Chelmsford (UK Parliament constituency)
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Chelmsford is a
constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
represented in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
of the
UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremac ...
since 2017 by
Vicky Ford Victoria Grace Ford (née Pollock, 21 September 1967) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as Minister of State for Development from 6 September to 25 October 2022. She has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelmsfor ...
of the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. In September 2022, she was appointed by
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down ...
as
Minister of State for Development The minister of state for development and Africa, formerly the minister of state for development and the secretary of state for international development, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The offi ...
in the
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...
. The constituency was created in 1885 and existed until 1997 when it was abolished and replaced by two new constituencies: Maldon and East Chelmsford and West Chelmsford. It was recreated in 2010 following the
Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies The Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies was undertaken between 2000 and 2007 by the four boundary commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the UK Parliament. The changes for England, Wales and Northern Ir ...
.


History

Chelmsford was one of eight single-member divisions of Essex (later classified as county constituencies) created by the
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...
, replacing the three two member divisions of East, South and West Essex. It continued in existence until it was briefly abolished for the 1997 general election following the Fourth Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies, but re-established for the 2010 general election as a Borough Constituency by the Fifth Review. During its latter years, the old seat was narrowly won by a
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
over strong
Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...
performances, including their predecessor party the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
. Historically, the constituency has on occasion been referred to as 'Mid Essex', especially in the early part of the 20th Century. Chelmsford1918.png, Chelmsford in Essex, showing boundaries used from 1918 to 1945 Chelmsford1945.png, Chelmsford in Essex, showing boundaries used from 1945 to 1950


Boundaries and boundary changes

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Brentwood (except the parishes of Rainham and Wennington) and Chelmsford. Formed from parts of the abolished West Division, including
Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...
, and part of the
South Division South Division may refer to: * South Division (AFL), a division of the Arena Football League * South Division (CFL), a former division of the Canadian Football League * South Division (NAHL), a division of the North American Hockey League * South ...
, including Brentwood and
Billericay Billericay ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon, Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin and constitutes a commuter town east of Central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces. It i ...
. 1918–1945: The Borough of Chelmsford, the Urban District of Brentwood, the Rural Districts of Chelmsford and Ongar, and in the Rural District of Billericay the parishes of Hutton, Ingrave, Mountnessing, Shenfield, and South Weald. Gained eastern part of the
Epping Epping may refer to: Places Australia * Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Epping railway station, Sydney * Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...
Division, including
Chipping Ongar Chipping Ongar () is a market town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ongar, in the Epping Forest District of the county of Essex, England. It is located east of Epping, southeast of Harlow and northwest of Brentwood. In 2020 th ...
. The south-western corner, including
Upminster Upminster is a suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the district centres identified for development in the London Plan. Historically a rural vill ...
, transferred to
Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...
and southernmost parts, including the town of Billericay, transferred to the South-Eastern Division. 1945–1950: The Borough of Chelmsford, the Urban District of Brentwood, and the Rural Districts of Chelmsford and Ongar. Minor changes following the reorganisation of local authorities, involving the abolition of the Rural District of Billericay and the expansion of the Urban District of Brentwood. 1950–1955: The Borough of Chelmsford, and the Rural Districts of Chelmsford and Ongar. Brentwood transferred to Romford. 1955–1974: The Borough of Chelmsford, and the Rural District of Chelmsford. The Rural District of Ongar included in the new County Constituency of
Chigwell Chigwell is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is part of the urban and metropolitan area of London, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London. It is on the Central line of the Lond ...
. 1974–1983: The Borough of Chelmsford, and in the Rural District of Chelmsford the parishes of Danbury, East Hanningfield, Great Baddow, Highwood, Ingatestone and Fryerning, Little Baddow, Margaretting, Mountnessing, Rettendon, Runwell, Sandon, South Hanningfield, Stock, West Hanningfield, and Woodham Ferrers. Northern parts of the Rural District of Chelmsford transferred to the new County Constituency of Braintree. 1983–1997: The Borough of Chelmsford wards of All Saints, Baddow Road, Boreham and Springfield, Cathedral, Danbury and Sandon, East and West Hanningfield, Galleywood, Goat Hall, Great Baddow Village, Highwood and Margaretting, Little Baddow, Mildmays, Moulsham Lodge, Oaklands, Patching Hall, Rothmans, St Andrew's, Stock, The Lawns, and Waterhouse Farm. Gained the Boreham and Springfield ward from Braintree.  Two parishes (Ingatestone and Fryerning, and Mountnessing), included in the District of Brentwood under the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, were transferred to the County Constituency of
Brentwood and Ongar Brentwood and Ongar is a constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Alex Burghart, a Conservative, serving since September 2021 as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and ...
.  South-eastern areas, including
South Woodham Ferrers South Woodham Ferrers is a town and civil parish in the borough of Chelmsford, in the English county of Essex. It is approximately from London and southeast of the city of Chelmsford, and had a population of 16,453 at the 2011 Census, a decre ...
, included in the new County Constituency of Rochford. For the 1997 general election the constituency was abolished. Northern and western areas forming the majority of the new County Constituency of West Chelmsford; eastern areas included in the new County Constituency of Maldon and East Chelmsford; and a small area in the south included in the new County Constituency of Rayleigh. 2010–present: The City of Chelmsford wards of Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park, Galleywood, Goat Hall, Great Baddow East, Great Baddow West, Marconi, Moulsham and Central, Moulsham Lodge, Patching Hall, St Andrew's, Springfield North, The Lawns, Trinity, and Waterhouse Farm. Following the Boundary Commission's
Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies The Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies was undertaken between 2000 and 2007 by the four boundary commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the UK Parliament. The changes for England, Wales and Northern Ir ...
in 2007, Parliament re-established Chelmsford as a borough constituency for the 2010 general election. For the previous three elections the constituency had been split in two halves and included more surrounding rural settlements. A majority of the electorate for this new constituency came from the previous West Chelmsford constituency. A smaller element (
Great Baddow Great Baddow is an urban village and civil parish in the Chelmsford borough of Essex, England. It is close to the city of Chelmsford, and, with a population of over 13,000,Galleywood Galleywood is a village surrounded by countryside in Essex; it is situated on the outskirts of the city of Chelmsford, about 30 miles from London. The A12 trunk road passes nearby, which connects to the M25 in London. Galleywood sits astride a ...
) came from the Maldon & East Chelmsford constituency. The new constituency coincides with the built-up area which comprises the
City of Chelmsford The City of Chelmsford () is a local government district in Essex, England. It is named after its main settlement, Chelmsford, which is also the county town of Essex. On 1 June 2012 Chelmsford was granted city status to mark the Diamond Jub ...
. At its first contest in 2010, the seat was closely fought by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, who finished less than 10% apart, with Conservative candidate
Simon Burns Sir Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns (born 6 September 1952) is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelmsford since being elected at the 1987 general election until the 2017 general election. Burns resigned from bein ...
(the former MP for West Chelmsford) being elected. Labour polled 11%, despite having been only around 100 votes behind the Liberal Democrats in West Chelmsford in 2005, and even taking second place in 2001.


Members of Parliament


Elections


Elections in the 2010s

:* ''Served in the 2005–2010 Parliament as MP for West Chelmsford''


Elections in the 1990s


Elections in the 1980s


Elections in the 1970s


Elections in the 1960s


Elections in the 1950s


Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; *Conservative:
John Macnamara Colonel John Robert Jermain Macnamara (11 October 1905 – 22 December 1944) was a British Conservative Party politician and officer of the British Army who was killed while fighting in Italy during the Second World War. He was the last sittin ...
*Labour: Mary Day


Elections in the 1930s


Elections in the 1920s


Elections in the 1910s


Elections in the 1900s


Elections in the 1890s


Elections in the 1880s


Boundary changes


See also

* List of parliamentary constituencies in Essex


Notes


References

;Specific Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. . ;General


Sources

*
F. W. S. Craig Frederick Walter Scott Craig (10 December 1929 – 23 March 1989) was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compilin ...
, ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1974 – 1983'' *
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''Guide to the House of Commons 1983, 1987 & 1992''


External links


nomis Constituency Profile for Chelmsford
— presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chelmsford (Uk Parliament Constituency) Parliamentary constituencies in Essex Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1885 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1997 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 2010 Chelmsford