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Croydon Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 51°22′08″N 0°03′14″W / 51.369°N 0.054°W / 51.369; -0.054
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Croydon Central
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Croydon Central in Greater London
CountyGreater London
Electorate76,980 (December 2010)[1]
Current constituency
Created1974 (1974)
Member of ParliamentGavin Barwell (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromCroydon South

Croydon Central is a borough constituency 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 of election. The current MP is Conservative Gavin Barwell.

Constituency profile

Croydon Central covers a wedge of the London Borough of Croydon to the east of central Croydon and is much more marginal than the other two seats within the borough, Croydon South (which is safely Conservative) and Croydon North (Labour). The northern parts are characterised by terraced houses and urban areas, with small council estates. Labour gains much support from in particular Addiscombe, Fieldway, Woodside and Ashburton. The southern area, largely Conservative, consists of suburban semi-detached houses, populated by commuters, surrounded by golf courses and parkland. The wards of Shirley, Heathfield and Fairfield give large Conservative votes. In the south east corner, there is a large former council estate, New Addington, with two electoral wards for the more than 10,000 rather isolated residents. The estate is largely white and there have been strong British National Party showings, although Labour has traditionally won the bulk of the votes on the estate.

Most of the office blocks and shopping centres of Croydon town centre, as well as the mainline railway stations are within this seat.

History

The constituency that preceded Croydon Central in this area, Croydon South (not to be confused with the current Croydon South constituency), had twice seen Croydon's only Labour MPs before the 1990s. David Rees-Williams had held the seat from the 1945 Labour landslide until unfavourable boundary changes in 1950. David Winnick won the seat in 1966 before losing in 1970 (he has been MP for the much safer seat of Walsall North in Staffordshire since 1979). Otherwise the seat had been firm Conservative territory.

Historically, Labour's strength in the area had been on the council estates, particularly New Addington. However, there were important demographic changes across Croydon that saw greater numbers of ethnic minorities and residents of inner London move to Croydon from the 1970s onwards, making the area, especially north west Croydon, more favourable for Labour.

In 1997, Croydon's seats were reduced from four to three and the displaced Conservative Members had to face one another for the right to stand in the new Croydon Central seat (Croydon North by then a Labour-held seat). The MP for Croydon North East, David Congdon, beat off Sir Paul Beresford, the MP for the former Croydon Central seat. However, three years after Labour had taken control of Croydon Council, Labour's Geraint Davies saw off Congdon with a majority of 4,000. He held the seat with a similar majority in 2001 but lost by just 75 votes to Conservative Andrew Pelling in 2005, with the Liberal Democrats and Green Party gaining some 7,000 votes between them.

Boundaries

Central Croydon's main shopping area
The new wards and boundaries of the Croydon Central constituency

1974–1983: The London Borough of Croydon wards of Broad Green, Central, New Addington, Shirley, and Waddon.

1983–1997: The London Borough of Croydon wards of Fairfield, Fieldway, Heathfield, New Addington, Spring Park, and Waddon.

1997–2010: The London Borough of Croydon wards of Addiscombe, Ashburton, Fairfield, Fieldway, Heathfield, Monks Orchard, New Addington, Rylands, Spring Park, and Woodside.

2010–present: The London Borough of Croydon wards of Addiscombe, Ashburton, Fairfield, Fieldway, Heathfield, New Addington, Shirley, and Woodside.

Croydon Central covers the central and eastern parts of the London Borough of Croydon, one of the Borough's three seats. It is bordered by Croydon North and Croydon South, as well as Beckenham to the east.

The seat was redrawn in the 1997 redistribution, taking in territory from most of the pre-1997 Croydon Central constituency (losing Waddon ward to the redrawn Croydon South) and part of the abolished Croydon North East constituency. It covers an area that was Croydon South constituency until 1974 when part of Surrey East was incorporated into a new Croydon South constituency, following the creation of the London Borough of Croydon in 1965.

Members of Parliament

Election Member[2] Party
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | February 1974 John Moore Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | 1992 Sir Paul Beresford Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | 1997 Geraint Davies Labour
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | 2005 Andrew Pelling Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Independent/meta/color" | 2007 Independent
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | 2010 Gavin Barwell Conservative

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Croydon Central
General Election 2015: Croydon Central[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gavin Barwell 22,753 43.0 +3.6
Labour Sarah Jones 22,588 42.7 +9.1
UKIP Peter Staveley 4,810 9.1 +7.1
Green Esther Sutton[5] 1,454 2.7 +1.6
Liberal Democrats James Fearnley 1,152 2.2 −11.0
TUSC April Ashley 127 0.2 N/A
Progressive Democracy Martin Camden 57 0.1 N/A
Majority 165 0.3 −5.91
Turnout 52,941 67.7 +2.2
Conservative hold Swing -2.8
General Election 2010: Croydon Central[6][7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gavin Barwell 19,657 39.5 −0.9
Labour Co-op Gerry Ryan 16,688 33.5 −7.6
Liberal Democrats Peter Lambell 6,553 13.2 +0.4
Independent Andrew Pelling 3,239 6.5 N/A
BNP Cliff le May 1,448 2.9 N/A
UKIP Ralph Atkinson 997 2.0 −0.2
Green Bernice Golberg 581 1.2 −1.0
Christian James Gitau 264 0.5 N/A
Monster Raving Loony John Sydney Cartwright 192 0.4 +0.0
Independent Michael Castle 138 0.3 N/A
Majority 2,969 5.94
Turnout 49,967 65.45 +3.0
Conservative hold Swing +3.3

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Croydon Central[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Pelling 19,974 40.8 +2.3
Labour Geraint Davies 19,899 40.6 −6.6
Liberal Democrats Jeremy Hargreaves 6,384 13.0 +1.8
UKIP Ian Edwards 1,066 2.2 +1.0
Green Bernice Golberg 1,036 2.1 N/A
Veritas Marianne Bowness 304 0.6 N/A
Monster Raving Loony John Sydney Cartwright 193 0.4 –0.5
The People's Choice! Exclusively For All Janet Stears 101 0.2 N/A
Majority 75 0.2
Turnout 48,957 60.6 +1.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.4
General Election 2001: Croydon Central[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geraint Davies 21,643 47.2 +1.6
Conservative David Congdon 17,659 38.5 –0.1
Liberal Democrats Paul Booth 5,156 11.2 +0.4
UKIP James Feisenberger 545 1.2 +0.7
BNP Linda Miller 449 1.0 N/A
Monster Raving Loony John Sydney Cartwright 408 0.9 N/A
Majority 3,984 8.7
Turnout 45,860 59.1 –10.5
Labour hold Swing +0.8

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Croydon Central[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geraint Davies 25,432 45.6 +10.1
Conservative David Congdon 21,535 38.6 −16.8
Liberal Democrats George Schlich 6,061 10.9 −2.4
Referendum Charles Cook 1,886 3.3
Green Mario-Simon Barnsley 595 1.1
UKIP John Woollcott 290 0.5
Majority 3,897 7.0 −8.2
Turnout 55,799 69.6 −1.9
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +15.5%
General Election 1992: Croydon Central[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Paul Beresford 22,168 55.4 −1.2
Labour Geraint Davies 12,518 31.3 +6.9
Liberal Democrats Deborah J. Richardson 5,342 13.3 −5.7
Majority 9,650 24.1 −8.2
Turnout 40,028 71.5 +1.0
Conservative hold Swing -4.1

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Croydon Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Moore 22,133 56.63
Labour Bridget Prentice 9,516 24.35
SDP T. Burgess 7,435 19.02
Majority 12,617 32.28
Turnout 70.54
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Croydon Central[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Moore 20,866 53.81
Labour Andrew MacKinlay 9,045 23.33
SDP T. Burgess 8,864 22.86
Majority 11,821 30.49
Turnout 68.59
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Croydon Central
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Moore 26,457 52.47
Labour D.F. White 18,499 36.69
Liberal J.P. Johnson 5,112 10.14
Ind. Conservative M.J. Soper 238 0.47
Workers Revolutionary P. Gibson 116 0.23
Majority 7,958 15.78
Turnout 75.68
Conservative hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Croydon Central
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Moore 20,390 42.08
Labour David Winnick 20,226 41.75
Liberal Ian Henry Maxwell 7,834 16.17
Majority 164 0.34
Turnout 72.59
Conservative hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Croydon Central
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Moore 21,353 40.49
Labour R.A. Rosser 20,039 38.00
Liberal Ian Henry Maxwell 11,346 21.51
Majority 1,314 2.49
Turnout 79.74
Conservative hold Swing

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
  3. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  4. ^ https://www.croydon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/articles/downloads/Croydon-Central-election-results_1.pdf 19Aug15
  5. ^ "Croydon Green Party – Croydon Green Party Announces Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". greenparty.org.uk.
  6. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 26 July 2013 suggested (help)
  7. ^ General Election 2010 – Croydon Central BBC News
  8. ^ [1] Croydon Council
  9. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Croydon Central (Archive)". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  13. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  15. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

51°22′08″N 0°03′14″W / 51.369°N 0.054°W / 51.369; -0.054

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