Wikipedia

North Bedfordshire (constituency)

North Bedfordshire is a county constituency in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system, from the 1983 general election until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.

North Bedfordshire
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map
Boundaries since 2024
Map of constituency
Boundary of North Bedfordshire in the East of England
CountyBedfordshire
Electorate76,319 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsBiggleswade, Sandy
Current constituency
Created2024
Member of ParliamentRichard Fuller (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromBedfordshire North East
1983–1997
Created fromBedford
Replaced byBedford, Bedfordshire North East

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election.[2]

Constituency profile

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North Bedfordshire is a constituency in Bedfordshire, covering the towns and villages surrounding the large town of Bedford. Its largest settlement is the historic market town of Biggleswade, which has a population of around 23,000.[3] Other settlements include the towns of Sandy and Potton and the villages of Shortstown, Clapham, Bromham, Biddenham and Great Denham.

This is a mostly rural constituency with many small villages. It is generally affluent with low levels of deprivation, especially so in the villages on the western edge of Bedford.[4] Many of the towns and villages have new housing developments. House prices are similar to the rest of the East of England and the average price is higher than the national average.[5]

Residents of North Bedfordshire have a similar age profile to the rest of the country, but with a lower proportion of young adults.[6] Residents have high levels of education and homeownership. Household income is high and the rate of child poverty is low.[5][7] A high proportion of residents work in professional occupations,[5] particularly in the retail sector,[8] and a low proportion claim unemployment benefits.[7] White people made up 90% of the population at the 2021 census.[9]

At the local council level, the eastern towns of Biggleswade, Sandy and Potton are mostly represented by independent councillors. The rest of the constituency elected Conservatives with some Liberal Democrats in the villages close to Bedford. An estimated 54% of voters in North Bedfordshire supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the UK-wide figure of 52%.[5]

History

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This safe Conservative seat was originally held for its entire initial existence by Trevor Skeet who had been the MP for Bedford since 1970. On its re-establishment in 2024, it was won by Richard Fuller who was MP for Bedford from 2010 to 2017 and for North East Bedfordshire from 2019 to 2024.

Boundaries

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1983–1997

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The Borough of North Bedfordshire wards of Brickhill, Bromham, Carlton, Castle, Cauldwell, Clapham, De Parys, Felmersham, Goldington, Harpur, Harrold, Kingsbrook, Newnham, Oakley, Putnoe, Queens Park, Renhold, Riseley, Roxton, and Sharnbrook.[10]

The territory the seat covered was virtually the same as Bedford which it replaced. This included the town of Bedford itself, but not the adjoining community of Kempston. In 1997, the constituency was abolished, being dispersed on a roughly seven to three ratio between a re-established Bedford and the new constituency of Bedfordshire North East, with 17 electors being transferred to Huntingdon.[11]

Current

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The re-established constituency was defined as comprising the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The Borough of Bedford wards of: Bromham and Biddenham; Clapham; Eastcotts; Great Barford; Harrold; Kempston Rural; Oakley; Riseley; Sharnbrook; Wyboston.
  • The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of: Biggleswade North; Biggleswade South; Northill; Potton; Sandy.[12]

Subject to minor changes due to the revision of local authority ward boundaries, the constituency is the successor to North East Bedfordshire – except south eastern areas, including the communities of Arlesey, Langford and Stotfold, which were included in the re-established, cross-county boundary, constituency of Hitchin.

Following further local government boundary reviews in Bedford[13][14] and Central Bedfordshire[15][16] which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

  • The Borough of Bedford wards of: Biddenham; Brickhill (small part); Bromham; Clapham & Oakley; Great Barford; Great Denham; Harrold; Kempston West (part); Renhold & Ravensden (most); Riseley; Sharnbrook; Shortstown; Wootton & Kempston Rural (Kempston Rural parish); Wyboston; and a very small part of Harpur.
  • The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of: Biggleswade East; Biggleswade West; Northill; Potton; Sandy.[17]

Members of Parliament

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MPs 1983–1997

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Bedford prior to 1983

ElectionMember[18]Party
1983Trevor SkeetConservative
1997 constituency abolished

MPs since 2024

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Bedfordshire North East prior to 2024

ElectionMemberParty
2024 Richard Fuller Conservative

Elections

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Elections in the 2020s

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General election 2024: North Bedfordshire[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Fuller 19,981 38.8 −22.3
Labour Uday Nagaraju 14,567 28.3 +9.2
Reform Pippa Clayton 8,433 16.4 +16.2
Liberal Democrats Joanna Szaub-Newton 5,553 10.8 −2.4
Green Philippa Fleming 3,027 5.9 +3.1
Majority 5,414 10.5 −31.5
Turnout 51,561 65.4 −8.2
Registered electors 78,850
Conservative hold Swing −15.8

Elections in the 2010s

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2019 notional result[20]
Party Vote %
Conservative34,36061.1
Labour10,72919.1
Liberal Democrats7,40313.2
Others2,0233.6
Green1,5852.8
Brexit Party1020.2
Turnout 56,202 73.6
Electorate 76,319

Election results 1983–1997

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Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1983: North Bedfordshire[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Trevor Skeet 27,969 52.0
Liberal Brian Gibbons 14,120 26.3
Labour Pat Healy 11,323 21.1
Independent N. Hughes 344 0.6
Majority 13,849 25.7
Turnout 53,756 75.2
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1987: North Bedfordshire[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Trevor Skeet 29,845 52.6 +0.6
Liberal Janice Lennon 13,340 23.5 −2.8
Labour Carl Henderson 13,140 23.1 +2.0
OOBPC Crispin Slee 435 0.8 New
Majority 16,505 29.1 +3.4
Turnout 56,760 77.2 +2.0
Conservative hold Swing +1.7

Elections in the 1990s

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General election 1992: North Bedfordshire[23][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Trevor Skeet 29,970 50.7 −1.9
Labour Patrick Hall 18,302 31.0 +7.9
Liberal Democrats Mike Smithson 10,014 16.9 −6.6
Green Louise Smith 643 1.1 New
Natural Law Bernard Bence 178 0.3 New
Majority 11,668 19.7 −9.4
Turnout 59,107 80.1 +2.9
Conservative hold Swing −4.8

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – Eastern | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Biggleswade". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Seat Details - Bedfordshire North". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Constituency data: Population, by age". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Constituency dashboard". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky, 1995, p. 191.
  12. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.
  13. ↑ LGBCE. "Bedford | LGBCE". lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  14. ↑ "The Bedford (Electoral Changes) Order 2022".
  15. ↑ LGBCE. "Central Bedfordshire | LGBCE". lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "The Central Bedfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2021".
  17. ↑ "New Seat Details – Bedfordshire North". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  18. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)
  19. ↑ "Statement as to Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll – North Bedfordshire constituency". Bedford Borough Council. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  20. ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  21. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  22. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  23. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  24. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
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