- City of Chester (UK Parliament constituency)
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City of Chester County constituency for the House of Commons 
Boundary of City of Chester in Cheshire.
Location of Cheshire within England.County Cheshire Electorate 68,280 (December 2010)[1] Major settlements Chester Current constituency Created 1918 Member of Parliament Stephen Mosley (Conservative) Number of members One 1545–1918 Number of members 1545–1880: Two
1885–1918: OneType of constituency Borough constituency Overlaps European Parliament constituency North West England City of Chester 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
The constituency covers the city of Chester, and parts of the surrounding Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority, including the villages of Aldford, Capenhurst, Christleton, Guilden Sutton, Newtown, Pulford and Saughall.
Much of the city of Chester itself is residential of varying characteristics, with more middle-class areas such as Upton and the large rural council estate of Blacon. However, the estate of Blacon is now owned, run and maintained by the Chester And District Housing Trust CDHT.
Boundary Review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in Cheshire, the Boundary Commission for England made minor changes to the existing arrangement as a consequence of population changes. The electoral wards included in this modified constituency were (as at 12 April 2005):
- Blacon Hall, Blacon Lodge, Boughton, Boughton Heath, Christleton, City and St Anne's, College, Curzon and Westminster, Dodleston, Handbridge and St Mary's, Hoole All Saints, Hoole Groves, Huntington, Lache Park, Mollington, Newton Brook, Newton St Michaels, Saughall, Upton Grange, Upton Westlea, and Vicars Cross, all from the Chester District [2]
The changes were approved in 2007 and came into effect at the 2010 general election [3].
History
As part of a county palatine with a parliament of its own until the early 16th century Chester was not enfranchised until an Act of 1543. From then on it returned two MPs to Parliament until 1885, when the representation was reduced to one member.
Prior to 1997, Chester was a seat traditionally held by the Conservative Party, although their majorities over Labour were not always large.
Labour's Christine Russell gained the seat easily at the 1997 election and held it until 2010. Her majority over the Conservatives had been reduced to under 1,000 at the 2005 election.
Four of the six candidates at the 2010 General Election had contested the seat previously; Christine Russell (1997, 2001, 2005); Allan Weddell (2001, 2005); Ed Abrahms (2005) and Tom Barker (1992). All candidates had contested at least one election for local authorities for wards inside the constituency.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1545 to 1660
Year First member Second member 1547 Richard Sneyd William Aldersey [4] 1553 (Mar) Richard Sneyd Randall Mainwaring [4] 1553 (Oct) Richard Sneyd Thomas Massey [4] 1554 (Apr) Richard Sneyd William Aldersey [4] 1554 (Nov) Richard Sneyd Thomas Massey [4] 1555 William Gerard William Aldersey [4] 1558 Sir Lawrence Smith William Gerard [4] 1559 (Jan) Sir Lawrence Smith William Gerard I[5] 1562/1563 William Gerard I John Yerworth [5] 1571 William Gerard I William Glasier [5] 1572 (Apr) William Gerard I William Glasier [5] 1584 (Nov) Richard Birkheved Richard Bavand [5] 1586 (Sep) Richard Birkheved Peter Warburton [5] 1588/1589 Richard Birkheved Peter Warburton [5] 1593 Richard Birkheved Gilbert Gerard [5] 1597 (Sep) Peter Warburton William Brock [5] 1601 Hugh Glasier Thomas Gamull [5] 1604 Thomas Lawton Hugh Glasier 1614 Edward Whitby John Bingley 1621-1622 Edward Whitby John Radcliff 1624 Edward Whitby John Savage 1625 Edward Whitby John Savage 1626 Edward Whitby William Samuel 1628-1629 Edward Whitby John Radcliff 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned Apr 1640 Sir Thomas Smith Robert Brerewood Nov 1640 Sir Thomas Smith Francis Gamull Both disabled 1644 1645 William Edwards John Ratcliffe 1653 Chester not represented in Barebones Parliament 1654 Charles Walley One seat only 1656 Edward Bradshaw One seat only 1659 Jonathan Ridge John Griffith MPs 1660-1880
Year First member[6] First party Second member[6] Second party 1660 John Ratcliffe William Ince 1661 Sir Thomas Smith, Bt 1673 Robert Werden Tory 1675 William Williams 1679 Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt Tory 1681 Roger Whitley Whig 1685 Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt Tory Robert Werden Tory 1689 Roger Whitley Whig George Mainwaring Whig 1690 Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt Tory Sir Richard Levinge, Bt Tory 1695 Roger Whitley Whig January 1698 Thomas Cowper July 1698 Peter Shakerley Tory 1701 Sir Henry Bunbury, Bt Tory 1715 Sir Richard Grosvenor, Bt 1727 Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt January 1733 Sir Robert Grosvenor, Bt March 1733 Sir Charles Bunbury, Bt 1742 Philip Henry Warburton 1754 Sir Richard Grosvenor, Bt 1755 Thomas Grosvenor 1761 Richard Wilbraham-Bootle 1790 Viscount Belgrave 1795 Thomas Grosvenor 1802 Richard Erle-Drax-Grosvenor 1807 John Grey Egerton 1818 Viscount Belgrave Tory 1826 Lord Robert Grosvenor Whig 1830 Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, Bt Conservative 1831 Foster Cunliffe-Offley May 1832 John Finchett Maddock December 1832 Sir John Jervis 1847 Earl Grosvenor Liberal 1850 William Owen Stanley 1857 Enoch Gibbon Salisbury 1859 Philip Stapleton Humberston 1865 William Henry Gladstone 1868 Henry Cecil Raikes Conservative 1869 Hon. Norman Grosvenor 1874 John George Dodson Liberal 1880 Beilby Lawley - Constituency suspended (1880)
MPs since 1885
- Voting restored (1885)
Election Member[6] Party 1885 Balthazar Walter Foster Liberal 1886 Robert Armstrong Yerburgh Conservative 1906 Alfred Moritz Mond Liberal 1910, January Robert Armstrong Yerburgh Conservative 1916 by-election Sir Owen Cosby Philipps Conservative 1922 Sir Charles William Cayzer Conservative 1940 by-election Sir Basil Nield Conservative 1959 John Meredith Temple Conservative 1974, February Peter Morrison Conservative 1992 Gyles Brandreth Conservative 1997 Christine Russell Labour 2010 Stephen Mosley Conservative Elections
Elections in the 2010s
General Election 2010: City of Chester[7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Stephen Mosley 18,995 40.6 +3.8 Labour Christine Russell 16,412 35.1 -3.8 Liberal Democrat Lizzie Jewkes 8,930 19.1 -2.8 UKIP Allan Weddell 1,225 2.6 +0.9 English Democrats Ed Abrams 594 1.3 +0.6 Green Tom Barker 535 1.1 +1.1 Independent John Whittingham 99 0.2 +0.2 Majority 2,583 5.5 Turnout 46,853 67.9 +3.6 Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.9 Elections in the 2000s
General Election 2005: City of Chester Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Christine Russell 17,458 38.9 -9.6 Conservative Paul Offer 16,543 36.8 +3.7 Liberal Democrat Mia Jones 9,818 21.9 +7.2 UKIP Allan Weddell 776 1.7 -0.3 English Democrats Ed Abrams 308 0.7 +0.7 Majority 917 2.0 Turnout 44,903 64.3 +0.5 Labour hold Swing -6.7 General Election 2001: City of Chester Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Christine Russell 21,760 48.5 -4.5 Conservative David Jones 14,866 33.1 -1.1 Liberal Democrat Tony Dawson 6,589 14.7 +5.2 UKIP Allan Weddell 899 2.0 N/A Independent George Rogers 763 1.7 +1.4 Majority 6,894 15.4 Turnout 44,877 63.8 -14.7 Labour hold Swing -1.7 Elections in the 1990s
General Election 1997: City of Chester Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Christine Russell 29,806 53.0 +11.0 Conservative Gyles Brandreth 19,253 34.2 -9.9 Liberal Democrat David Simpson 5,353 9.5 -3.4 Referendum Party R. Mullen 1,487 2.6 N/A Monster Raving Loony I Sanderson 204 0.4 N/A West Cheshire College In Crisis J Gerrard 154 0.3 N/A Majority 10,553 18.2 Turnout 78.4 -5.5 Labour gain from Conservative Swing 10.5 General Election 1992: City of Chester[8] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Gyles Brandreth 23,411 44.1 −0.8 Labour DE Robinson 22,310 42.0 +6.4 Liberal Democrat JG Smith 6,867 12.9 −6.6 Green MT Barker 448 0.8 N/A Natural Law SRH Cross 98 0.2 N/A Majority 1,101 2.1 −7.2 Turnout 53,134 83.9 +4.1 Conservative hold Swing −3.6 See also
Notes and references
- ^ "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.
- ^ The Chester district and its constituent wards were abolished on 1 April 2009, when they became part of the new unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester; however, the boundaries of the parliamentary constituency remain fixed according to the wards in operation at 12 April 2005.
- ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, S.I. 2007/1681.
- ^ a b c d e f g "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/chester. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/chester. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ^ a b c Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 3)
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/b12.stm
- ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/i05.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
Categories:- Parliamentary constituencies in North West England
- United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1545
- Parliamentary constituencies in Cheshire
- Chester
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