Bromley and Chislehurst (UK Parliament constituency)

Bromley and Chislehurst was a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2006 until its abolition for the 2024 general election^[3] by Bob Neill, a Conservative.^{[n 1]}

Bromley and Chislehurst
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bromley and Chislehurst in Greater London
County	Greater London
Population	88,633 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate	65,508 (December 2010)[2]
Borough	London Borough of Bromley
1997–2024
Seats	One
Created from	Ravensbourne, Chislehurst
Replaced by	Bromley and Biggin Hill, Eltham and Chislehurst

Constituency profile

The Bromley and Chislehurst constituency is relatively prosperous in terms of income and has low unemployment; it is largely suburban with significant parkland and sports areas.^[4][5] Most of the housing is owner-occupied although there are significant proportions of social housing in parts of Mottingham and Bromley Common. The 2011 census shows that the borough is 84.3% White European/British, lower than the national average (86%) and higher than then London average (59%).^[6]

Until 2006 it was one of the Conservative Party's safest seats; the by-election of that year saw the party's electoral majority fall steeply from over 13,000 (in the 2005 election) to just over 600 votes. The party has since rebuilt its majority, which currently stands at just under 11,000.^[7]

History

The Bromley parliamentary constituency was created in 1918.^{[n 2]} In 1974 Bromley became Ravensbourne.

Before the 1997 election western wards of Chislehurst merged with eastern wards in Ravensbourne to form Bromley and Chislehurst.^{[n 3]}

Bromley/Ravensbourne/Chislehurst summary

The earlier Bromley seat, later Ravensbourne, was markedly prosperous in regional terms and did not elect Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) during its 1918 to 1974 existence. However, one of the Ravensbourne wards, Plaistow and Sundridge, had a communist councillor in the 1940s. Prime Minister (1957–1963) Harold Macmillan was the MP for Bromley from 1945 until his retirement in 1964, when he was succeeded by John Hunt. Hunt, on the left of the Conservative Party, held the seat (renamed Ravensbourne in 1974) until 1997.

The Chislehurst seat had a Labour Party MP from 1966 until 1970.

A by-election was held on 29 June 2006, upon the death of the previous MP Eric Forth the month before, which returned London Assembly member Bob Neill as the new Conservative MP with an electoral majority of just over 600 votes – compared to the previous Conservative majority of over 13,000 in the 2005 general election. Turnout was down by a significant margin. In 2010 Bob Neill was re-elected with a Conservative majority greater than that achieved in 2005.

Boundaries

1997–2010: The London Borough of Bromley wards of Bickley, Bromley Common and Keston, Chislehurst, Hayes, Martins Hill and Town, Mottingham, and Plaistow and Sundridge.

The wards and boundaries for the Bromley and Chislehurst Parliament constituency (red) as first used in the 2010 general election, shown within the London Borough of Bromley (yellow)

2010–2024: The London Borough of Bromley wards of Bickley, Bromley Town, Chislehurst, Cray Valley West, Mottingham and Chislehurst North, and Plaistow and Sundridge.

Bromley and Chislehurst constituency covered the northern part of the London Borough of Bromley including the east of Bromley, its town centre, and Chislehurst.

Abolition

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed three ways:^[3]

• The majority of the electorate, comprising Bickley, Bromley, Plaistow and Sundridge, to form the basis of the new constituency of Bromley and Biggin Hill
• Chislehurst and Mottingham to be included in the new constituency of Eltham and Chislehurst
• The Cray Valley West ward (St Paul's Cray) to be reunited with Cray Valley East (St Mary's Cray) in the Orpington constituency

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[8][9]	Party
	1997	Eric Forth	Conservative
	2006 by-election	Bob Neill

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Bromley and Chislehurst^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bob Neill	23,958	52.6	−1.4
	Labour	Angela Wilkins	13,067	28.7	−4.7
	Liberal Democrats	Julie Ireland	6,621	14.5	+7.3
	Green	Mary Ion	1,546	3.4	+0.9
	CPA	Zion Amodu	255	0.6	New
	Renew	Jyoti Dialani	119	0.3	New
Majority			10,891	23.9	+3.3
Turnout			45,566	68.3	−3.4
Registered electors			66,711
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.7

General election 2017: Bromley and Chislehurst^[10][11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bob Neill	25,175	54.0	+1.0
	Labour	Sara Hyde	15,585	33.4	+11.2
	Liberal Democrats	Sam Webber	3,369	7.2	+0.8
	UKIP	Emmett Jenner	1,383	3.0	−11.3
	Green	Roisin Robertson	1,150	2.5	−1.6
Majority			9,590	20.6	−10.2
Turnout			46,662	71.7	+3.3
Registered electors			65,117
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.1

General election 2015: Bromley and Chislehurst^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bob Neill	23,343	53.0	−0.5
	Labour	John Courtneidge[15]	9,779	22.2	+5.6
	UKIP	Emmett Jenner	6,285	14.3	+11.0
	Liberal Democrats	Sam Webber[16]	2,836	6.4	−15.6
	Green	Roisin Robertson[17]	1,823	4.1	+2.6
Majority			13,564	30.8	−0.8
Turnout			44,066	68.4	+1.1
Registered electors			65,477
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.0

General election 2010: Bromley and Chislehurst^[18][6][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bob Neill	23,569	53.5
	Liberal Democrats	Sam Webber	9,669	22.0
	Labour	Chris Kirby	7,295	16.6
	UKIP	Emmett Jenner	1,451	3.3
	BNP	Rowena Savage	1,070	2.4
	Green	Roisin Robertson	607	1.5
	English Democrat	Jon Cheeseman	376	0.9
Majority			13,900	31.6
Turnout			44,037	67.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 2000s

2006 Bromley and Chislehurst by-election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bob Neill	11,621	40.1	−11.0
	Liberal Democrats	Ben Abbotts	10,988	37.9	+17.6
	UKIP	Nigel Farage	2,307	8.0	+4.8
	Labour	Rachel Reeves	1,925	6.6	−15.6
	Green	Ann Garrett	811	2.8	−0.4
	National Front	Paul Winnett	476	1.6	New
	Independent	John Hemming-Clark	442	1.5	New
	English Democrat	Steven Uncles	212	0.7	New
	Monster Raving Loony	John Cartwright	132	0.5	New
	Independent	Nick Hadziannis	65	0.2	New
	Money Reform	Anne Belsey	33	0.1	New
Majority			633	2.2	−26.7
Turnout			29,012	40.2	−24.6
Registered electors			71,798
	Conservative hold		Swing	−13.8

General election 2005: Bromley and Chislehurst^[20][21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Eric Forth	23,583	51.1	+1.6
	Labour	Rachel Reeves	10,241	22.2	−6.4
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Brooks	9,368	20.3	+1.4
	UKIP	David Hooper	1,475	3.2	+0.3
	Green	Ann Garrett	1,470	3.2	New
Majority			13,342	28.9	+8.0
Turnout			46,137	64.8	+0.5
Registered electors			71,137
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.0

General election 2001: Bromley and Chislehurst^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Eric Forth	21,412	49.5	+3.2
	Labour	Sue Polydorou	12,375	28.6	+3.4
	Liberal Democrats	Geoff Payne	8,180	18.9	−4.9
	UKIP	Rob Bryant	1,264	2.9	+0.7
Majority			9,037	20.9	−0.2
Turnout			43,231	64.3	−9.8
Registered electors			67,183
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.1

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Bromley and Chislehurst^[24][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Eric Forth	24,428	46.3
	Labour	Rob Yeldham	13,310	25.2
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Booth	12,530	23.8
	UKIP	Rob Bryant	1,176	2.2
	Green	Frances Speed	640	1.2
	National Front	Michael Stoneman	369	0.7
	Liberal	Gabriel Aitman	285	0.5
Majority			11,118	21.1
Turnout			52,738	74.1
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in London

Notes

1. 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.
2. Before 1918 the area was part of the larger Sevenoaks constituency
3. Outlying parts of predecessor constituencies joined Beckenham, Lewisham West and Penge and Orpington