Beckenham Parliamentary Constituency
Details of how the local
Conservative Party is organised can be found on our page headed Who we are. On this page you will find a
brief history of the constituency and the changes that have taken place to
the areas in the constituency since the General Election held on May 6th 2010.
The Beckenham Conservative
Association was formed in 1948 when it was decided that the population of
Beckenham merited a separate parliamentary constituency. The new constituency
elected its first MP in the General Election in February 1950. From time to
time the Boundary Commission has altered the boundaries of the Beckenham Constituency.
Following the last General
Election, the Beckenham constituency now includes Coney Hall, Copers Cope,
Kelsey and Eden Park, Shortlands and West Wickham as before. Bromley Common and
Keston and Hayes have 'moved' into the Beckenham constituency from the Bromley
and Chislehurst constituency. Two roads in Bromley Common and Keston
Ward, namely Holwood Park Avenue and Ninhams Wood, which were in the Orpington
constituency, have also joined Beckenham.
Clockhouse, Crystal Palace, Penge
and Cator wards now form part of a new Lewisham West and Penge constituency,
together with four wards in Lewisham Borough. Information on Lewisham West and
Penge Conservative Association can be found on the website: Lewisham Conservatives
In the past 60 years there
have been five Members of Parliament: Patrick Buchan-Hepburn (1950-57), Sir
Phillip Goodhart (1957-1992), Piers Merchant (1992-97), Jacqui Lait (1997-2010)
and Bob Stewart (2010-present).
Patrick Buchan-Hepburn was
ennobled as Baron Hailes of Prestonkirk in 1957 and died in 1974. Piers
Merchant died in September 2009.
Details of the election results
for the Beckenham constituency since 1997 are below:
|
BROMLEY, BECKENHAM
|
|
Election
|
Electors
|
Turnout
|
|
Candidate
|
Party
|
Votes
|
|
%
|
Ch.
%
|
|
1997
|
73,126
|
74.3
|
†
|
P.R.G. Merchant
R.N. Hughes
Miss R.E. Vetterlein
L.F. Mead
P.H. Rimmer
C.N. Pratt
J.C. McAuley
|
C
Lab
L Dem
RP
L
UKIP
NF
|
23,084
18,131
9,858
1,663
720
506
388
4,953
|
*
*
*
*
|
42.5
33.4
18.1
3.1
1.3
0.9
0.7
9.1
|
-17.8
+12.2
+1.4
|
|
(Resignation)
|
|
1997
(20/11)
|
74,019
|
43.1
|
|
Mrs. J.A.H. Lait
R.N. Hughes
Miss R.E. Vetterlein
P.H. Rimmer
J.C. McAuley
L.F. Mead
T.J. Campion
J.D. Small
|
C
Lab
L Dem
L
NF
NB
Ind
NLP
|
13,162
11,935
5,864
330
267
237
69
44
1,227
|
*
*
*
*
*
|
41.3
37.4
18.4
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.2
0.1
3.9
|
-1.2
+4.0
+0.2
-0.3
+0.1
|
|
2001
|
72,772
|
62.6
|
|
Mrs. J.A.H. Lait
R.F. Watts
A.D. Feakes
Miss K.A. Moran
C.N. Pratt
R. Winfield
|
C
Lab
L Dem
GP
UKIP
L
|
20,618
15,659
7,308
961
782
234
4,959
|
*
*
*
|
45.3
34.4
16.0
2.1
1.7
0.5
10.9
|
+2.8
+1.0
-2.1
+0.8
-0.8
|
|
2005
|
74,706
|
65.5
|
|
Mrs. J.A.H. Lait
L.K. Curran
J.W. Foulger
J.D.C. Cartwright
R.A. Reed
|
C
Lab
L Dem
UKIP
Ind C
|
22,183
13,782
10,682
1,301
836
8,401
|
*
*
|
45.3
28.1
22.2
2.7
1.7
17.2
|
+0.1
-6.2
+6.1
+0.9
|
|
2010
|
66,219
|
72.3
|
|
R.A. Stewart
S.M. Jenkins
D.J. Egan
O.G.M. Brolly
R.W Tonks
A.C. Garrett
D.P. Cheesman
|
C
L Dem
Lab
UKIP
BNP
Green
Eng Dem
|
27,597
9,813
6,893
1,551
1,001
608
223
17,784
|
|
57.9
20.6
14.5
3.3
2.1
1.3
0.5
37.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|