Mole Valley (UK Parliament constituency)

Mole Valley is a former constituency in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Sir Paul Beresford, a Conservative, until it was abolished in 2024, primarily replaced by Dorking and Horley.

Mole Valley
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Mole Valley in Surrey
Outline map
Location of Surrey within England
CountySurrey
Electorate72,568 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsDorking, Leatherhead, Fetcham and Great Bookham
19832024
SeatsOne
Created fromDorking and Epsom & Ewell[2]
Replaced byDorking and Horley

Boundaries

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Map of boundaries 1997-2024

1983–1997: The District of Mole Valley, and the Borough of Guildford ward of Tillingbourne.

1997–2024: The District of Mole Valley wards of Beare Green, Bookham North, Bookham South, Box Hill and Headley, Brockham, Betchworth and Buckland, Capel, Leigh and Newdigate, Charlwood, Dorking North, Dorking South, Fetcham East, Fetcham West, Holmwoods, Leatherhead North, Leatherhead South, Leith Hill, Mickleham, Westhumble and Pixham, Okewood, and Westcott; and the Borough of Guildford wards of Clandon and Horsley, Effingham, Lovelace, Send, and Tillingbourne.

The constituency was larger than the Mole Valley District of Surrey as it included five wards in the east of the Borough of Guildford, three of which are nearer to Woking than to Dorking. The largest town in the Mole Valley constituency was Dorking, the second largest was Leatherhead and there are many rural and semi-rural villages, generally within one hour's reach of London so properly classed as part of the London Commuter Belt.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat underwent boundary changes, adding the town of Horley, and losing Leatherhead. As a consequence, it was reformed as the new seat of Dorking and Horley, starting from the 2024 general election.[3]

History and constituency profile

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The county constituency was created in 1983; much of the same area was covered by the Dorking constituency which preceded it. It was a Conservative safe seat in terms of length of party tenure and great size of its majorities. It has a majority adult demographic of affluent middle-class families living in commuter towns and villages speedily connected to business parks by road and central London by rail, it was one of a few seats to return a new candidate as Conservative MP who won a majority in excess of 10,000 in the 1997 Labour landslide; the main opposition since 1983 was the Liberal Democrats and their largest predecessor party, the Liberal Party.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[4] Party
1983 Kenneth Baker Conservative
1997 Sir Paul Beresford Conservative

Elections

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General election results from 1983-2019

Elections in the 2010s

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General election 2019: Mole Valley[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Beresford 31,656 55.4 ―6.5
Liberal Democrats Paul Kennedy 19,615 34.4 +15.1
Labour Brian Bostock 2,965 5.2 ―8.7
Green Lisa Scott-Conte 1,874 3.3 +0.7
Independent Robin Horsley 536 0.9 New
UKIP Geoffrey Cox 464 0.8 ―1.6
Majority 12,041 21.0 ―21.6
Turnout 57,110 76.5 +0.2
Conservative hold Swing ―10.7
General election 2017: Mole Valley[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Beresford 35,092 61.9 +1.3
Liberal Democrats Paul Kennedy 10,955 19.3 +4.8
Labour Marc Green 7,864 13.9 +5.6
Green Jacquetta Fewster 1,463 2.6 ―2.8
UKIP Judy Moore 1,352 2.4 ―8.8
Majority 24,137 42.6 ―3.5
Turnout 56,866 76.3 +2.1
Conservative hold Swing ―1.8
General election 2015: Mole Valley[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Beresford[8] 33,434 60.6 +3.1
Liberal Democrats Paul Kennedy 7,981 14.5 ―14.2
UKIP Paul Oakley[9] 6,181 11.2 +6.1
Labour Leonard Amos[10] 4,565 8.3 +1.3
Green Jacquetta Fewster[11] 2,979 5.4 +3.8
Majority 25,453 46.1 +17.3
Turnout 55,329 74.2 ―0.6
Conservative hold Swing +8.7
General election 2010: Mole Valley[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Beresford 31,263 57.5 +2.7
Liberal Democrats Alice Humphreys 15,610 28.7 ―1.8
Labour James Dove 3,804 7.0 ―3.7
UKIP Leigh Jones 2,752 5.1 +2.1
Green Rob Sedgwick 895 1.6 New
Majority 15,653 28.8 +4.5
Turnout 54,324 74.8 +3.3
Conservative hold Swing +2.3

Elections in the 2000s

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General election 2005: Mole Valley[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Beresford 27,060 54.8 +4.3
Liberal Democrats Nasser Butt 15,063 30.5 +1.5
Labour Farmida Bi 5,310 10.7 ―5.9
UKIP David Payne 1,475 3.0 +0.2
Veritas Roger Meekins 507 1.0 New
Majority 11,997 24.3 +2.8
Turnout 49,415 72.5 +3.6
Conservative hold Swing +1.4
General election 2001: Mole Valley[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Beresford 23,790 50.5 +2.5
Liberal Democrats Celia Savage 13,637 29.0 ―0.3
Labour Dan Redford 7,837 16.6 +1.8
UKIP Ronald Walters 1,333 2.8 +2.0
ProLife Alliance William Newton 475 1.0 New
Majority 10,153 21.5 +2.8
Turnout 47,072 68.9 −9.5
Conservative hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1990s

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This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.

General election 1997: Mole Valley[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Beresford 26,178 48.0 ―13.3
Liberal Democrats Stephen Cooksey 15,957 29.3 +0.6
Labour Christopher Payne 8,057 14.8 +5.4
Referendum Nick Taber 2,424 4.4 New
Ind. Conservative Richard Burley 1,276 2.3 New
UKIP Ian Cameron 435 0.8 New
Natural Law Judith Thomas 197 0.4 ―0.4
Majority 10,221 18.7 −10.3
Turnout 54,524 78.4 −3.6
Conservative hold Swing ―6.9
General election 1992: Mole Valley[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kenneth Baker 32,549 59.3 ―1.5
Liberal Democrats Michael Watson 16,599 30.3 +0.4
Labour Tim Walsh 5,291 9.6 +0.3
Natural Law Judith Thomas 442 0.8 New
Majority 15,950 29.0 ―1.9
Turnout 54,881 82.0 +5.0
Conservative hold Swing ―0.9

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1987: Mole Valley[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kenneth Baker 31,689 60.8 ±0.0
Liberal Susan Thomas 15,613 29.9 ―0.8
Labour Christopher King 4,846 9.3 +0.8
Majority 16,076 30.9 +0.8
Turnout 52,148 77.0 +2.0
Conservative hold Swing +0.4
General election 1983: Mole Valley[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kenneth Baker 29,691 60.8
Liberal Susan Thomas 14,973 30.7
Labour Fanny Lines 4,147 8.5
Majority 14,718 30.1
Turnout 48,811 75.0
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ^ "'Mole Valley', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  3. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South East | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 3)
  5. ^ "Mole Valley Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated 2017" (PDF). Mole Valley District Council. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. ^ "UK ELECTION RESULTS: Mole Valley 2015".
  9. ^ "UK Polling Report".
  10. ^ "Leonard Amos PPC page". Labour Party (UK). Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Surrey Green Party | Mole Valley Green Party". Archived from the original on 12 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  18. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Bibliography

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51°15′58″N 0°19′41″W / 51.266°N 0.328°W / 51.266; -0.328