The county of Hertfordshire in England is divided into eleven parliamentary constituencies. Each of the eleven elects a Member of Parliament (MP) to represent it at the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament in Westminster. As of the 2019 general election, ten of Hertfordshire's eleven MPs are Conservatives. The county currently has two urban borough constituencies (BC) – Broxbourne and Watford – while the other nine are classed as more rural county constituencies (CC).
Limits of the seats were amended by the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies carried out by the Boundary Commission for England for future elections which have included 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019. Each constituency is made up of whole or partial local government wards, which elect councillors at English local elections. Nine are designated as county constituencies (in which candidates can spend more per head than their borough counterparts). Two are borough constituencies.
[1] Conservative † Labour ‡ Liberal Democrat ¤
Name [nb 1] | Electorate [2] | Majority [3] [nb 2] | Member of Parliament [3] | Nearest opposition [3] | Map | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broxbourne BC | 73,182 | 19,807 | Charles Walker † [4] | Sean Waters ‡ | |||
Hemel Hempstead CC | 74,035 | 14,563 | Michael Penning † | Nabila Ahmed ‡ | |||
Hertford and Stortford CC | 81,765 | 19,620 | Julie Marson † | Chris Vince ‡ | |||
Hertsmere CC | 73,971 | 21,313 | Oliver Dowden † | Holly Kal-Weiss ‡ | |||
Hitchin and Harpenden CC | 76,323 | 6,895 | Bim Afolami † | Sam Collins ¤ | |||
North East Hertfordshire CC | 76,123 | 18,189 | Oliver Heald † | Kelley Green ‡ | |||
South West Hertfordshire CC | 80,499 | 14,408 | Gagan Mohindra † | David Gauke | |||
St Albans CC | 73,727 | 6,293 | Daisy Cooper ¤ | Anne Main † | |||
Stevenage CC | 71,562 | 8,562 | Stephen McPartland † | Jill Borcherds ‡ | |||
Watford BC | 83,359 | 4,433 | Dean Russell † | Chris Ostrowski ‡ | |||
Welwyn Hatfield CC | 74,892 | 10,955 | Grant Shapps † | Rosie Newbigging ‡ | |||
The Boundary Commission for England decided not to change Hertfordshire's representation in Parliament for the 2010 election. It did however suggest slight boundary changes to reduce electoral disparity. The recommendations, which became law with the Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, also ensured that local government wards in Hertfordshire would no longer be split between two Parliamentary constituencies. [5] [6]
Name | Boundaries 1997-2010 | Boundaries 2010–present | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Broxbourne BC | ||
2 | Hemel Hempstead CC | ||
3 | Hertford and Stortford CC | ||
4 | Hertsmere CC | ||
5 | Hitchin and Harpenden CC | ||
6 | North East Hertfordshire CC | ||
7 | South West Hertfordshire CC | ||
8 | St Albans CC | ||
9 | Stevenage CC | ||
10 | Watford BC | ||
11 | Welwyn Hatfield CC |
See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.
Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commission for England formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021. [7] Initial proposals were published on 8 June 2021 and, following two periods of public consultation, revised proposals were published on 8 November 2022. The final proposals were published on 28 June 2023.
The commission has proposed that Hertfordshire be combined with Bedfordshire as a sub-region of the Eastern Region, with the creation of the cross-county boundary constituency of Hitchin. As a result of the changes, Hitchin and Harpenden would be abolished and replaced by a new constituency named Harpenden and Berkhamsted. [8] [9] [10]
The following seats are proposed:
Containing electoral wards in Broxbourne
Containing electoral wards in Dacorum
Containing electoral wards in East Hertfordshire
Containing electoral wards in Hertsmere
Containing electoral wards in North Hertfordshire
Containing electoral wards in St Albans
Containing electoral wards in Stevenage
Containing electoral wards in Three Rivers
Containing electoral wards in Watford
Containing electoral wards in Welwyn Hatfield
Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019 [11]
The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Hertfordshire in the 2019 general election were as follows:
Party | Votes | % | Change from 2017 | Seats | Change from 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 317,018 | 52.7% | 1.6% | 10 | 1 |
Labour | 141,143 | 23.5% | 8.6% | 0 | 0 |
Liberal Democrats | 110,006 | 18.3% | 8.4% | 1 | 1 |
Greens | 15,132 | 2.5% | 0.2% | 0 | 0 |
Others | 17,764 | 3.0% | 1.6% | 0 | 0 |
Total | 601,063 | 100.0 | 11 |
Election year | 1974 (Feb) | 1974 (Oct) | 1979 | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 40.4 | 41.3 | 51.1 | 50.3 | 52.0 | 53.3 | 40.6 | 41.8 | 44.8 | 50.4 | 52.6 | 54.3 | 52.7 |
Labour | 35.0 | 38.5 | 34.4 | 19.0 | 19.8 | 25.5 | 39.7 | 38.9 | 30.2 | 19.0 | 22.4 | 32.1 | 23.5 |
Liberal Democrat 1 | 24.4 | 19.8 | 13.2 | 30.2 | 27.8 | 20.3 | 16.0 | 16.9 | 21.4 | 24.0 | 8.7 | 9.9 | 18.3 |
Green Party | - | - | - | - | * | * | * | * | * | 0.8 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
UKIP | - | - | - | - | - | - | * | * | * | 3.3 | 12.5 | 1.2 | * |
Other | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3.0 |
11974 & 1979 - Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance
* Included in Other
Election year | 1974 (Feb) | 1974 (Oct) | 1979 | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 7 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Labour | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Liberal Democrat 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Total | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
11974 & 1979 - Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance
Constituency | Years | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1290–1298 | 1298–1307 | 1307–1852 | 1852–1885 | 1885–1918 | 1918–1945 | 1945–1950 | 1950–1955 | 1955–1974 | 1974–1983 | 1983–1997 | 1997–* | |
Hertfordshire [12] | 1290–1885 | |||||||||||
Hertford [12] [13] | 1298–1974 | |||||||||||
St Albans [nb 3] [12] [13] | 1307–1852 | 1885–* | ||||||||||
Watford [13] | 1885–* | |||||||||||
Hitchin [13] | 1885–1983 | |||||||||||
Hemel Hempstead [14] | 1918–1983 | 1997–* | ||||||||||
Barnet | 1945–1974 | Part of Greater London from 1965 | ||||||||||
South West Hertfordshire [15] [16] | 1950–* | |||||||||||
East Hertfordshire [17] | 1955–1983 | |||||||||||
Hertford and Stevenage | 1974–1983 | |||||||||||
South Hertfordshire | 1974–1983 | |||||||||||
Welwyn Hatfield | 1974–* | |||||||||||
North Hertfordshire | 1983–1997 | |||||||||||
West Hertfordshire | 1983–1997 | |||||||||||
Broxbourne | 1983–* | |||||||||||
Hertford and Stortford | 1983–* | |||||||||||
Hertsmere | 1983–* | |||||||||||
Stevenage | 1983–* | |||||||||||
Hitchin and Harpenden | 1997–* | |||||||||||
North East Hertfordshire | 1997–* | |||||||||||
A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.
Conservative Independent Liberal
Constituency | 1885 | 1886 | 1892 | 1895 | 98 | 1900 | 04 | 1906 | Jan 10 | Dec 10 | 11 | 16 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hertford | A. Smith | E. Cecil | A. H. Smith | Rolleston | Billing | |||||||
Hitchin | Dimsdale | Hudson | Bertram | Hillier | R. Cecil | |||||||
St Albans | J. W. Grimston | Gibbs | Slack | Carlile | ||||||||
Watford | Halsey | Micklem | Ward |
Anti-Waste League Conservative Independent Labour Liberal Silver Badge
Constituency | 1918 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1929 | 1931 | 33 | 1935 | 37 | 41 | 43 | 1945 | 1950 | 1951 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hertford | Billing | Sueter | → | Walker-Smith | |||||||||||||
Hitchin | R. Cecil | Kindersley | Knebworth | Wilson | Berry | Jones | Fisher | ||||||||||
St Albans | Carlile | Fremantle | J. Grimston | Dumpleton | J. Grimston | ||||||||||||
Watford | Herbert | Freeman | |||||||||||||||
Hemel Hempstead | Talbot | J. Davidson | Dunn | J. Davidson | F. Davidson | ||||||||||||
Barnet | Taylor | Maudling | |||||||||||||||
Hertfordshire SW | Longden |
Conservative Independent Labour Liberal Democrats
Constituency | 1955 | 1959 | 1964 | 1966 | 1970 | Feb 1974 | Oct 1974 | 1979 | 79 | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 19 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barnet | Maudling | Transferred to Greater London | ||||||||||||||||||
Hemel Hempstead (1945–83, 97-) / W Herts (1983) | Davidson | Allason | Corbett | Lyell | Jones | McWalter | Penning | |||||||||||||
Hertford / & Stevenage (1974) / H & Stortford (1983) | Lindsay | Williams | Wells | Prisk | Marson | |||||||||||||||
Hitchin / North Herts (1983) / NE Herts (1997) | Maddan | Williams | Stewart | Heald | ||||||||||||||||
St Albans | Grimston | Goodhew | Lilley | Pollard | Main | Cooper | ||||||||||||||
Watford | Farey-Jones | Tuck | Garel-Jones | Ward | Harrington | Russell | ||||||||||||||
Hertfordshire SW | Longden | Dodsworth | Page | Gauke | → | Mohindra | ||||||||||||||
Hertfordshire E / Broxbourne (1983) | Walker-Smith | Roe | Walker | |||||||||||||||||
Hertfordshire South / Hertsmere (1983) | Parkinson | Clappison | Dowden | |||||||||||||||||
Welwyn and Hatfield | Lindsay | Hayman | Murphy | Evans | Johnson | Shapps | ||||||||||||||
Stevenage | Wood | Follett | McPartland | |||||||||||||||||
Hitchin and Harpenden | Lilley | Afolami |
St Albans is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Daisy Cooper, a Liberal Democrat.
Welwyn Hatfield is a constituency in Hertfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Grant Shapps, a Conservative who currently serves as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. He has previously held the posts of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Secretary of State for Transport.
North West Durham is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 12 December 2019 by Richard Holden of the Conservative Party.
Broxbourne is a constituency in Hertfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Charles Walker of the Conservative Party.
Hemel Hempstead is a constituency in Hertfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system. Since 2005, it has been represented by Mike Penning, a member of the Conservative Party.
Hertford and Stortford is a constituency currently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Julie Marson of the Conservative Party.
South West Hertfordshire is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, represented since 2019 by Gagan Mohindra, a Conservative.
Hertsmere is a constituency in Hertfordshire, England, represented in the House of Commons since 2015 by Oliver Dowden, who currently serves as deputy prime minister.
Hitchin and Harpenden is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Bim Afolami, a Conservative.
Stevenage is a constituency in Hertfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Stephen McPartland, a member of the Conservative Party.
Watford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Conservative Party MP Dean Russell.
Lewisham East is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the by-election on 14 June 2018 by Janet Daby of the Labour Party.
Hitchin 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 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.
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.
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 the United Kingdom. It was succeeded by the East of England region.
An election to Hertfordshire County Council took place on 4 June 2009 the date of the 2009 United Kingdom local elections. The whole elected council was up for election. The councillors were elected from the 77 wards, which return one each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The wards were the same as those used at the previous election in 2005.
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