Eltham (UK Parliament constituency)
Eltham | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundary of Eltham in Greater London | |
County | Greater London |
Electorate | 64,084 (Dec 2019)[1][2] |
Major settlements | Eltham and Kidbrooke |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Clive Efford (Labour) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Woolwich West |
Replaced by | Eltham & Chislehurst |
Eltham (/ˈɛltəm/ EL-təm) was a constituency[n 1] in Greater London created in 1983 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1997 until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Clive Efford of the Labour Party.[n 2]
The seat broadly covered the southern half of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.[3][4]
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was subject to boundary changes which incorporated the Borough of Bromley communities of Chislehurst and Mottingham. As a consequence, it was replaced by Eltham and Chislehurst, first contested at the 2024 general election.[5]
Boundaries
[edit]1983–1997: The London Borough of Greenwich wards of Avery Hill, Coldharbour, Deansfield, Eltham Park, Herbert, Middle Park, New Eltham, Nightingale, Palace, Sherard, Sutcliffe, Tarn, and Well Hall.
1997–2010: As above less Nightingale, plus Plumstead Common, Shrewsbury, and Slade.
2010–2024: The London Borough of Greenwich wards of Coldharbour and New Eltham, Eltham North, Eltham South, Eltham West, Kidbrooke with Hornfair, Middle Park and Sutcliffe, and Shooters Hill.
The constituency was in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. Before 1983, a constituency with similar boundaries was called Woolwich West.
The seat was bordered by the constituencies of:
- Bromley and Chislehurst
- Erith and Thamesmead
- Greenwich and Woolwich
- Lewisham East
- Old Bexley and Sidcup
Constituency profile
[edit]The constituency is centred on Eltham which has a typical High Street shopping area, surrounded by 20th century suburbs such as Mottingham and New Eltham. There are two railway lines in the seat and many residents commute to Central London. Residents' health and wealth are around average for the UK.[6]
Most central and southern wards have tended in local elections since 1997 to elect Conservative councillors whereas the other wards are inclined to Labour such as West Eltham. The former areas have more owner-occupied houses and are more middle-class. Labour has fared well in the same period in the northern areas of the constituency towards Greenwich, and in areas such as Shooters Hill and Well Hall with the exception of the conservation area parts of Blackheath adding to one ward.[7]
History
[edit]- Summary of results
The 2015 result gave the seat the 28th-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[8]
The seat was held by high-profile Tory Peter Bottomley from its inception in 1983. Bottomley had been the MP for abolished Woolwich West before 1983. Labour's Clive Efford gained the seat in 1997, the first Eltham election in which Bottomley did not stand. Bottomley was standing instead for Worthing West, where he served as MP until 2024. After a further absolute majority in 2001, Efford's majority decreased in 2005; he resisted some national swing against the party in 2010 to hold the seat.
- Opposition since 1997
Conservative and UKIP candidates won more than 5% of the vote in 2015 therefore kept their deposits. Conservative Drury fell 6.2% short of winning the seat in 2015; in 2017, however, Efford more than doubled his margin to 6,296, Labour's largest majority in the seat since 1997.
- First use of open primaries in London
In 2006, the Eltham Conservative Association became the first in London to select a prospective parliamentary candidate by means of an open primary election, where any voter on the electoral roll was entitled to attend and vote. David Gold (PPC Brighton Pavilion 2001) defeated Jackie Doyle-Price (PPC Sheffield Hillsborough 2005) and Eric Ollerenshaw (former London Assembly member), by winning more than 50% of the ballot in the first round at a meeting chaired by Michael Portillo on 31 July 2006 at the Bob Hope Theatre. Approximately 140 people attended the open primary.[9][10] Ironically while Gold was defeated in Eltham at the 2010 General Election, both Doyle-Price and Ollerenshaw won seats elsewhere.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Election | Member[11] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Peter Bottomley | Conservative | |
1997 | Clive Efford | Labour |
Election results
[edit]Elections in the 2010s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Clive Efford | 20,550 | 47.0 | −7.4 | |
Conservative | Louie French | 17,353 | 39.7 | −1.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Charley Hasted | 2,941 | 6.7 | +3.5 | |
Brexit Party | Steve Kelleher | 1,523 | 3.5 | New | |
Green | Matthew Stratford | 1,322 | 3.0 | New | |
Majority | 3,197 | 7.3 | −6.3 | ||
Turnout | 43,689 | 68.2 | −3.4 | ||
Registered electors | 64,084 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Clive Efford | 25,128 | 54.4 | +11.8 | |
Conservative | Matt Hartley | 18,832 | 40.8 | +4.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Hall-Matthews | 1,457 | 3.2 | +0.2 | |
BNP | John Clarke | 738 | 1.6 | New | |
Majority | 6,296 | 13.6 | +7.4 | ||
Turnout | 46,155 | 71.6 | +4.2 | ||
Registered electors | 64,474 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +3.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Clive Efford | 18,393 | 42.6 | +1.1 | |
Conservative | Spencer Drury | 15,700 | 36.4 | −1.1 | |
UKIP | Peter Whittle | 6,481 | 15.0 | +12.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Alex Cunliffe | 1,308 | 3.0 | −9.6 | |
Green | James Parker | 1,275 | 3.0 | +2.0 | |
Majority | 2,693 | 6.2 | +2.2 | ||
Turnout | 43,157 | 67.4 | +0.4 | ||
Registered electors | 63,998 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Clive Efford | 17,416 | 41.5 | −0.7 | |
Conservative | David Gold | 15,753 | 37.5 | +2.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Steven Toole | 5,299 | 12.6 | −4.7 | |
BNP | Roberta Woods | 1,745 | 4.2 | +1.6 | |
UKIP | Ray Adams | 1,011 | 2.4 | −0.4 | |
Green | Arthur Hayles | 419 | 1.0 | New | |
English Democrat | Mike Tibby | 217 | 0.5 | New | |
Independent | Andrew Graham | 104 | 0.2 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 1,663 | 4.0 | −5.3 | ||
Turnout | 41,964 | 67.0 | +8.6 | ||
Registered electors | 77,724 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.8 |
Elections in the 2000s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Clive Efford | 15,381 | 43.6 | −9.2 | |
Conservative | Spencer Drury | 12,105 | 34.3 | +2.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Ian Gerrard | 5,669 | 16.1 | +3.9 | |
UKIP | Jeremy Elms | 1,024 | 2.9 | +0.8 | |
BNP | Barry Roberts | 979 | 2.8 | New | |
Independent | Andrew Graham | 147 | 0.4 | −0.3 | |
Majority | 3,276 | 9.3 | −11.4 | ||
Turnout | 35,305 | 61.7 | +3.0 | ||
Registered electors | 56,797 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -5.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Clive Efford | 17,855 | 52.8 | −1.8 | |
Conservative | Sharon Massey | 10,859 | 32.1 | +0.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Martin Morris | 4,121 | 12.2 | +3.7 | |
UKIP | Terrence Jones | 706 | 2.1 | New | |
Independent | Andrew Graham | 251 | 0.7 | New | |
Majority | 6,996 | 20.7 | −5.3 | ||
Turnout | 33,792 | 58.7 | −17.0 | ||
Registered electors | 57,554 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.8 |
Elections in the 1990s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Clive Efford | 23,710 | 54.6 | +12.7 | |
Conservative | Clive D Blackwood | 13,528 | 31.2 | −14.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Amanda J Taylor | 3,701 | 8.5 | −3.2 | |
Referendum | Matthew D Clark | 1,414 | 3.3 | New | |
Liberal | Henry Middleton | 584 | 1.3 | New | |
BNP | William A Hitches | 491 | 1.1 | New | |
Majority | 10,182 | 23.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 43,428 | 75.7 | −3.0 | ||
Registered electors | 57,358 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | -13.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bottomley | 18,813 | 46.0 | −1.5 | |
Labour | Clive Efford | 17,147 | 41.9 | +9.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Christopher P. McGinty | 4,804 | 11.7 | −8.8 | |
Independent | Andrew Graham | 165 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 1,666 | 4.1 | −11.4 | ||
Turnout | 40,929 | 78.7 | +1.8 | ||
Registered electors | 51,989 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -5.6 |
Elections in the 1980s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bottomley | 19,752 | 47.5 | −0.4 | |
Labour | Rees Vaughan | 13,292 | 32.0 | +2.7 | |
Liberal | Edward Randall | 8,542 | 20.5 | −1.7 | |
Majority | 6,460 | 15.5 | −3.1 | ||
Turnout | 41,586 | 76.9 | +2.8 | ||
Registered electors | 54,063 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -1.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bottomley | 19,530 | 47.9 | ||
Labour | Colin Moore | 11,938 | 29.3 | ||
Liberal | Edward Randall | 9,030 | 22.2 | ||
BNP | PT Banks | 276 | 0.7 | ||
Majority | 7,592 | 18.6 | |||
Turnout | 40,774 | 74.1 | |||
Registered electors | 55,062 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
See also
[edit]- List of parliamentary constituencies in London
- Politics of Greenwich
- Royal Borough of Greenwich
- Greenwich London Borough Council
Notes
[edit]- ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer).
- ^ As with all constituencies, Eltham elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
References
[edit]- ^ http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/3455/eltham_constituency_results [dead link]
- ^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ Wells, Anthony. "Eltham". UKPollingReport. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ Waller, Robert; Criddle, Byron (7 May 2007). The Almanac of British Politics. Routledge. p. 426. ISBN 978-1-135-20683-3. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2018 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – London | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Eltham: Seat Details". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "2001 results: Eltham". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
- ^ "Final three for Eltham" Archived 2011-11-04 at the Wayback Machine Conservative Home (blog)
- ^ "David Gold selected for Eltham" Archived 2013-03-14 at the Wayback Machine Conservative Home (blog)
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)
- ^ "Eltham Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Eltham parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ Vyara Apostolova; Lukas Audickas; Carl Baker; Alex Bate; Richard Cracknell; Noel Dempsey; Oliver Hawkins; Rod McInnes; Tom Rutherford; Elise Uberoi (11 July 2017). "General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ Greenwich. "Greenwich Accessibility features". www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "BBC News - Election 2010 - Constituency - Eltham". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
External links
[edit]- Eltham Labour Party
- Eltham | Greenwich Conservatives Archived 9 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Politics Resources (Election results from 1922 onwards)
- Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)
- Eltham UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
- Eltham UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK