Hertford and Stevenage (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Hertford and Stevenage
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
HertfordStevenage1974Constituency.svg
Hertford and Stevenage in Hertfordshire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983
February 1974–1983
SeatsOne
Created from Hertford, Hitchin and Hertfordshire East
Replaced by Stevenage, Hertford & Stortford and Broxbourne [1]

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.

Contents

History

The constituency was formed for the February 1974 general election as a result of the recommendations of the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies following the rapid rise in the population of the new town of Stevenage, which had previously been part of the Hitchin constituency.

The former Labour MP for Hitchin, Shirley Williams, stood successfully for the seat in both 1974 elections. She held it when she was a Secretary of State in government from 1974 until 1979, Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection and then Paymaster General, before being defeated at the 1979 election by Bowen Wells of the Conservative Party. Williams was later one of the "Gang of Four" rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981.

The constituency was abolished at the Third Periodic Review when Stevenage was made a constituency in its own right.

Boundaries

Hertford and its rural district had previously been in the Hertford constituency, Stevenage in Hitchin and Ware in Hertfordshire East. After being used for only three general elections, a further round of boundary changes in 1983 saw Hertford and Stevenage abolished, with Hertford and Ware joining Bishop's Stortford in Hertford and Stortford while the remainder of the seat formed the basis of the new Stevenage constituency.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
Feb 1974 Shirley Williams Labour
1979 Bowen Wells Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Elections

General election 1979: Hertford and Stevenage
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Bowen Wells 31,739 45.1 +12.4
Labour Shirley Williams 30,44343.2−3.9
Liberal B Rigby7,66010.9−7.3
National Front J Pell5810.8−1.2
Majority1,2961.9N/A
Turnout 70,42380.4+4.1
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +8.1
General election October 1974: Hertford and Stevenage
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Shirley Williams 29,548 47.13
Conservative Vivian Bendall 20,50232.70
Liberal TN Willis11,41918.21
National Front K Taylor1,2321.96New
Majority9,04614.43
Turnout 62,70176.26
Labour hold Swing
General election February 1974: Hertford and Stevenage
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Shirley Williams 30,343 44.65
Conservative Vivian Bendall 22,16732.62
Liberal TN Willis15,44422.73
Majority8,17612.03
Turnout 67,95483.58
Labour win (new seat)

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References

  1. ↑ "'Hertford and Stevenage', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 22 March 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Hertford and Stevenage and Hitchin) Order 1971. SI 1971/2110". Statutory Instruments 1971. Part III Section 2. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1972. pp. 6223–6225.
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