| East Hertfordshire | |
|---|---|
| Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
 East Hertfordshire in Hertfordshire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983 | |
| 1955–1983 | |
| Seats | one |
| Created from | Hertford |
| Replaced by | Broxbourne, Hertford & Stortford and Stevenage [1] |
East Hertfordshire was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Hertfordshire from 1955 to 1983. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The constituency was created for the 1955 general election, formed primarily from the majority of the Hertford constituency which was significantly revised. It was abolished for the 1983 general election when it was largely divided between the new constituencies of Broxbourne, and Hertford and Stortford.
Throughout its existence the seat was held for the Conservatives by Sir Derek Walker-Smith.
The writer and TV playwright Dennis Potter was the Labour Party candidate in the constituency at the 1964 general election, but finished second behind the Conservative incumbent. His experience inspired Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton .
The bulk of the constituency was formed from the majority of the Hertford constituency which was significantly revised. A part of the Rural District of Braughing was transferred from Hitchin.
The Urban District of Ware was transferred to the new constituency of Hertford and Stevenage.
On abolition, southern parts (consisting the majority of the electorate), largely comprising the former Urban Districts of Cheshunt and Hoddesdon (combined to form the District of Broxbourne under the local government reorganisation of 1974) formed the bulk of the new borough constituency of Broxbourne. With the exception of some rural parts in the north-west of the constituency, which were included in the new constituency of Stevenage, the remainder of the seat (including Bishop's Stortford and Sawbridgeworth) was amalgamated with the Hertford and Ware part of Hertford and Stevenage to form the new Hertford and Stortford constituency.
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Sir Derek Walker-Smith | Conservative | |
| 1983 | constituency abolished: see Hertford and Stortford & Broxbourne | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 26,936 | 56.88 | ||
| Labour Co-op | William Hilton | 20,418 | 43.12 | ||
| Majority | 6,518 | 13.76 | |||
| Turnout | 47,354 | 79.11 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 28,201 | 51.39 | ||
| Labour | Syd Bidwell | 18,020 | 32.84 | ||
| Liberal | Kenneth John Whitehead Spargo | 8,656 | 15.77 | New | |
| Majority | 10,181 | 18.55 | |||
| Turnout | 54,877 | 82.01 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 29,749 | 48.20 | ||
| Labour | Dennis Potter | 21,887 | 35.46 | ||
| Liberal | Eric W Morgan | 10,088 | 16.34 | ||
| Majority | 7,862 | 12.74 | |||
| Turnout | 61,724 | 81.02 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 29,618 | 46.62 | ||
| Labour | Brian CS Murphy | 24,412 | 38.43 | ||
| Liberal | Eric W Morgan | 9,501 | 14.95 | ||
| Majority | 5,206 | 8.19 | |||
| Turnout | 63,531 | 80.09 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 37,668 | 54.74 | ||
| Labour | Mike Thomas | 23,601 | 34.30 | ||
| Liberal | David Walsh | 7,538 | 10.96 | ||
| Majority | 14,067 | 20.44 | |||
| Turnout | 68,807 | 73.51 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 32,032 | 44.96 | ||
| Labour | MM Keir | 20,674 | 29.02 | ||
| Liberal | PC Clark | 18,546 | 26.03 | ||
| Majority | 11,358 | 15.94 | |||
| Turnout | 71,252 | 80.98 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 29,334 | 44.59 | ||
| Labour | MM Keir | 20,999 | 31.92 | ||
| Liberal | PC Clark | 15,446 | 23.48 | ||
| Majority | 8,335 | 12.67 | |||
| Turnout | 65,779 | 74.04 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Walker-Smith | 41,599 | 55.50 | ||
| Labour Co-op | I. J. Evans | 20,139 | 26.87 | ||
| Liberal | Lesley Abdela | 11,393 | 15.20 | ||
| National Front | J. Smith | 1,819 | 2.43 | New | |
| Majority | 21,460 | 28.63 | |||
| Turnout | 74,950 | 77.81 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Watford, and the county town is Hertford.
Hoddesdon is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River.
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census.
The Borough of Broxbourne is a local government district with borough status in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Cheshunt. Other settlements in the borough include Broxbourne, Hoddesdon and Waltham Cross. The eastern boundary of the district is the River Lea. The borough covers 20 square miles (52 km2) in south east Hertfordshire, and had an estimated population of 99,000 in 2021.
East Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. The largest town in the district is Bishop's Stortford, and the other main towns are Ware, Buntingford and Sawbridgeworth. At the 2011 Census, the population of the district was 137,687. By area it is the largest of the ten local government districts in Hertfordshire. The district borders North Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, and Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford in Essex.
Broxbourne railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the towns of Broxbourne and Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, England. It is 17 miles 17 chains (27.7 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Cheshunt and Roydon. Its three-letter station code is BXB and it is in fare zone B.
Broxbourne is a constituency in Hertfordshire currently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Lewis Cocking of the Conservative Party since 2024.
Hertford and Stortford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Josh Dean of the Labour Party since 2024.
North East Hertfordshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Chris Hinchliff of the Labour Party.
Hadham Rural District was a rural district in Hertfordshire, England from 1894 to 1935, covering an area in the east of the county.
Hertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1298 until 1974.
Hitchin is a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.
Hertford and Stevenage was a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from February 1974 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.
Hertfordshire was a constituency of the European Parliament located in the United Kingdom, electing one Member of the European Parliament by the first-past-the-post electoral system. Created in 1979 for the first elections to the European Parliament, it was abolished in 1999 on the adoption of proportional representation for European elections in Great Britain. It was succeeded by the East of England region.
Elections to Hertfordshire County Council took place on 6 May 2021 alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. All 78 seats to the council were elected.
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