Rayleigh (UK Parliament constituency)

Rayleigh was a parliamentary constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election from 1997 to 2010.

Rayleigh
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Rayleigh in Essex for the 2005 general election
Outline map
Location of Essex within England
CountyEssex
1997–2010
SeatsOne
Created fromRochford and Chelmsford
Replaced byRayleigh and Wickford and Witham

History

This seat was created for the 1997 general election primarily from the abolished constituency of Rochford. It was abolished at the next redistribution which came into effect for the 2010 general election, when the town of Wickford was added to form the Rayleigh and Wickford constituency.

This largely rural constituency was the tenth-safest Conservative seat in the United Kingdom and the second-safest seat in Essex.

Boundaries
  • The District of Rochford wards of Ashingdon, Canewdon, Downhall, Grange and Rawreth, Hawkwell East, Hawkwell West, Hockley Central, Hockley East, Hockley West, Hullbridge Riverside, Hullbridge South, Lodge, Rayleigh Central, Trinity, Wheatley, and Whitehouse; and
  • The Borough of Chelmsford wards of East and West Hanningfield, Rettendon and Runwell, South Hanningfield, South Woodham-Collingwood East, and West and South Woodham-Elmwood and Woodville.[1]

Centred around the town of Rayleigh, the seat was formed primarily from the abolished constituency of Rochford, but excluding the town of Rochford itself. A small area to the north was transferred from the abolished constituency of Chelmsford.

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Essex, which came into effect for the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission for England made radical alterations to existing constituencies to allow for the number of parliamentary seats in the county to be increased to eighteen. These changes included the formation of a number of new constituencies in the southern and eastern parts of the county. Rayleigh was abolished, with the majority of the constituency, comprising the District of Rochford wards, being combined with the town of Wickford - previously part of the abolished constituency of Billericay - to form the new constituency of Rayleigh and Wickford. The Borough of Chelmsford wards were now included in the re-established constituency of Maldon.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[2]Party
1997 Michael Clark Conservative
2001 Mark Francois Conservative
2010 Constituency abolished: see Rayleigh and Wickford

Elections

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: Rayleigh[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Francois 25,609 55.4 +5.3
Labour Julian Ware-Lane 10,883 23.6 −7.1
Liberal Democrats Sid Cumberland 7,406 16.0 +0.5
UKIP Janet Davies 2,295 5.0 +1.3
Majority 14,726 31.8 +12.4
Turnout 46,193 64.2 +3.7
Conservative hold Swing +6.2
General election 2001: Rayleigh[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Francois 21,434 50.1 +0.4
Labour Paul Clark 13,144 30.7 +1.8
Liberal Democrats Geoff Williams 6,614 15.5 −4.3
UKIP Colin Morgan 1,581 3.7 New
Majority 8,290 19.4 −1.4
Turnout 42,773 60.5 −13.8
Conservative hold Swing −1.4

Elections in the 1990s

The 1997 election result has swings relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.

General election 1997: Rayleigh[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Clark 25,516 49.7 −11.4
Labour Raymond Ellis 14,832 28.9 +14.1
Liberal Democrats Sid Cumberland 10,137 19.8 −2.1
Liberal Alan Farmer 829 1.6 New
Majority 10,684 20.8 −18.4
Turnout 51,314 74.3
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references
  1. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
  3. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  4. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  5. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  6. C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.136 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)

51.59°N 0.66°E / 51.59; 0.66

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