Tunbridge Wells (UK Parliament constituency)

Tunbridge Wells
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Tunbridge Wells in Kent.
Location of Kent within England.
County	Kent
Electorate	73,028 (December 2010)^[1]
Major settlements	Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood
Current constituency
Created	1974 (1974)
Member of parliament	Greg Clark (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	Tonbridge and Ashford
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	South East England

Tunbridge Wells is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Greg Clark, a Conservative who has served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy since 14 July 2016.^{[n 2]}

Boundaries

1974-1983: The Municipal Borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells, the Urban District of Southborough, the Rural District of Cranbrook, and in the Rural District of Tonbridge the civil parishes of Bidborough, Brenchley, Capel, Horsmonden, Lamberhurst, Paddock Wood, Pembury, and Speldhurst.

1983-1997: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells.

1997-2010: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Brenchley, Capel, Culverdon, Goudhurst, Horsmonden, Lamberhurst, Paddock Wood, Pantiles, Park, Pembury, Rusthall, St James', St John's, St Mark's, Sherwood, Southborough East, Southborough North, Southborough West, and Speldhurst and Bidborough.

2010-present: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Brenchley and Horsmonden, Broadwater, Capel, Culverden, Goudhurst and Lamberhurst, Hawkhurst and Sandhurst, Paddock Wood East, Paddock Wood West, Pantiles and St Mark’s, Park, Pembury, Rusthall, St James', St John's, Sherwood, Southborough and High Brooms, Southborough North, and Speldhurst and Bidborough.

The constituency occupies rural and two largely spacious urban towns in Kent in south eastern England, covering the area of the Borough of Tunbridge Wells, the main town of which is also known as Royal Tunbridge Wells.

History

The constituency was created in 1974, and was originally named "Royal Tunbridge Wells". Except for Cranbrook Rural District (previously part of the Ashford constituency) the area had formed part of the constituency of Tonbridge prior to 1974. In 1983 the "Royal" prefix was removed from the seat's name.

Political history

The seat's results since its 1974 creation indicate a Conservative safe seat. In 1994 the Conservative group on the council lost control but regained it in 1998.

Prominent frontbenchers

In succession from 1983 until 1997 Patrick Mayhew reached three leading positions: Solicitor General for England and Wales, Attorney General for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland (simultaneously) and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Archie Norman was the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions (2002-2005).

The present member, Greg Clark, was Minister for Decentralisation from the start of the Cameron ministry and then two years later became Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Constituency profile

The area is still largely rural in character and landscape, enjoying a gently elevated position which is traversed by the High Weald Landscape Trail. The area has local service sector and financial sector employers, light engineering combined with being substantially a commuter belt town for London and to an extent businesses on the southern side of the M25, such as in the Gatwick Diamond.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 1.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.^[2]

Members of Parliament

	Member^[3]	Party
Feb 1974	Patrick Mayhew	Conservative
1997	Archie Norman	Conservative
2005	Greg Clark	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Tunbridge Wells^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Greg Clark	30,181	58.7	+2.4
	Labour	Kevin Kerrigan	7,307	14.2	+3.4
	UKIP	Colin Nicholson^[6]	6,481	12.6	+8.5
	Liberal Democrat	James McCleary^[7] (James MacCleary^[8])	4,342	8.4	−16.8
	Green	Marie Jones	2,659	5.2	+3.4
	Independent	Graham Naismith^[9]	458	0.9	+0.9
Majority			22,874	44.5
Turnout			51,428	70.0	+0.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.9

General Election 2010: Tunbridge Wells^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Greg Clark	28,302	56.2	+5.5
	Liberal Democrat	David Hallas	12,726	25.3	+0
	Labour	Gary Heather	5,448	10.8	−9.6
	UKIP	Victor Webb	2,054	4.1	+0.6
	Green	Hazel Dawe	914	1.8	+1.8
	BNP	Andrew McBride^[11]	704	1.4	+1.4
	Independent	Farel Bradbury	172	0.3	+0.3
Majority			15,576	31.0
Turnout			50,320	69.8	+3.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.8

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Tunbridge Wells^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Greg Clark	21,083	49.6	+0.7
	Liberal Democrat	Laura Murphy	11,095	26.1	+1.4
	Labour	Jacqui Jedrzejewski	8,736	20.6	−2.6
	UKIP	Victor Webb	1,568	3.7	+0.4
Majority			9,988	23.5
Turnout			42,482	65.7	3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.3

General Election 2001: Tunbridge Wells^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Archie Norman	19,643	48.9	+3.7
	Liberal Democrat	Keith Brown	9,913	24.7	−5.0
	Labour	Ian Carvell	9,332	23.2	+2.8
	UKIP	Victor Webb	1,313	3.3	+2.7
Majority			9,730	24.2
Turnout			40,201	62.3	−11.8
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Tunbridge Wells^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Archie Norman	21,853	45.19
	Liberal Democrat	Anthony S Clayton	14,347	29.67
	Labour	Peter Warner	9,879	20.43
	Referendum	Tim Macpherson	1,858	3.84
	UKIP	M Smart	264	0.55
	Natural Law	Paul Levy	153	0.32
Majority			7,506	15.52
Turnout				74.10
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1992: Tunbridge Wells^[15]^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Sir Patrick Mayhew	34,162	56.9	−1.5
	Liberal Democrat	AS Clayton	17,030	28.4	−1.6
	Labour	EAC Goodman	8,300	13.8	+2.3
	Natural Law	EW Fenna	267	0.4	N/A
	Independent	R Edey	236	0.4	N/A
Majority			17,132	28.6	+0.1
Turnout			59,995	78.1	+3.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.0

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Tunbridge Wells^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Sir Patrick Mayhew	33,111	58.44
	Liberal	DA Buckrell	16,989	29,99
	Labour	PL Sloman	6,555	11.57
Majority			16,122	28.46
Turnout				74.26
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1983: Tunbridge Wells^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Sir Patrick Mayhew	31,199	58.26
	Liberal	P Blaine	16,073	30.01
	Labour	SJ Casely	6,042	11.28
	National Front	D Smith	236	0.44
Majority			15,126	28.25
Turnout				72.66
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Royal Tunbridge Wells
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Sir Patrick Mayhew	31,928	59.54
	Labour	AAJ Bartlett	11,392	21.24
	Liberal	R Baker	9,797	18.27
	National Front	W Standen	509	0.95
Majority			20,536	38.29
Turnout				74.66
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election October 1974: Royal Tunbridge Wells
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Sir Patrick Mayhew	24,829	49.53
	Liberal	DC Owens	12,802	25.54
	Labour	RC Blackwell	12,499	24.93
Majority			12,027	23.99
Turnout				72.51
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election February 1974: Royal Tunbridge Wells
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Sir Patrick Mayhew	27,212	49.36
	Liberal	DC Owens	16,184	29.36
	Labour	MF Short	11,734	21.28
Majority			11,028	20.00
Turnout				80.38
	Conservative hold		Swing

Notes and references

Notes

↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
↑ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)
↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
↑ "Tunbridge Wells". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
↑ "UK Polling Report". ukpollingreport.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
↑ http://www.libdems.org.uk/general_election_candidates#South East
↑ "James MacCleary". YourNextMP. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
↑ http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/88134/Statment-of-Persons-Nominated-Parliamentary-Election.pdf
↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
↑ http://bnp.org.uk/2010/03/bnp%E2%80%99s-south-east-regional-organiser-to-contest-the-tunbridge-wells-seat/
↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Royal Tunbridge Wells

Locations within Tunbridge Wells	Hawkenbury High Brooms Langton Green Rusthall The Pantiles

Buildings	High Brooms station High Rocks halt Holy Trinity Church Hungershall Forge Kent and Sussex Hospital King Charles the Martyr Church Royal Victoria Place St. Mark's Church St. Paul's Church Standings Mill The Opera House Tunbridge Wells station Tunbridge Wells West station

Businesses	BBC South East Freight Transport Association Kent and Sussex Courier Subbuteo

People	List of people from Royal Tunbridge Wells Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells

Political	Tunbridge Wells constituency (since 1974) Tunbridge Wells borough (since 1974) Local elections

Schools and colleges	Bennett Memorial Skinners' St. Gregory's Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School K College

Sport, leisure and the arts	Assembly Hall Theatre BBC Radio Kent Dunorlan Park High Rocks Ice Melters Curling Club KMFM West Kent Linden Park Cricket Club Nevill Ground South East Today Spa Valley Railway Trinity Theatre Tunbridge ware Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club Tunbridge Wells Football club Tunbridge Wells Forum Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon Tunbridge Wells Rugby club

Twin towns	Wiesbaden

Italics denote places in East Sussex included as they are generally considered part of Tunbridge Wells.

Constituencies in South East England (84)

Conservative (78)	Aldershot Arundel and South Downs Ashford Aylesbury Banbury Basingstoke Beaconsfield Bexhill and Battle Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Bracknell Brighton Kemptown Canterbury Chatham and Aylesford Chesham and Amersham Chichester Crawley Dartford Dover Eastbourne East Hampshire Eastleigh East Surrey East Worthing and Shoreham Epsom and Ewell Esher and Walton Fareham Faversham and Mid Kent Folkestone and Hythe Gillingham and Rainham Gosport Gravesham Guildford Hastings and Rye Havant Henley Horsham Isle of Wight Lewes Maidenhead Maidstone and The Weald Meon Valley Mid Sussex Milton Keynes North Milton Keynes South Mole Valley Newbury New Forest East New Forest West North East Hampshire North Thanet North West Hampshire Oxford West and Abingdon Portsmouth North Portsmouth South Reading East Reading West Reigate Rochester and Strood Romsey and Southampton North Runnymede and Weybridge Sevenoaks Sittingbourne and Sheppey Southampton Itchen South Thanet South West Surrey Spelthorne Surrey Heath Tonbridge and Malling Tunbridge Wells Wantage Wealden Winchester Windsor Witney Woking Wokingham Worthing West Wycombe

Labour (4)	Hove Oxford East Slough Southampton Test

Green (1)	Brighton Pavilion

Speaker (1)	Buckingham

South East England European constituency: UKIP (4) Conservative (3) Green (1) Labour (1) Liberal Democrats (1)

Coordinates: 51°7′N 0°20′E / 51.117°N 0.333°E / 51.117; 0.333

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