Hertford and Stortford (UK Parliament constituency)

Hertford and Stortford
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Boundary of Hertford and Stortford in Hertfordshire.

Location of Hertfordshire within England.
County Hertfordshire
Electorate 79,255 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Hertford, Bishop's Stortford, Ware
Current constituency
Created 1983 (1983)
Member of Parliament Mark Prisk (Conservative)
Number of members One
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency East of England

Hertford and Stortford is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents

Boundaries

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Hertfordshire the Boundary Commission for England have recommended the creation of a modified Hertford and Stortford seat for the 2010 general election. The electoral wards are taken from the district of East Hertfordshire:

Description

The constituency is semi-rural. There are picturesque villages and farmland separating the county town of Hertford, population 25,000. The rivers Rib, Beane, Mimram, and Lea all meet in Hertford, which is protected from over development by Green Belt land which encircles the town separating it from its neighbour Ware (17,000) in the western part of the constituency. Farms continue between Ware and the ancient market town of Bishop's Stortford with a population of more than 32,000 people in the north east corner of the seat. Bishop's Stortford has developed into a popular area for commuters, with rail links to London's Liverpool Street station. Thorley on the south side of Stortford, contains a huge residential estate of owner occupied houses built mainly in the 1980s. The constituency is affluent, having a majority of professional and managerial workers as it is within commuting distance of London. Stansted Airport, which lies just outside the seat's eastern perimeter has been responsible for bringing jobs and an improved train service to the constituency. The pharmaceutical industry is also an important provider of jobs - GlaxoSmithKline has facilities in Ware and nearby Harlow, and Merck is based at Gilston on the seat's southern border. London is within commuting distance with trains to the City running from all the towns in the constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election Member [2] Party
1983 Bowen Wells Conservative
2001 Mark Prisk Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Hertford and Stortford [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Prisk 29,810 53.8 +3.6
Liberal Democrat Andrew Lewin 14,373 26.0 +7.5
Labour Stephen Terry 7,620 13.8 -10.5
UKIP David Sodey 1,716 3.1 +1.0
BNP Roy Harris 1,297 2.3 N/A
Independent Loucas Xenophontos 325 0.6 N/A
Independent Martin Adams 236 0.4 N/A
Majority 15,437 27.9
Turnout 55,377 70.6 +4.1
Conservative hold Swing -1.9

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Hertford and Stortford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Prisk 25,074 50.5 +5.8
Labour Richard Henry 11,977 24.1 −8.7
Liberal Democrat James Lucas 9,129 18.4 −1.5
Green Peter Hart 1,914 3.9 N/A
UKIP David Sodey 1,026 2.1 −0.5
Veritas Debbie Le May 572 1.2 N/A
Majority 13,097 26.4
Turnout 49,692 67.7 +5.5
Conservative hold Swing +7.2
General Election 2001: Hertford and Stortford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Prisk 21,074 44.7 +0.6
Labour Simon Spellar 15,471 32.8 +1.4
Liberal Democrat Mione Goldspink 9,388 19.9 +2.2
UKIP Stuart Rising 1,243 2.6 +0.4
Majority 5,603 11.9
Turnout 47,176 62.2 -13.3
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Hertford and Stortford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bowen Wells 24,027 44.1
Labour Simon Spellar 17,142 31.4
Liberal Democrat Michael Wood 9,679 17.7
Referendum Party Hugo Page Croft 2,105 3.9
UKIP B G Smalley 1,233 2.2
ProLife Alliance Michael Franey 259 0.5
Majority 6,885 12.6
Turnout 54,571 75.5
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1992: Hertford and Stortford[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bowen Wells 35,716 57.5 −.0
Liberal Democrat CJ White 15,506 25.0 −3.4
Labour AJ Bovaird 10,125 16.3 +3.5
Green JA Goth 780 1.3 −0.1
Majority 20,210 32.5 +3.3
Turnout 62,127 81.0 +3.3
Conservative hold Swing +1.7

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. http://www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/electoral-figures/electoral-figures.htm. Retrieved 13 March 2011. 
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
  3. ^ http://80.168.51.108/media/pdf/g/1/Statement_plus_Notice_of_Poll.pdf
  4. ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/i11.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06. 
Constituencies in the East of England (58)
Conservative (52)
Liberal Democrats (4)
Labour (2)