Tunbridge Wells | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Kent |
Electorate | 73,028 (December 2010) [1] |
Major settlements | Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1974 |
Member of Parliament | Greg Clark (Conservative) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Tonbridge and Ashford |
Tunbridge Wells is a constituency [n 1] in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Greg Clark, a Conservative who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 2016 to 2019 and then as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in 2022 as part of a caretaker government led by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. [n 2]
1974–1983: The Borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells, the Urban District of Southborough, the Rural District of Cranbrook, in the Rural District of Tonbridge the parishes of Bidborough, Brenchley, Capel, Horsmonden, Lamberhurst, Paddock Wood, Pembury, Speldhurst.
1983–1997: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.
1997–2010: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Brenchley, Capel, Culverden, Goudhurst, Horsmonden, Lamberhurst, Paddock Wood, Pantiles, Park, Pembury, Rusthall, St James', St John's, St Mark's, Sherwood, Southborough East, Southborough North, Southborough West, Speldhurst and Bidborough.
2010–present: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Brenchley and Horsmonden, Broadwater, Capel, Culverden, Goudhurst and Lamberhurst, Hawkhurst and Sandhurst, Paddock Wood East, Paddock Wood West, Pantiles and St Mark's, Park, Pembury, Rusthall, St James', St John's, Sherwood, Southborough and High Brooms, Southborough North, Speldhurst and Bidborough.
The current constituency includes the large town of Tunbridge Wells, as well as most of its borough to the east, which is generally rural.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 general election will be unchanged. [2]
The constituency was created in 1974, and was originally named "Royal Tunbridge Wells". Except for Cranbrook Rural District (previously part of the Ashford constituency) the area had formed part of the constituency of Tonbridge prior to 1974. In 1983 the "Royal" prefix was removed from the seat's name.
The seat's results since its 1974 creation indicate a Conservative safe seat. In 1994, the Conservative group on the council lost control, but regained it in 1998.
In succession, from 1983 until 1997 Patrick Mayhew reached three leading positions: Solicitor General for England and Wales, Attorney General for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland (simultaneously) and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
From 2000 to 2001, Archie Norman was the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions.
The present member, Greg Clark, was Minister for Decentralisation from the start of the Cameron ministry, and then two years later became Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
The area is still largely rural in character and landscape, enjoying a gently elevated position which is traversed by the High Weald Landscape Trail. The area has local service sector and financial sector employers, light engineering combined with being substantially a commuter belt town for London, and to an extent, businesses on the southern side of the M25, such as in the Gatwick Diamond.
The electorate voted for Remain in the 2016 EU referendum, and are wealthier than the UK average. [3]
Election | Member [4] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
February 1974 | Patrick Mayhew | Conservative | |
1997 | Archie Norman | Conservative | |
2005 | Greg Clark | Conservative | |
September 2019 | Independent | ||
November 2019 | Conservative |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green | John Hurst [5] | ||||
Independent | Hassan Kassem [6] | ||||
Conservative | Neil Mahapatra [7] | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Mike Martin [8] | ||||
Labour | Hugo Pound [9] | ||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Greg Clark | 30,119 | 55.1 | 1.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Ben Chapelard | 15,474 | 28.3 | 18.4 | |
Labour | Antonio Weiss | 8,098 | 14.8 | 11.7 | |
Independent | Christopher Camp | 488 | 0.9 | New | |
Independent | Nigel Peacock | 471 | 0.9 | New | |
Majority | 14,645 | 26.8 | 3.6 | ||
Turnout | 54,650 | 73.0 | 0.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | 10.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Greg Clark | 30,856 | 56.9 | −1.8 | |
Labour | Charles Woodgate | 14,391 | 26.5 | +12.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Rachel Sadler | 5,355 | 9.9 | +1.5 | |
UKIP | Chris Hoare | 1,464 | 2.7 | −9.9 | |
Green | Trevor Bisdee | 1,441 | 2.7 | −2.5 | |
Women's Equality | Celine Thomas | 702 | 1.3 | New | |
Majority | 16,465 | 30.4 | −14.1 | ||
Turnout | 54,209 | 72.1 | +2.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -5.25 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Greg Clark | 30,181 | 58.7 | +2.5 | |
Labour | Kevin Kerrigan | 7,307 | 14.2 | +3.4 | |
UKIP | Colin Nicholson [14] | 6,481 | 12.6 | +8.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | James McCleary [15] [16] | 4,342 | 8.4 | −16.9 | |
Green | Marie Jones | 2,659 | 5.2 | +3.4 | |
Independent | Graham Naismith [17] | 458 | 0.9 | New | |
Majority | 22,874 | 44.5 | +13.6 | ||
Turnout | 51,428 | 70.0 | +0.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −0.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Greg Clark | 28,302 | 56.2 | +5.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Hallas | 12,726 | 25.3 | 0.0 | |
Labour | Gary Heather | 5,448 | 10.8 | −9.6 | |
UKIP | Victor Webb | 2,054 | 4.1 | +0.6 | |
Green | Hazel Dawe | 914 | 1.8 | New | |
BNP | Andrew McBride [19] | 704 | 1.4 | New | |
Independent | Farel Bradbury | 172 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 15,576 | 30.9 | +7.4 | ||
Turnout | 50,320 | 69.8 | +3.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Greg Clark | 21,083 | 49.6 | +0.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Laura Murphy | 11,095 | 26.1 | +1.4 | |
Labour | Jacqui Jedrzejewski | 8,736 | 20.6 | −2.6 | |
UKIP | Victor Webb | 1,568 | 3.7 | +0.4 | |
Majority | 9,988 | 23.5 | −0.7 | ||
Turnout | 42,482 | 65.7 | +3.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −0.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Archie Norman | 19,643 | 48.9 | +3.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Keith Brown | 9,913 | 24.7 | −5.0 | |
Labour | Ian Carvell | 9,332 | 23.2 | +2.8 | |
UKIP | Victor Webb | 1,313 | 3.3 | +2.8 | |
Majority | 9,730 | 24.2 | +6.7 | ||
Turnout | 40,201 | 62.3 | −11.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Archie Norman | 21,853 | 45.2 | −11.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Anthony S. Clayton | 14,347 | 29.7 | +1.3 | |
Labour | Peter Warner | 9,879 | 20.4 | +6.6 | |
Referendum | Tim Macpherson | 1,858 | 3.8 | New | |
UKIP | M. Smart | 264 | 0.5 | New | |
Natural Law | Paul Levy | 153 | 0.3 | −0.1 | |
Majority | 7,506 | 15.5 | -13.0 | ||
Turnout | 48,354 | 74.1 | -4.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -6.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Mayhew | 34,162 | 56.9 | −1.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Anthony S. Clayton | 17,030 | 28.4 | −1.6 | |
Labour | EAC Goodman | 8,300 | 13.8 | +2.2 | |
Natural Law | EW Fenna | 267 | 0.4 | New | |
Independent | R Edey | 236 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 17,132 | 28.5 | +0.1 | ||
Turnout | 59,995 | 78.1 | +3.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | 0.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Mayhew | 33,111 | 58.4 | +0.1 | |
Liberal | Dorothy Buckrell | 16,989 | 30.0 | ||
Labour | Peter Sloman | 6,555 | 11.6 | +0.3 | |
Majority | 16,122 | 28.4 | +0.1 | ||
Turnout | 56,655 | 74.3 | +1.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Mayhew | 31,199 | 58.3 | −1.2 | |
Liberal | Peter Blaine | 16,073 | 30.0 | +11.7 | |
Labour | Stephen Casely | 6,042 | 11.3 | −9.9 | |
National Front | D Smith | 236 | 0.4 | −0.5 | |
Majority | 15,126 | 28.3 | −10.0 | ||
Turnout | 53,550 | 72.7 | −2.00 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −6.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Mayhew | 31,928 | 59.5 | +10.0 | |
Labour | AAJ Bartlett | 11,392 | 21.2 | −3.7 | |
Liberal | R Baker | 9,797 | 18.3 | −7.3 | |
National Front | W Standen | 509 | 0.9 | New | |
Majority | 20,536 | 38.3 | +14.3 | ||
Turnout | 53,626 | 74.7 | +2.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Mayhew | 24,829 | 49.5 | +0.1 | |
Liberal | DC Owens | 12,802 | 25.5 | −3.9 | |
Labour | RC Blackwell | 12,499 | 24.9 | +3.6 | |
Majority | 12,027 | 24.0 | +4.0 | ||
Turnout | 50,130 | 72.5 | −7.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Patrick Mayhew | 27,212 | 49.4 | ||
Liberal | DC Owens | 16,184 | 29.4 | ||
Labour | MF Short | 11,734 | 21.3 | ||
Majority | 11,028 | 20.0 | |||
Turnout | 55,130 | 80.4 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
The Borough of Tunbridge Wells is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells. The borough also contains the towns of Paddock Wood and Southborough, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Large parts of the borough fall within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Horsmonden is a village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The village is located in the Weald of Kent. It is situated on a road leading from Maidstone to Lamberhurst, three miles north of the latter place. The nearest railway station is Paddock Wood.
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