North Bedfordshire is 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 | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundaries since 2024 | |
 Boundary of North Bedfordshire in the East of England | |
| County | Bedfordshire |
| Electorate | 76,319 (2023)[1] |
| Major settlements | Biggleswade, Sandy |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2024 |
| Member of Parliament | TBC (TBC) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Bedfordshire North East |
| 1983–1997 | |
| 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 was re-established for the 2024 general election.[2]
History
editThis safe Conservative seat was originally held for its entire existence by Trevor Skeet who had been the MP for Bedford since 1970.
Boundaries
edit1983-1997
editThe 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.[3]
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.[4]
Current
editThe re-established constituency was defined as comprising the following (as they existed on 1 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.[5]
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 were included in the re-established, cross-county boundary, constituency of Hitchin.
Following further local government boundary reviews in Bedford[6][7] and Central Bedfordshire[8][9] which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 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.[10]
Members of Parliament
editMPs 1885-1983
editBedford prior to 1983
| Election | Member[11] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Trevor Skeet | Conservative | |
| 1997 | constituency abolished | ||
MPs since 2024
editBedfordshire North East prior to 2024
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | TBC | TBC | |
Elections
editElections in the 2020s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | Pippa Clayton | ||||
| Green | Philippa Fleming | ||||
| Conservative | Richard Fuller* | ||||
| Labour | Uday Nagaraju | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Joanna Szaub-Newton | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
(*) Incumbent MP for North East Bedfordshire
Election results 1885-1983
editElections in the 1980s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 27,969 | 52.0 | ||
| Liberal | Brian Gibbons | 14,120 | 26.3 | ||
| Labour | Pat Healy | 11,323 | 21.1 | ||
| Independent | N.J. Hughes | 344 | 0.6 | ||
| Majority | 13,849 | 25.7 | |||
| Turnout | 53,756 | 75.2 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 29,845 | 52.6 | +0.6 | |
| Liberal | Janice Lennon | 13,340 | 23.5 | -2.8 | |
| Labour | Carl Henderson | 13,140 | 23.1 | +2.0 | |
| OOBPC | Crispin Slee | 435 | 0.8 | New | |
| Majority | 16,505 | 29.1 | +3.4 | ||
| Turnout | 56,760 | 77.2 | +2.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.7 | |||
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 Bence | 178 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 11,668 | 19.7 | −9.4 | ||
| Turnout | 59,107 | 80.1 | +2.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −4.8 | |||
See also
editNotes and references
edit- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ "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)
- ^ "Statement as to Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll – North Bedfordshire constituency". Bedford Borough Council. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "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.