Croydon North West (UK Parliament constituency)

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Croydon North West
Borough constituency
Created: 1955
Abolished: 1997
Type: House of Commons

Croydon North West was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents

[edit] Politics and history of the constituency

It was created for the 1955 general election, just five years after a previous re-organisation of the three seats in the County Borough of Croydon.

It took in areas of the former Croydon North and Croydon West constituencies and bordered Croydon North East and Croydon South, as well as, when originally created, the constituencies of Streatham, Norwood, Beckenham and Mitcham.

The constituency was abolished at the 1997 general election and was entirely subsumed within the new Croydon North, with the edition of the Thornton Heath, Upper Norwood and South Norwood wards.

For almost all of its history, Croydon North West had Conservative Members of Parliament. It was the scene of a famous by-election in 1981, following the death of its MP, won by Bill Pitt for the SDP-Liberal Alliance. However, it returned to the Conservatives a year later, remaining so until it was snatched by Malcolm Wicks for the Labour Party at the 1992 general election.

[edit] Boundaries

When first created, Croydon North West included the areas of Norbury, Upper Norwood and parts of West Croydon and Thornton Heath. It saw various boundary changes, largely stretching further south and losing its more easterly parts. At the time of its abolition in 1997, Croydon North West covered all of West Croydon, Selhurst, Norbury and parts of Thornton Heath around the Thornton Heath Pond, within the London Borough of Croydon.

[edit] Members of Parliament 1955 - 1997

[edit] Election results

General Election 1955: Croydon North West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Fred Harris 26,297 56.9
Labour Ronald Huzzard 15,760 34.1
Liberal Ivy Thurston 4,139 9.0
Majority 10,537 22.8
Turnout 46,196
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1979: Croydon North West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Taylor 19,928 49.4
Labour Stanley Boden 16,159 40.1
Liberal Bill Pitt 4,239 10.5
Majority 3,769
Turnout 40,326 72.5
Conservative hold Swing
By-election 1981: Croydon North West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Bill Pitt 13,800 40.0 29.5
Conservative John Butterfill 10,546 30.5 -18.9
Labour Stanley Boden 8,967 26.0 -14.1
National Front Nick Griffin 429 1.2
Independent Pro-Life Marilyn Gillies-Carr 340 1.0
Ecology John Foster 155 0.4
Constitutional Movement Suzan McKenzie 111 0.3
Disabled War Pensioners Association Lawrence Brooks 81 0.2
Democratic Monarchist, Public Safety, White Resident Bill Boaks 51 0.1
Family Law Reform Party George Major 31 0.1
London Federation of Self-Employed Josef Joseph 20 0.1
Anti-Common Market - Free Trade Stephen Done 11 0.0
Majority 3,254 9.5
Turnout 34,542 62.5 -10
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1983: Croydon North West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Humfrey Malins 16,674 42.3
Liberal Bill Pitt 12,582 31.9
Labour I Smedley 9,561 24.2
National Front Nick Griffin 336 0.9
Ecology T.A.J. Rowe 286 0.7
Majority 4,092 10.4
Turnout 39,439
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing
General Election 1987: Croydon North West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Humfrey Malins 18,665 47.0 4.7
Labour Malcolm Wicks 14,677 37.0 12.8
Liberal L.A. Rowe 6,363 16.0 -15.9
Majority 3,988 10.0
Turnout 39,705
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1992: Croydon North West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Malcolm Wicks 19,153 47.3 10.3
Conservative Humfrey Malins 17,626 43.5 -3.5
Liberal L.F. Hawkins 3,728 9.2 -6.8
Majority 1,526 3.8
Turnout 40,507
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

[edit] References

  • (1955) The Times House of Commons 1955. The Times.