| Bexleyheath | |
|---|---|
| Former Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
| County | Greater London |
| February 1974–1997 | |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Bexley |
| Replaced by | Bexleyheath & Crayford, Old Bexley and Sidcup |
Bexleyheath was a parliamentary constituency in south-east London, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
It was created for the February 1974 general election, and abolished for the 1997 general election.
History[edit]
This safe Conservative seat was represented for its entire existence by Sir Cyril Townsend.
Boundaries[edit]
1974–1983: The London Borough of Bexley wards of Brampton, Christchurch, Danson, East Wickham, Falconwood, St Michael's, and Upton.
1983–1997: The London Borough of Bexley wards of Barnehurst, Barnehurst North, Brampton, Christchurch, Danson, East Wickham, Falconwood, St Michael's, and Upton.
This constituency in the London Borough of Bexley was centred on the district of Bexleyheath. It was split in 1997 when the Boundary Commission for England recommended an extra seat for the paired boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich.[1] It was largely replaced by the new constituency of Bexleyheath and Crayford, with about a third of the constituency being added to the existing Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency.[2]
Members of Parliament[edit]
| Election | Member[3] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1974 | Cyril Townsend | Conservative | |
| 1997 | constituency abolished: see Bexleyheath and Crayford & Old Bexley and Sidcup | ||
Election results[edit]
Elections in the 1970s[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Cyril Townsend | 18,541 | 43.3 | ||
| Labour Co-op | John Cartwright | 14,675 | 34.3 | ||
| Liberal | W. Pickard | 9,575 | 22.4 | ||
| Majority | 3,866 | 9.0 | |||
| Turnout | 42,791 | 84.6 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Cyril Townsend | 17,399 | 43.8 | +0.5 | |
| Labour | J. Stanyer | 15,412 | 38.8 | +4.5 | |
| Liberal | W. Pickard | 6,882 | 17.3 | −5.1 | |
| Majority | 1,987 | 5.0 | -4.0 | ||
| Turnout | 39,693 | 77.8 | −6.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Cyril Townsend | 21,888 | 53.7 | +9.9 | |
| Labour | Richard Blackwell[4] | 13,342 | 32.7 | −6.1 | |
| Liberal | John Crowhurst[4] | 4,782 | 11.7 | −5.6 | |
| National Front | Alan Wilkens[4] | 749 | 1.8 | New | |
| Majority | 8,546 | 21.0 | +16.0 | ||
| Turnout | 40,761 | 80.1 | +2.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.0 | |||
Elections in the 1980s[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Cyril Townsend | 23,411 | 53.1 | −1.1 | |
| Liberal | Barry Standen | 13,153 | 29.8 | +18.4 | |
| Labour | Andrew Erlam | 7,560 | 17.1 | −15.5 | |
| Majority | 10,258 | 23.3 | |||
| Turnout | 44,124 | 74.5 | −5.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −9.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Cyril Townsend | 24,866 | 53.7 | +0.6 | |
| Liberal | Barry Standen | 13,179 | 28.5 | −1.3 | |
| Labour | James Little | 8,218 | 17.8 | +0.7 | |
| Majority | 11,687 | 25.2 | +1.9 | ||
| Turnout | 46,263 | 77.8 | +3.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.0 | |||
Elections in the 1990s[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Cyril Townsend | 25,606 | 54.0 | +0.3 | |
| Labour | John Browning | 11,520 | 24.3 | +6.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Wendy Chaplin | 10,107 | 21.3 | −7.2 | |
| Independent | Roger W.C. Cundy | 170 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 14,086 | 29.7 | +4.5 | ||
| Turnout | 47,403 | 82.2 | +4.4 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −3.1 | |||
See also[edit]
Notes and references[edit]
- ^ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.12 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
- ^ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.192 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)
- ^ a b c Election Expenses. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 1980. p. 9. ISBN 0102374805.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ "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.