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UK Parliament - Beckenham

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> United Kingdom > England > London > London > Beckenham

Office

Parliament

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

April 20, 2010 - 06:00pm

Polls Open

May 06, 2010 - 01:00am

Polls Close

May 06, 2010 - 04:00pm

Term Start

May 17, 2010 - 12:00pm

Term End

May 07, 2015 - 12:00pm

Contributor

Ralphie

Last Modified

IndyGeorgia May 08, 2015 10:27am

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

BBC Profile:
As part of the Bromley seat before 1948 and then as Beckenham, this area has always been represented by the Conservatives. West Wickham was added when the Ravensbourne constituency was abolished in 1997.

Between 1992 and 1997 the seat was represented by Conservative Piers Merchant.

Shortly after the election, Merchant resigned and a by-election was won by the Conservative Jacqui Lait, who retained the seat for the Tories with a majority of 1,227.

In 2001 Lait won a majority of 4,959, while in 2005 a 3.1% swing away from Labour re-secured the seat with a majority of 8,401.

At the election, the Crystal Palace and Penge and Cator wards in the north have now joined neighbouring Lewisham West and Penge. Beckenham has gained two wards from Bromley and Chislehurst. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.

Almost three-quarters of housing in Beckenham is owner-occupied. Residences are dominated by 1930s suburban semis and detached houses in Beckenham, Shortlands, Kelsey Park and Copers Cope. There are also low-rise blocks of flats for retired people and younger London commuters.

Much of the working population are in senior, managerial employment.

A new hospital in Farnborough, near Orpington to the south of Beckenham, opened in 2003, taking pressure off the smaller health facilities within the seat.

Many people in Beckenham depend on trains to commute into central London, with a number of overland stations within the constituency travelling to London Bridge, London Waterloo and London Victoria.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
C 25,002 (59.72%)
Lab 8,089 (19.32%)
LD 6,748 (16.12%)
UKIP 1,189 (2.84%)
Others 836 (2.00%)