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West Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

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(Redirected from West Hertfordshire) Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983–1997 For the constituency alternatively called West Hertfordshire between 1885 and 1918, see Watford (UK Parliament constituency).

West Hertfordshire
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline mapWest Hertfordshire in Hertfordshire, showing boundaries used from 1983–1997
CountyHertfordshire
1983–1997
SeatsOne
Created fromHemel Hempstead
Replaced byHemel Hempstead and South West Hertfordshire

West Hertfordshire was a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system. The constituency name was used from the 1983 general election, when the Hemel Hempstead constituency was renamed "West Hertfordshire", to the 1997 general election, when the "Hemel Hempstead" name was restored.

History

The constituency was created for the 1983 general election from the majority of the abolished seat of Hemel Hempstead, although the town of Berkhamsted was removed to South West Hertfordshire. It was in turn abolished for the 1997 general election, with the town of Tring being transferred to South West Hertfordshire and the remaining areas forming the re-established Hemel Hempstead constituency.

Although the predecessor seat Hemel Hempstead had voted Conservative by almost 5000 votes in 1979, with the removal of the strongly Conservative-voting town of Berkhamsted it was estimated that the new seat would have notionally voted Labour in 1979 by around 700 votes. However, like many Home Counties New Town seats, it swung strongly towards Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives in their 1983 landslide election victory, and was won by the Tories by significant margins (ranging from 15% to 23%) at all three general elections of its existence.

Its main successor seat of (the revived) Hemel Hempstead would be regained (after favourable boundary changes) by Labour in 1997 amid their national landslide victory.

Boundaries

The District of Dacorum wards of Adeyfield East, Adeyfield West, Aldbury and Wigginton, Ashridge, Bennetts End, Boxmoor, Central, Chaulden, Crabtree, Cupid Green, Flamstead and Markyate, Gadebridge, Grove Hill, Highfield, Leverstock Green, Nash Mills, South, Tring Central, Tring East, Tring West, and Warners End.

The main settlements in the constituency were Hemel Hempstead and Tring.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1983 Robert Jones Conservative
1997 constituency abolished: see Hemel Hempstead & South West Hertfordshire

Election results

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Hertfordshire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Jones 28,436 46.6
SDP Nicholas Hollinghurst 18,860 31.0
Labour Paul Boateng 13,583 22.3
Majority 9,486 15.6
Turnout 60,879 79.4
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1987: Hertfordshire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Jones 31,760 49.7 +3.1
SDP Nicholas Hollinghurst 16,836 26.3 ―4.7
Labour Tony McBrearty 15,317 24.0 +1.7
Majority 14,924 23.4 +7.8
Turnout 63,913 80.9 +1.5
Conservative hold Swing ―3.9

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Hertfordshire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Jones 33,340 51.5 +1.8
Labour Eryl McNally 19,400 30.0 +6.0
Liberal Democrats Martin Trevett 10,464 16.2 ―10.1
Green James Hannaway 674 1.0 New
National Front John McAuley 665 1.0 New
Natural Law Guy Harvey 175 0.3 New
Majority 13,940 21.5 −1.9
Turnout 64,718 82.4 +1.5
Conservative hold Swing ―2.1

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "'Hertfordshire West', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  2. ^ Waller, Robert (April 1983). The Almanac of British Politics (1st ed.). London: Croom Helm. p. 332. ISBN 0-7099-2767-3.
  3. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
  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. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
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