Hertford and Stortford (UK Parliament constituency)

Hertford and Stortford is a constituency[n 1] currently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Julie Marson of the Conservative Party.[n 2]

Hertford and Stortford
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Hertford and Stortford in Hertfordshire
Outline map
Location of Hertfordshire within England
CountyHertfordshire
Electorate79,255 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsHertford, Bishop's Stortford, Ware
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentJulie Marson (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromHertfordshire East and Hertford and Stevenage[2]

Constituency profile

The constituency is semi-rural and includes picturesque villages and farmland. The rivers Rib, Beane, Mimram, and Lea all meet in the county town of Hertford (2011 population 25,000), which is protected from over-development by a Green Belt encircling the town and separating it from Ware (18,000) in the western part of the constituency. Farms continue between Ware and the market town of Bishop's Stortford (40,000), in the north east corner of the seat.

Hertford and Stortford constituency is generally regarded as an affluent seat, and includes a significant proportion of professional and managerial workers. Central London is within commuting distance by train of all the towns in the constituency. The pharmaceutical industry is a major employer in the seat and surrounding areas: both Ware and Harlow are the sites of GlaxoSmithKline facilities (while Gilston hosted a Merck between 1982 and 2006). Since the early 1990s, Stansted, just beyond the eastern perimeter of the constituency, has also been responsible for bringing jobs and an improved train service to it.

Many commuters live in Bishop's Stortford, which has rail links to London's Liverpool Street station and is also close to Stansted Airport. Since the 1980s, the population of Thorley – now a southern suburb of Stortford – has become composed increasingly of owner-occupied houses in dormitory estates.

The seat has been held by the Conservative Party, with comfortable majorities, since its creation.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1983–1997
  • The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Bishop's Stortford Central, Bishop's Stortford Chantry, Bishop's Stortford Parsonage, Bishop's Stortford Thorley, Braughing, Buntingford, Hertford Bengeo, Hertford Castle, Hertford Kingsmead, Hertford Sele, Hunsdon, Little Hadham, Much Hadham, Sawbridgeworth, Standon St Mary, Stapleford, Tewin, Thundridge, Ware Christchurch, Ware Priory, Ware St Mary's, and Ware Trinity.[3]

The new constituency combined Hertford and Ware, from the abolished constituency of Hertford and Stevenage, with Bishop's Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and rural areas to the west, from the abolished constituency of East Hertfordshire.

1997–2010
  • The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Bishop's Stortford Central, Bishop's Stortford Chantry, Bishop's Stortford Parsonage, Bishop's Stortford Thorley, Great Amwell, Hertford Bengeo, Hertford Castle, Hertford Kingsmead, Hertford Sele, Hunsdon, Little Amwell, Much Hadham, Sawbridgeworth, Stanstead, Ware Christchurch, Ware Priory, Ware St Mary's, and Ware Trinity.[4]

The villages of Stanstead Abbotts and Great Amwell transferred from Broxbourne. Northern, rural areas transferred to the new constituency of North East Hertfordshire.

2010–present
  • The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Bishop's Stortford All Saints, Bishop's Stortford Central, Bishop's Stortford Meads, Bishop's Stortford Silverleys, Bishop's Stortford South, Great Amwell, Hertford Bengeo, Hertford Castle, Hertford Heath, Hertford Kingsmead, Hertford Sele, Hunsdon, Much Hadham, Sawbridgeworth, Stanstead Abbots, Ware Chadwell, Ware Christchurch, Ware St Mary's, and Ware Trinity.[5]

Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.

Members of Parliament
Election Member[6] Party
1983 Bowen Wells Conservative
2001 Mark Prisk Conservative
2019 Julie Marson Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Hertford and Stortford[7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Julie Marson 33,712 56.1 Decrease 4.2
Labour Chris Vince 14,092 23.4 Decrease 5.2
Liberal Democrats Chris Lucas 8,596 14.3 Increase 6.2
Green Lucy Downes 2,705 4.5 Increase 1.5
UKIP Alistair Lindsay 681 1.1 New
Independent Brian Percival 308 0.5 New
Majority 19,620 32.7 Increase 1.0
Turnout 60,094 72.9 Increase 0.1
Conservative hold Swing Increase 0.5
General election 2017: Hertford and Stortford[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Prisk 36,184 60.3 Increase 4.2
Labour Katherine Chibah 17,149 28.6 Increase 10.7
Liberal Democrats Mark Argent 4,845 8.1 Increase 0.3
Green David Woollcombe 1,814 3.0 Decrease 1.8
Majority 19,035 31.7 Decrease 6.5
Turnout 59,992 72.8 Increase 1.5
Conservative hold Swing Decrease 3.25
General election 2015: Hertford and Stortford[11][12][13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Prisk 31,593 56.1 Increase 2.3
Labour Katherine Chibah 10,084 17.9 Increase 4.1
UKIP Adrian Baker 7,534 13.4 Increase 10.3
Liberal Democrats Michael Green 4,385 7.8 Decrease 18.2
Green Sophie Christophy 2,681 4.8 New
Majority 21,509 38.2 Increase 10.4
Turnout 56,277 71.3 Increase 0.7
Conservative hold Swing Decrease 1.0
General election 2010: Hertford and Stortford[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Prisk 29,810 53.8 Increase 3.6
Liberal Democrats Andrew Lewin 14,373 26.0 Increase 7.5
Labour Stephen Terry 7,620 13.8 Decrease 10.5
UKIP David Sodey 1,716 3.1 Increase 1.0
BNP Roy Harris 1,297 2.3 New
Independent Loucas Xenophontos 325 0.6 New
Independent Martin Adams 236 0.4 New
Majority 15,437 27.8 Increase1.4
Turnout 55,377 70.6 Increase 4.1
Conservative hold Swing Decrease 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 Democrats James Lucas 9,129 18.4 −1.5
Green Peter Hart 1,914 3.9 New
UKIP David Sodey 1,026 2.1 −0.5
Veritas Debbie Le May 572 1.2 New
Majority 13,097 26.4 +14.5
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 Democrats Mione Goldspink 9,388 19.9 +2.2
UKIP Stuart Rising 1,243 2.6 +0.4
Majority 5,603 11.9 -0.8
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 Democrats Michael Wood 9,679 17.7
Referendum 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 12.7
Turnout 54,571 75.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1992: Hertford and Stortford[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bowen Wells 35,716 57.5 0.0
Liberal Democrats CJ White 15,506 25.0 −3.3
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

Elections in the 1980s
General election 1987: Hertford and Stortford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bowen Wells 33,763 57.5 +1.5
SDP Ronald Wotherspoon 16,623 28.3 -2.8
Labour Co-op Patricia Sumner 7,494 12.8 +0.8
Green Graham Cole 814 1.4 New
Majority 17,140 29.2 +4.3
Turnout 58,694 77.7 +2.1
Conservative hold Swing +2.2
General election 1983: Hertford and Stortford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bowen Wells 29,039 56.0
SDP Ronald Wotherspoon 16,110 31.1
Labour J Carr 6,203 12.0
BNP G Wiles 304 0.6
Prosperity For All P Cullen 221 0.4
Majority 12,929 24.9
Turnout 51,877 75.6
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes
  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References
  1. "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. "'Hertford and Stortford', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  3. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  4. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  6. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
  7. Cassidy, Richard (14 November 2019). "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations. Election of a Member of Parliament for Hertford and Stortford Constituency" (PDF). East Hertfordshire District Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  8. "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  9. "Hertford and Stortford General Election candidate for the Liberal Democrats will be Mark Argent". Hertfordshire Mercury. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  10. "Hertford & Stortford parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  11. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. "General Election: Mark Prisk wins fourth term as Hertford and Stortford MP". Herts & Essex Observer. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  13. "Hertford & Stortford". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  14. "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  15. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.

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