- Eltham (UK Parliament constituency)
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Eltham Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Eltham in Greater London.County Greater London Electorate 63,059 (December 2010)[1] Current constituency Created 1983 Member of Parliament Clive Efford (Labour) Number of members One Created from Woolwich West Overlaps European Parliament constituency London Eltham is a borough 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 is located in the London Borough of Greenwich, in south-east London. Before 1983, a constituency with similar boundaries was called Woolwich West. It adjoins the following constituencies:
- Bromley and Chislehurst
- Erith and Thamesmead
- Greenwich and Woolwich
- Lewisham East
- Old Bexley and Sidcup
It is made up of seven electoral wards from the London Borough of Greenwich:
- Coldharbour and New Eltham, Eltham North, Eltham South, Eltham West, Kidbrooke with Hornfair, Middle Park and Sutcliffe, Shooters Hill
Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South London, and as a consequence of changes to ward boundaries, the Boundary Commission for England recommended that part of Plumstead ward be transferred from Eltham to the constituency of Erith and Thamesmead; that parts of Glyndon ward and Woolwich Common ward be transferred from Eltham to Greenwich and Woolwich; and that parts of Middle Park and Sutcliffe ward, Eltham West ward and Kidbrooke with Hornfair ward be transferred from Greenwich and Woolwich to Eltham.[2]
History
Famous as the birthplace of American-raised comedian and Hollywood film star Bob Hope, and more infamously, where the black youth Stephen Lawrence was murdered, the seat was held by high profile Tory Peter Bottomley for over two decades (as Woolwich West and then Eltham) before Labour gained the seat in 1997. After fairly comfortable victories then and in 2001, the Labour majority decreased quite significnatly in 2005, though Labour were able to resist the national swing against them in 2010 to hold the seat then.
The Eltham Conservative Association became the first in London to select a candidate, David Gold, by means of an open primary election where any voter on the electoral roll was entitled to attend and vote at a meeting chaired by Michael Portillo on 31 July 2006 at the Bob Hope Theatre.
Members of Parliament
Election Member [3] Party 1983 Peter Bottomley Conservative 1997 Clive Efford Labour Election Results
Election Political result Candidate Party Votes % ±% General Election 2010
Electorate: 63,059
Turnout: 41,964 (67.0%) +8.6Labour hold
Majority: 1,663 (4.0%) -5.3
Swing: -1.8% from Lab to ConClive Efford Labour 17,416 41.5 -0.7 David Gold Conservative 15,753 37.5 +2.9 Steven Toole Liberal Democrat 5,299 12.6 -4.7 Roberta Woods BNP 1,745 4.2 +1.6 Ray Adams UKIP 1,011 2.4 -0.4 Arthur Hayles Green 419 1.0 N/A Andrew Graham Independent 104 0.2 -0.2 General Election 2005
Turnout: 35,305 (61.7%) +3.0Labour hold
Majority: 3,276 (9.3%) -11.4
Swing: -5.7% from Lab to ConClive Efford Labour 15,381 43.6 -9.2 Spencer Drury Conservative 12,105 34.3 +2.2 Ian Gerrard Liberal Democrat 5,669 16.1 +3.9 Jeremy Elms UKIP 1,024 2.9 +0.8 Barry Roberts BNP 979 2.8 N/A Andrew Graham Independent 147 0.4 -0.7 General Election 2001
Turnout: 33,792 (58.7%) -17.0Labour hold
Majority: 6,996 (20.7%) -2.7Clive Efford Labour 17,855 52.8 -1.8 Sharon Massey Conservative 10,859 32.1 +0.9 Martin Morris Liberal Democrat 4,121 12.2 +3.7 Terrence Jones UKIP 706 2.1 N/A Andrew Graham Independent 251 0.7 N/A General Election 1997
Turnout: 43,428 (75.7%) -3.0Labour gain from Conservative
Majority: 10,182 (23.4%)Clive Efford Labour 23,710 54.6 +12.7 Clive Blackwood Conservative 13,528 31.2 -14.8 Amanda Taylor Liberal Democrat 3,701 8.5 -3.2 M Clark Referendum Party 1,414 3.3 N/A H Middleton Liberal 584 1.3 N/A William Hitches BNP 491 1.1 N/A General Election 1992
Turnout: 40,929 (78.7%)Conservative hold
Majority: 1,666 (4.07%)Peter Bottomley Conservative 18,813 46.0 Clive Efford Labour 17,147 41.9 Christopher McGinty Liberal Democrat 4,804 11.7 Andrew Graham Independent 165 0.4 See also
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.
- ^ http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20071681_en_1 The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)
External links
- Labour Party's Eltham website
- Eltham Conservatives
- Conservative Parliamentary Candidate David Gold's website
Categories:- Politics of Greenwich
- Parliamentary constituencies in London
- United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1983
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