 23,133 | 39.02 | +1.09 | ||
Turnout | 59,288 | 80.75 | +4.24 | ||
Registered electors | 73,421 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Goodhart | 29,621 | 62.94 | -6.02 | |
Labour | Neville Sandelson | 17,445 | 37.06 | +6.02 | |
Majority | 12,176 | 25.88 | -12.04 | ||
Turnout | 47,066 | 64.70 | -11.81 | ||
Registered electors | 72,786 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn | 38,614 | 68.96 | +1.58 | |
Labour | Charles F. A. Culling | 17,377 | 31.04 | -1.58 | |
Majority | 21,237 | 37.92 | +3.16 | ||
Turnout | 55,991 | 76.51 | -5.87 | ||
Registered electors | 73,177 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn | 41,282 | 67.38 | +7.53 | |
Labour | A. Philip Magonet | 19,982 | 32.62 | +3.21 | |
Majority | 21,300 | 34.76 | +4.32 | ||
Turnout | 61,264 | 82.38 | -4.11 | ||
Registered electors | 74,370 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn | 38,102 | 59.85 | ||
Labour | Alexander Bain | 18,723 | 29.41 | ||
Liberal | Hubert Holmes Monroe | 6,834 | 10.74 | ||
Majority | 19,379 | 30.44 | |||
Turnout | 63,659 | 86.49 | |||
Registered electors | 73,605 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
See also[]
Notes[]
- ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer).
- ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
- ^ Both Orpington and Croydon Central are conservative neighbouring seats.
References[]
- ^ "Beckenham: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ "Area and Property Guide for br2 - Mouseprice". www.mouseprice.com.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
- ^ Bromley, London Borough of. "Statement of Persons Nominated General Election 2019 - Beckenham constituency | London Borough of Bromley". www.bromley.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ "Beckenham parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
- ^ "House Of Commons Library 2017 Election report" (PDF).
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ Bromley, London Borough of. "London Borough of Bromley download - General Election May 2015 results Council and democracy - Elections and voting - Elections". www.bromley.gov.uk.
- ^ FABRICANT, RUTH (April 24, 2015). "Done. As you might have spotted, this is the twitter for the @Beckenham Green Party Candidate. @BeckBromFL @WoW_Bromley #GE2015".
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "PPC for Beckenham". Labour. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1997-2002 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ [1][bare URL]
- ^ [2][bare URL]
- ^ "1957 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
- ^ [3][bare URL]
- ^ [4][bare URL]
External links[]
- Politics Resources (election results from 1922 onwards)
- Electoral Calculus (election results from 1955 onwards)
Coordinates: 51°23′20″N 0°01′12″W / 51.389°N 0.02°W
- Politics of the London Borough of Bromley
- Parliamentary constituencies in London
- Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1950