North Bedfordshire was a county constituency in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.
| North Bedfordshire | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of North Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire for the 1992 general election | |
 Location of Bedfordshire within England | |
| County | Bedfordshire |
| Major settlements | Bedford |
| 1983–1997 | |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Bedford |
| Replaced by | Bedford, Bedfordshire North East |
The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, and abolished for the 1997 general election.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be re-established for the next general election. It will comprise the majority of the, to be abolished, constituency of North East Bedfordshire.[1]
History edit
This safe Conservative seat was held for its entire existence by Trevor Skeet who had been the MP for Bedford since 1970.
Boundaries edit
1983-1997 edit
The Borough of North Bedfordshire wards of Brickhill, Bromham, Carlton, Castle, Cauldwell, Clapham, De Parys, Felmersham, Goldington, Harpur, Harrold, Kingsbrook, Newnham, Oakley, Putnoe, Queens Park, Renhold, Riseley, Roxton, and Sharnbrook.[2]
The territory the seat covered was virtually the same as Bedford which it replaced. This included the town of Bedford itself, but not the adjoining community of Kempston. In 1997, the constituency was abolished, being dispersed on a roughly seven to three ratio between a re-established Bedford and the new constituency of Bedfordshire North East, with 17 electors being transferred to Huntingdon.[3]
Proposed edit
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the re-established constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be (as they existed on 1st December 2020):
- The Borough of Bedford wards of: Bromham and Biddenham; Clapham; Eastcotts; Great Barford; Harrold; Kempston Rural; Oakley; Riseley; Sharnbrook; Wyboston.
- The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of: Biggleswade North; Biggleswade South; Northill; Potton; Sandy.[4]
Subject to minor changes due to the revision of local authority ward boundaries, the constituency is the successor to North East Bedfordshire - except south eastern areas, including the communities of Arlesey, Langford and Stotfold, which will be included in the re-established, cross-county boundary, constituency of Hitchin.
Following further local government boundary reviews in Bedford[5][6] and Central Bedfordshire[7][8] which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency will now comprise the following from the next general election:
- The Borough of Bedford wards of: Biddenham; Brickhill (small part); Bromham; Clapham & Oakley; Great Barford; Great Denham; Harrold; Kempston West (part); Renhold & Ravensden (most); Riseley; Sharnbrook; Shortstown; Wootton & Kempston Rural (Kempston Rural parish); Wyboston; and a very small part of Harpur.
- The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of: Biggleswade East; Biggleswade West; Northill; Potton; Sandy.[9]
Members of Parliament edit
| Election | Member[10] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Trevor Skeet | Conservative | |
| 1997 | constituency abolished | ||
Elections edit
Elections in the 2020s edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Richard Fuller[11] | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Elections in the 1990s edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 29,970 | 50.7 | −1.9 | |
| Labour | Patrick Hall | 18,302 | 31.0 | +7.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Mike Smithson | 10,014 | 16.9 | −6.6 | |
| Green | Louise Smith | 643 | 1.1 | New | |
| Natural Law | Bernard H. Bence | 178 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 11,668 | 19.7 | −9.4 | ||
| Turnout | 59,107 | 80.1 | +2.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −4.8 | |||
Elections in the 1980s edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 29,845 | 52.58 | ||
| Liberal | Janice Lennon | 13,340 | 23.50 | ||
| Labour | Carl Henderson | 13,140 | 23.15 | ||
| OOBPC | Crispin Slee | 435 | 0.77 | New | |
| Majority | 16,505 | 29.08 | |||
| Turnout | 56,760 | 77.19 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 27,969 | 52.03 | ||
| Liberal | Brian Gibbons | 14,120 | 26.27 | ||
| Labour | Pat Healy | 11,323 | 21.06 | ||
| Independent | N.J. Hughes | 344 | 0.64 | ||
| Majority | 13,849 | 25.76 | |||
| Turnout | 53,756 | 75.19 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
See also edit
Notes and references edit
- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – Eastern | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF).
- ^ "Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky, 1995, p. 191.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.
- ^ LGBCE. "Bedford | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "The Bedford (Electoral Changes) Order 2022".
- ^ LGBCE. "Central Bedfordshire | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "The Central Bedfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2021".
- ^ "New Seat Details - Bedfordshire North". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)
- ^ "Richard is reselected as the Conservative candidate for the North Bedfordshire". Richard Fuller. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ "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 28 June 2017.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.