Aylesbury expanded significantly after World War II, in a diverse way with a similar proportion of this recent development being social housing estates as private estates.
Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 lower than the regional average of 2.4% and national average of 3.8%, at 2.2% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[3]
Whereas the average house price is higher than the national average, in the Aylesbury Vale authority (which largely overlaps) this in the first quarter of 2013 was £262,769, the lowest of the four authorities in Buckinghamshire and this compares to the highest county average of £549,046 in South Bucks District.
History
Early form
The seat was a much narrower, generally urban borough with two-member status at Westminster from its grant of a limited franchise in 1553 until the passing of the Great Reform Act 1832.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Unusually, the contents of the Parliamentary Borough were defined within the Act itself to include the "Three Hundreds of Aylesbury".[14] This extended the seat to include Wendover and Princes Risborough.[15] The Borough continued to elect two MPs until its abolition by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and transformation into a large county division, formally named the Mid or Aylesbury Division of Buckinghamshire. It was one of three divisions formed from the undivided three-member Parliamentary County of Buckinghamshire, the other two being the Northern or Buckingham Division and the Southern or Wycombe Division. As well as the areas previously represented by the abolished Borough, the reconstituted seat included Linslade to the north-east and Chesham to the south-east. Since then national boundary reviews have seen a gradual reduction in its physical size as its population has grown (see Boundaries Section below).
Political history
The Conservative Party has held the seat since 1924, and held it at the 2015 general election with a 50.7% share of the vote. The result made the seat the 133rd safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority.[16] The closest result since 1929 was in 1966 when the Labour Party candidate fell 7.4% short of a majority.
Sir Stanley Reed edited The Times of India from 1907 until 1924 and received correspondence from the major figures of India such as Mahatma Gandhi. In all he lived in India for fifty years. He was respected in the United Kingdom as an expert on Indian current affairs. He devised the sobriquet for Jaipur, 'the Pink City of India'.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Aylesbury, Chesham, and Linslade, and parts of the second Sessional Division of Desborough and the Sessional Division of Winslow.[18]
Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, 1918–45
1918–1945: The Borough of Aylesbury, the Urban Districts of Beaconsfield and Chesham, the Rural District of Amersham, the part of the Rural District of Aylesbury not included in the Buckingham Division, in the Rural District of Long Crendon the parish of Towersey, and in the Rural District of Wycombe the parishes of Bledlow, Bradenham, Ellesborough, Great and Little Hampden, Great and Little Kimble, Horsenden, Hughenden, Ilmer, Monks Risborough, Princes Risborough, Radnage, Saunderton, and Wendover.[19]
Linslade was transferred to the Buckingham Division and Amersham and Beaconsfield were transferred from the Wycombe Division.
1945–1950: The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944 set up Boundaries 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 election.[20] This was implemented by the Redistribution of Seats Order 1945 under which Buckinghamshire was allocated an additional seat. As a consequence, the parts of the (revised) Rural District of Wycombe in the Aylesbury Division, including Hughenden and Princes Risborough (but not Wendover which had been moved from the Rural District of Wycombe to that of Aylesbury by the reorganisation of local authorities in Buckinghamshire), were transferred to Wycombe.
There were no further changes and the revised composition of the constituency, after taking account of changes to local authorities, was: The Borough of Aylesbury, the Urban Districts of Beaconsfield and Chesham, the Rural District of Amersham, parts of the Rural Districts of Aylesbury and Wing, and the part of the Rural District of Bullingdon in Buckinghamshire.[21]
1950–1974: The Borough of Aylesbury, the Urban District of Chesham, the Rural District of Aylesbury, and in the Rural District of Amersham the parishes of Ashley Green, Chartridge, Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards, Great Missenden, Latimer, Lee, and Little Missenden.[22]
Beaconsfield and southern parts of the Rural District of Amersham (including Amersham itself) were transferred to the new County Constituency of South Buckinghamshire. The boundary with Buckingham was redrawn to align with the northern boundary of the Rural District of Aylesbury.
1974–1983: The Borough of Aylesbury, the Rural District of Aylesbury, and in the Rural District of Wycombe the parishes of Bledlow-cum-Saunderton, Bradenham, Ellesborough, Great and Little Hampden, Great and Little Kimble, Ibstone, Lacey Green, Longwick-cum-Ilmer, Princes Risborough, Radnage, and Stokenchurch.[23]
Parts of the Rural District of Wycombe, including Princes Risborough (but excluding Hughenden), transferred back from Wycombe. Chesham and the northern part of the Rural District of Amersham included in the new County Constituency of Chesham and Amersham.
1983–1997: The District of Aylesbury Vale wards of Aston Clinton, Aylesbury Central, Bedgrove, Elmhurst, Gatehouse, Grange, Mandeville, Meadowcroft, Oakfield, Southcourt, Wendover, and Weston Turville, the District of Chiltern wards of Ballinger and South Heath, Great Missenden, and Prestwood and Heath End, and the District of Wycombe wards of Bledlow-cum-Saunderton, Icknield, Lacey Green and Hampden, Naphill-cum-Bradenham, Princes Risborough, and Stokenchurch.[24]
Great Missenden transferred from Chesham and Amersham. Rural areas to the north and west of the town of Aylesbury transferred to Buckingham.
1997–2010: The District of Aylesbury Vale wards of Aylesbury Central, Bedgrove, Elmhurst, Gatehouse, Grange, Mandeville, Meadowcroft, Oakfield, Southcourt, Wendover, and Weston Turville, the District of Chiltern wards of Ballinger and South Heath, Great Missenden, and Prestwood and Heath End, and the District of Wycombe wards of Bledlow-cum-Saunderton, Icknield, Lacey Green and Hampden, Naphill-cum-Bradenham, Princes Risborough, and Stokenchurch.[25]
Minor changes, including the transfer of District of Aylesbury Vale ward of Aston Clinton to Buckingham.
2010–present: The District of Aylesbury Vale wards of Aston Clinton, Aylesbury Central, Bedgrove, Coldharbour, Elmhurst and Watermead, Gatehouse, Mandeville and Elm Farm, Oakfield, Quarrendon, Southcourt, Walton Court and Hawkslade, and Wendover, and the District of Wycombe wards of Bledlow and Bradenham, Greater Hughenden, Lacey Green, Speen and the Hampdens, Stokenchurch, and Radnage.[26]
Hughenden transferred from Wycombe. Princes Risborough transferred to Buckingham, offset against return of Aston Clinton. Great Missenden returned to Chesham and Amersham.
The constituency is based on the large town of Aylesbury and its suburbs as well as a small swathe of villages broken up by woods and cultivated land in the centre of the Chilterns which cover most of Buckinghamshire and parts of three other counties.
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; *Conservative:
Stanley Reed
On the original count, both Smith and Wentworth received 535 votes, meaning there were three MPs elected. However, after scrutiny, Wentworth lost one vote and was declared unduly elected on 2 August 1859.[53]
^This is currently still a county constituency, so-called for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer. Elections are held at least every five years.
^Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
^S., Craig, Fred W. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN0900178094. OCLC539011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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