Epping Forest (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = Epping Forest
Map1 = EppingForest
Map2 = Essex
Type = County
Year = 1974
Entity = Essex
County = Essex
EP = East of England
MP = Eleanor Laing
Party = Conservative

Epping Forest is a parliamentary 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. Epping Forest replaced the older constituency of Epping in the February 1974 General Election.

Boundaries

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Essex, the Boundary Commission for England has created a modified Epping Forest constituency with the following electoral wards:

*Broadley Common, Epping Upland and Nazeing, Buckhurst Hill East, Buckhurst Hill West, Chigwell Row, Chigwell Village, Epping Hemnall, Epping Lindsey and Thornwood Common, Grange Hill, Loughton Alderton, Loughton Broadway, Loughton Fairmead, Loughton Forest, Loughton Roding, Loughton St John’s, Loughton St Mary’s, Theydon Bois, Waltham Abbey High Beach, Waltham Abbey Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey North East, Waltham Abbey Paternoster, and Waltham Abbey South West.

Other wards of Epping Forest have been used in the creation of a modified Harlow seat.

Historic wards

In the boundaries in place from the February 1974 general election to the 1983 general election the constituency officially was made up of:
*Urban Districts:
**Chigwell Urban District: Loughton, Chigwell, Buckhurst Hill
**Epping Urban District: Epping
**Waltham Holy Cross Urban District: Waltham Abbey
*Rurual Districts: Part of Epping and Ongar Rural District
**Civil Parishes of Epping Upland, Lambourne, Stapleford Abbots, Stapleford Tawney, Theydon Bois, Theydon Garnon, Theydon Mount

Political geography

When Epping Forest was first created, it was instinctively more pro-Conservative than the old Epping seat. As it lost the new town of Harlow (inside the old Epping Rural District) and gained the less pro-Labour Chigwell Urban District. During the Thatcher period the Labour Party's vote was crushed. Even though the Liberals managed to move into second place, their vote did little more than follow national trends and as soon as 1987 they lost votes far faster than would be expected when looking at national results.

Labour almost took the seat in 1997, but since then, Epping Forest has swung far quicker to the right than the country as a whole, and the majority the Conservatives got in 2005 would resemble a Tory national victory in the early 1990s, even though Labour won with a 66-seat majority in 2005.

As of 2005, two former candidates in the Epping Forest constituency have also stood for election as Mayor of London: Steve Norris (Conservative) and Julian Leppert (British National Party).

Constituncy results if national result is: Con 36%, Lab 36%, LibDem 20%

Members of Parliament

* 1974 – 1988: John Biggs-Davison, Conservative
* 1988 – 1997: Steven Norris, Conservative
* 1997 – "present": Eleanor Laing, Conservative

Election results

Elections in the 2000s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Ann Haigh
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Eleanor Laing
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Andrew Smith
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Bill Turner
votes =
percentage =
change =

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: Epping ForestElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Eleanor Laing
votes = 23,783
percentage = 53.0
change = +3.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Bambos Charalambous
votes = 9,425
percentage = 21.0
change = −8.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Michael Heavens
votes = 8,279
percentage = 18.5
change = −0.1Election box candidate with party link
party = British National Party
candidate = Julian Leppert
votes = 1,728
percentage = 3.9
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Andrew Smith
votes = 1,014
percentage = 2.2
change = −0.7Election box candidate with party link
party = English Democrats Party
candidate = Robin Tibrook
votes = 631
percentage = 1.4
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 14,358
percentage = 32.0
change = Election box turnout
votes = 44,860
percentage = 61.6
change = +3.2Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +6.1Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Epping ForestElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Eleanor Laing
votes = 20,833
percentage = 49.1
change = +3.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Christopher Naylor
votes = 12,407
percentage = 29.3
change = -6.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Michael Heavens
votes = 7,884
percentage = 18.6
change = +5.2Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Andrew Smith
votes = 1,290
percentage = 3.0
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 8,426
percentage = 19.8
change = Election box turnout
votes = 42,414
percentage = 58.4
change = -14.5Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +5.0

Elections in the 1990s

Election box begin
title=General Election 1997: Epping ForestElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Eleanor Laing
votes = 24,117
percentage = 45.5
change = -14.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Stephen Murray
votes = 18,865
percentage = 35.6
change = +12.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Stephen Robinson
votes = 7,074
percentage = 13.3
change = -3.7Election box majority
votes = 5,252
percentage = 9.9
change = Election box turnout
votes = 53,007
percentage = 72.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = -13.3Election box begin
title=General Election 1992: Epping ForestElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Steve Norris
votes = 32,407
percentage = 59.5
change = -1.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Stephen Murray
votes = 12,219
percentage = 22.4
change = +4.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Beryl Austen
votes = 9,265
percentage = 17.0
change = -2.4Election box candidate
party = Epping Forest Residents Association
candidate = A O'Brien
votes = 552
percentage = 1.0
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 20,188
percentage = 37.1
change = Election box turnout
votes = 54,443
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = -2.7

Elections in the 1980s

Election box begin
title= Epping Forest by-election, 1988Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Steven Norris
votes = 13,183
percentage = 39.5
change = -21.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Andrew Thompson
votes = 8,679
percentage = 26.0
change = +6.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Stephen Murray
votes = 6,261
percentage = 18.7
change = +0.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic Party (UK)
candidate = Michael Pettman
votes = 4,077
percentage = 12.2
change = -7.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = Andrew Simms
votes = 672
percentage = 2.0
change = Election box candidate
party = Independent National Front
candidate = Tina Wingfield
votes = 286
percentage = 0.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
candidate = David Sutch
votes = 208
percentage = 0.6
change = Election box candidate
party = Rainbow Alliance - Change the World
candidate = Jackie Moore
votes = 33
percentage = 0.1
change = Election box candidate
party = Vote no Belsen for South Africans
candidate = Brian Goodier
votes = 16
percentage = 0.0
change = Election box majority
votes = 4,504
percentage = 13.5
change = Election box turnout
votes = 33,415
percentage = 49.1
change = -27.2Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = Election box begin
title=General Election 1987: Epping ForestElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Biggs-Davison
votes = 31,536
percentage = 60.9
change = +4.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = A Humphris
votes = 10,023
percentage = 19.4
change = -5.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = S Murray
votes = 9,499
percentage = 18.4
change = +1.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = R Denhard
votes = 695
percentage = 1.3
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 21,513
percentage = 41.6
change = Election box turnout
votes = 51,753
percentage = 76.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +4.9Election box begin
title=General Election 1983: Epping ForestElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Biggs-Davison
votes = 27,373
percentage = 56.5
change = -1.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = M Pettman
votes = 11,995
percentage = 24.8
change = +12.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = HJ Bryan
votes = 8,289
percentage = 17.1
change = -10.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Ecology Party
candidate = R Boenke
votes = 452
percentage = 0.9
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = British National Party
candidate = S Smith
votes = 330
percentage = 0.7
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 15,378
percentage = 31.8
change = Election box turnout
votes = 48,439
percentage = 72.0
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = -6.6

Elections in the 1970s

Election box begin
title=General Election 1979: Epping ForestElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Biggs-Davison
votes = 29,447
percentage = 57.7
change = +10.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = W D Shepherd
votes = 13,994
percentage = 27.4
change = −5.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = D Kitching
votes = 6,528
percentage = 12.8
change = −6.3Election box candidate with party link
party = British National Front
candidate = B Wilkins
votes = 1,110
percentage = 2.2
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 15,453
percentage = 30.3
change = Election box turnout
votes = 51,079
percentage = 76.6
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +8.0Election box begin |
title=General Election 1974 October: Epping Forest Election box candidate with party link|
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Biggs-Davison
votes = 22,392
percentage = 47.7
change = +0.9 Election box candidate with party link|
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = S J Palfreman
votes = 15,618
percentage = 33.3
change = +2.2 Election box candidate with party link|
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = D F J Wood
votes = 8,952
percentage = 19.1
change = −3.0 Election box majority|
votes = 6,774
percentage = 14.4
change = Election box turnout|
votes = 46,962
percentage = 73.3
change = Election box hold with party link|
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = −0.7 Election box begin |
title=General Election 1974 February: Epping Forest Election box candidate with party link|
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Biggs-Davison
votes = 24,290
percentage = 46.8
change = −7.5 Election box candidate with party link|
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = W J Sheaff
votes = 16,123
percentage = 31.1
change = −14.7 Election box candidate with party link|
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = D F Wood
votes = 11,478
percentage = 22.1
change = +22.1Election box majority|
votes = 8,167
percentage = 15.7
change = Election box turnout|
votes = 51,891
percentage = 81.8
change = +8.7 Election box hold with party link|
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +3.6

Notional results (before 1974)

Election box begin |
title=Notional General Election 1970: Epping Forest Election box candidate with party link|
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Biggs-Davison
votes = 35,010
percentage = 54.3
change = +9.2 Election box candidate with party link|
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate =
votes = 29,506
percentage = 45.7
change = +4.3 Election box majority|
votes = 5,504
percentage = 8.5
change = Election box turnout|
votes = 64,516
percentage = 73.1
change = Election box hold with party link|
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +2.5

Election box begin |
title=Notional General Election 1966: Epping Forest Election box candidate with party link|
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate =
votes = 21,834
percentage = 44.1
change = Election box candidate with party link|
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate =
votes = 20,504
percentage = 41.4
change = Election box candidate with party link|
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate =
votes = 7,202
percentage = 14.5
change = Election box majority|
votes = 1,330
percentage = 2.7
change = Election box turnout|
votes =
percentage = 82.5
change = Election box hold with party link|
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Boundary changes

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Essex