North Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Bedfordshire was 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
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of North Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire for the 1992 general election
Outline map
Location of Bedfordshire within England
CountyBedfordshire
Major settlementsBedford
1983–1997
SeatsOne
Created fromBedford
Replaced byBedford, 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 will be re-established for the next general election. It will comprise the majority of the, to be abolished, constituency of North East Bedfordshire.[1]

History

This safe Conservative seat was held for its entire existence by Trevor Skeet who had been the MP for Bedford since 1970.

Boundaries

The 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.[2]

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.[3]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[4]Party
1983Trevor SkeetConservative
1997 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1980s
General election 1983: North Bedfordshire[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Trevor Skeet 27,969 52.03
Liberal BK Gibbons 14,120 26.27
Labour P Healy 11,323 21.06
Independent NJ Hughes 344 0.64
Majority 13,849 25.76
Turnout 53,756 75.19
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1987: North Bedfordshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Trevor Skeet 29,845 52.58
Liberal Janice Lennon 13,340 23.50
Labour Carl Henderson 13,140 23.15
OOBPC Crispin Slee 435 0.77 New
Majority 16,505 29.08
Turnout 56,760 77.19
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1990s
General election 1992: North Bedfordshire[7][8]
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 H. 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

Notes and references
  1. "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.
  2. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF).
  3. "Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky, 1995, p. 191.
  4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)
  5. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  7. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  8. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
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