History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Buckinghamshire

Last updated

The ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, which comprises the unitary authorities of Buckinghamshire Council and the city of Milton Keynes, currently returns eight MPs to the UK Parliament.

Contents

As a result of the local government reorganisation introduced by the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, the boundaries of the historic/administrative county were altered, with southernmost parts, including the Borough of Slough, being transferred to the county of Berkshire. This was reflected in the following redistribution of parliamentary seats which came into effect for the 1983 general election and effectively reduced the county's representation by one MP.

Number of seats

The table below shows the number of MPs representing Buckinghamshire at each major redistribution of seats affecting the county.

YearCounty

seats1

Borough

seats1

Total
Prior to 183221214
1832–18683811
1868–1885358
1885–1945303
1945–1950404
1950–1974415
1974–1983516
1983–1992606
19922–2024617
2024–present718

1Prior to 1950, seats were classified as County Divisions or Parliamentary Boroughs. Since 1950, they have been classified as County or Borough Constituencies.

2Additional seat created at interim review (see below).

Timeline

  County seat  Borough seat

ConstituencyPrior to 18321832–18681868–18851885–19451945–19501955–19741974–19831983–19921992–20102010–20242024–present
Buckinghamshire 1265–1832 (2 MPs)1832–1885 (3 MPs)
Milton Keynes 1983–1992
North East Milton Keynes 1992–2010
Milton Keynes North 2010–present
Milton Keynes South West 1992–2010
Milton Keynes Central 2024–present
Milton Keynes South 2010–2024
Buckingham and Bletchley 2024–present
Buckingham 1295–1868 (2 MPs)1868–18851885–2024
Mid Buckinghamshire 2024–present
Aylesbury 1558–1885 (2MPs)1885–present
Wendover 1624–1832 (2 MPs)
Amersham 1624–1832 (2 MPs)
Chesham and Amersham 1974–present
Wycombe 11295–1868 (2 MPs)1868–18851885–present
Great Marlow 1624–1868 (2MPs)1868–1885
South Buckinghamshire 1955–1974
Beaconsfield 1974–present
Eton and Slough 1945–19501950–1983Part of Berkshire from April 1974

1Borough was formally known as Chipping Wycombe

Boundary reviews

Prior to 1832Since 1265, the Parliamentary County of Buckinghamshire along with all other English counties regardless of size or population, had elected 2 MPs (Knights of the Shire) to the House of Commons.

The county also included six Parliamentary Boroughs, namely Amersham, Aylesbury, Buckingham, Chipping Wycombe, Great Marlow and Wendover, all returning 2 MPs (burgesses) continuously since at least 1624.

1832The Great Reform Act of 1832 radically changed the representation of the House of Commons, with the county's representation being increased to 3 MPs and the Boroughs of Amersham and Wendover abolished.

Unusually, the contents of the Parliamentary Borough of Aylesbury were defined within the Act itself to include the "Three Hundreds of Aylesbury", which extended the seat to include Wendover and Princes Risborough. [1]

1868Under the Reform Act of 1867, the representation of the Boroughs of Buckingham, Chipping Wycombe and Great Marlow was reduced to 1 MP each.
1885Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, [2] the county was divided into 3 single-member constituencies, namely the Northern or Buckingham Division, the Mid or Aylesbury Division and the Southern or Wycombe Division.

The remaining Parliamentary Boroughs were all abolished and absorbed into the County Divisions which took their names, with Great Marlow being added to the Wycombe Division, which also included the towns of Beaconsfield and Slough.

Buckinghamshire 1885-1918 Buckinghamshire1885.svg
Buckinghamshire 1885–1918
1918Under the Representation of the People Act 1918, [3] the three county seats were retained, with altered boundaries: north-eastern parts of Aylesbury, including Linslade and Wing were transferred to Buckingham; Beaconsfield and Amersham were transferred from Wycombe to Aylesbury; and Wycombe gained Eton from the abolished Parliamentary Borough of New Windsor in Berkshire.
Buckinghamshire 1918-1945 Buckinghamshire1918.svg
Buckinghamshire 1918–1945
1945The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944 set up Boundary Commissions to carry out periodic reviews of the distribution of parliamentary constituencies. It also authorised an initial review to subdivide abnormally large constituencies in time for the 1945 general election. [4] This was implemented by the Redistribution of Seats Order 1945 under which Buckinghamshire was allocated an additional seat.

As a consequence, the new constituency of Eton and Slough was formed from the Wycombe constituency, comprising the Municipal Borough of Slough, the Urban District of Eton and the parishes to the south of Beaconsfield making up the Rural District of Eton. To partly compensate Wycombe for the loss of these areas, the parts of the Rural District of Wycombe not currently in the constituency, which included Princes Risborough and Hughenden, were transferred from Aylesbury.

Buckinghamshire 1945-1950 Buckinghamshire1945.svg
Buckinghamshire 1945–1950
1950The Representation of the People Act 1948 [5] increased the county's representation once again, from 4 to 5 MPs, with the creation of South Buckinghamshire. This comprised Beaconsfield, Amersham and the Chalfonts, transferred from Aylesbury, and the Rural District of Eton, transferred from Eton and Slough (which was redesignated as a Borough Constituency).

There were no changes for the 1955 general election under the First Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies.

Buckinghamshire 1950-1974 Buckinghamshire1950.svg
Buckinghamshire 1950–1974
1974Under the Second Periodic Review, [6] representation was increased to 6 MPs with the formation of the new seats of Beaconsfield and Chesham and Amersham, which largely replaced the abolished South Buckinghamshire constituency. Beaconsfield comprised the Urban District of Beaconsfield and the Rural District of Eton, while Chesham and Amersham combined Amersham and the Chalfonts with Chesham and the remaining, northern, part of the Rural District of Amersham, transferred from Aylesbury.

The northern parts of the Rural District of Wycombe, including Princes Risborough (but not Hughenden) were transferred back from Wycombe to Aylesbury.

Buckingham lost Linslade which had been transferred to Bedfordshire on its amalgamation with the neighbouring Urban District of Leighton Buzzard and was now included in the constituency of South Bedfordshire.

Buckinghamshire 1974-1983 Buckinghamshire1974.svg
Buckinghamshire 1974–1983
1983The Third Review [7] reflected the changes to the county of Buckinghamshire arising from the Local Government Act 1972, resulting in Eton, Slough and some surrounding areas being transferred to Berkshire. The constituency of Eton and Slough was abolished with the area constituting the Borough of Slough forming the new seat of Slough, and the small Urban District of Eton which was absorbed into the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead being included in the constituency of Windsor and Maidenhead. Those parishes of the Rural District of Eton also transferred to Berkshire, which included Datchet, were transferred from Beaconsfield and included in the new constituency of East Berkshire.

In the north of the county, the new constituency of Milton Keynes was formed from parts of the Buckingham constituency. This reflected the growth of the new town of Milton Keynes since its foundation in 1967. The new constituency comprised the Borough of Milton Keynes, with the exception of Stony Stratford and Wolverton, which were retained in Buckingham. In turn, Buckingham gained north-western parts of the Aylesbury constituency.

Elsewhere, Great Missenden was transferred from Chesham and Amersham to Aylesbury, and Hazlemere from Wycombe to Chesham and Amersham

Buckinghamshire 1983-1992 Buckinghamshire1983.svg
Buckinghamshire 1983–1992
1992Uniquely, outside the normal cycle of periodic reviews by the Boundary Commissions, the constituency of Milton Keynes, due to its rapid growth, was split into two separate constituencies for the 1992 general election: the County Constituency of North East Milton Keynes and the Borough Constituency of Milton Keynes South West. Stony Stratford and Wolverton were transferred from Buckingham and included in Milton Keynes South West. [8]
Buckinghamshire 1992-1997 Buckinghamshire1992.svg
Buckinghamshire 1992-1997
1997The Fourth Review [9] saw only minor changes to the Buckinghamshire constituencies, included the transfer of the District of Aylesbury Vale ward of Aston Clinton from Aylesbury to Buckingham.
Buckinghamshire 1997-2010 Buckinghamshire1997.svg
Buckinghamshire 1997–2010
2010In the Fifth Review the Boundary Commission for England [10] proposed changes to realign constituency boundaries with the boundaries of current local government wards, and to reduce the electoral disparity between constituencies.

The changes included the return of Great Missenden to Chesham and Amersham, Hazlemere to Wycombe and Aston Clinton to Buckingham. In addition, Marlow was transferred from Wycombe to Beaconsfield and Princes Risborough from Aylesbury to Buckingham.

The boundary between the two Milton Keynes constituencies was realigned and they were renamed as Milton Keynes North and Milton Keynes South.

Buckinghamshire 2010-2024 Buckinghamshire2010.svg
Buckinghamshire 2010–2024
2024For the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which redrew the constituency map ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Boundary Commission for England proposed that the number of seats in the combined area of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes be increased from seven to eight with the creation of the new constituency of Buckingham and Bletchley and Mid Buckinghamshire, offset by the abolition of the existing Buckingham seat. This led to significant changes elsewhere, particularly in Milton Keynes, resulting in the replacement of Milton Keynes South with Milton Keynes Central. [11] [12]

Detailed changes were as follows:

Buckinghamshire 2024-present Buckinghamshire2024.svg
Buckinghamshire 2024–present

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islington North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Islington North is a constituency in Greater London established for the 1885 general election. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1983 by Jeremy Corbyn, who was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2015 to 2020. Since 2020, Corbyn has represented the seat as an independent. He was re-elected to Islington North as an independent in the 2024 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wokingham (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom 1885-1918 and from 1950 onwards

Wokingham is a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, located in the English county of Berkshire. From its creation in 1950 until 2024, it was represented solely by Conservatives, most notably, John Redwood, who held his position from 1987 until 2024 when he stepped down after the dissolution of parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aylesbury (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801 onwards

Aylesbury is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, currently represented by Laura Kyrke-Smith, a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saffron Walden (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885-2024

Saffron Walden was a constituency in Essex, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1922 to 2024 by members of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Gorton (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Manchester Gorton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was the safest Labour seat in Greater Manchester by numerical majority and one of the safest in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Wycombe is a constituency in Buckinghamshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Labour's Emma Reynolds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1868 onwards

South Norfolk is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament represented by Ben Goldsborough, a member of the Labour Party, after winning the seat in the 2024 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acton (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1983

Acton was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created for the 1918 general election. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampstead (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Former UK Parliament constituency, 1885–1983

Hampstead was a borough constituency, centered on the Hampstead area of North London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, who was elected using the first-past-the-post voting system.

The ceremonial county of Bedfordshire currently comprises the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. From 1997 to 2024, it returned six MPs to the UK Parliament. Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, coming into effect for the 2024 general election, the boundary commission proposed 7 constituencies, including one which is shared with the county of Hertfordshire.

The ceremonial county of Berkshire currently comprises the unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham. From 1997, it has returned eight MPs to the UK Parliament.

The ceremonial county of Oxfordshire has returned six MPs to the UK Parliament since 1983.

The ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, which includes the unitary authority of Peterborough, has returned 8 MPs to the UK Parliament since 2024.

The ceremonial county of Norfolk returned nine MPs to the UK Parliament. Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, coming into effect for the 2024 general election, the boundary commission proposed 10 constituencies, including one which is shared with the county of Suffolk.

The ceremonial county of Suffolk has returned seven MPs to the UK Parliament from 1997 to 2024. Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, coming into effect for the 2024 general election, the boundary commission proposed eight constituencies, including one which is shared with the county of Norfolk.

The ceremonial county of Hertfordshire has returned 12 MPs to the UK Parliament since 2024.

The ceremonial county of Essex, which includes the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, has returned 18 MPs to the UK Parliament since 2010.

The ceremonial county of Cheshire, which comprises the unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington, returned 11 MPs to the UK Parliament from 1997 to 2024. Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, coming into effect for the 2024 general election, the boundary commission proposed 12 constituencies, including two which crossed the border into the county of Merseyside.

The county of Northumberland has returned four MPs to the UK Parliament since 1983. Under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, the boundaries of the historic/administrative county were significantly altered with the south-east of the county, comprising more than half the electorate, being transferred to the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. These changes were reflected in the following redistribution of parliamentary seats which did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, resulting in a reduction in the county's representation from 10 to 4 MPs.

The county of Durham has returned 7 MPs to the UK Parliament since 1983. Under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, the boundaries of the historic/administrative county were significantly altered with the north-east of the county, comprising more than half the electorate, being transferred to the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. In addition, the borough of Hartlepool was included in the new county of Cleveland. These changes were reflected in the following redistribution of parliamentary seats which did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, resulting in a reduction in the county's representation from 16 to 7 MPs.

References

  1. "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1868, Aylesbury". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
  3. Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell.
  4. Gay, Oonagh (28 July 2010). "The Rules for the Redistribution of Seats- history and reform".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Representation of the People Act, 1948". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  8. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) (Miscellaneous Changes) Order 1990". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  9. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  10. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  11. Ryder, Liam (23 November 2022). "Maps show huge changes proposed to Bucks' boundaries". buckinghamshirelive. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  12. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. paras 941-967. Retrieved 10 July 2023.