Chingford (UK Parliament constituency)

Chingford was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Chingford in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.

Chingford
Former constituency for the House of Commons
County	Greater London
February 1974–1997
Seats	One
Created from	Epping and Walthamstow East
Replaced by	Chingford & Woodford Green, Walthamstow

History

Historically having Chingford as part of Epping in South-West Essex, the constituency existed from February 1974 until it was abolished for the 1997 general election. It was held by the Conservative Party throughout this period. Both of its former Members of Parliament are well known, being Norman Tebbit and Iain Duncan Smith.

Boundaries

1974–1983: The London Borough of Waltham Forest wards of Chapel End, Chingford Central, Chingford North West, Chingford South, and Hale End.

1983–1997: The London Borough of Waltham Forest wards of Chapel End, Chingford Green, Endlebury, Hale End, Hatch Lane, Larkswood, and Valley.

The seat was created out of the old Epping and Walthamstow East constituencies, and no part of it was ever in the post-1965 administrative county of Essex. It was replaced in 1997 by the new Chingford and Woodford Green constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	Feb 1974	Norman Tebbit	Conservative
	1992	Iain Duncan Smith	Conservative
	1997	constituency abolished: see Chingford and Woodford Green & Walthamstow

Elections

Elections in the 1970s

General election February 1974: Chingford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Norman Tebbit	19,921	43.1
	Labour	M.A. Gerrard	14,238	30.8
	Liberal	D.A. Nicholson	12,060	26.1
Majority			5,683	12.3
Turnout			46,219	81.8
	Conservative win (new seat)

General election October 1974: Chingford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Norman Tebbit	19,022	45.5	+2.4
	Labour	Paul F. Tinnion	14,377	34.4	+3.6
	Liberal	D.A. Nicholson	8,438	20.2	−5.9
Majority			4,645	11.1	−1.2
Turnout			41,837	73.4	−8.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.6

General election 1979: Chingford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Norman Tebbit	24,640	56.1	+10.6
	Labour	Neil Gerrard	12,257	27.9	−6.5
	Liberal	D.A. Nicholson	5,225	11.9	−8.3
	National Front	D. South	1,157	2.6	New
	Ecology	Stephen Lambert	649	1.5	New
Majority			12,383	28.2	+17.1
Turnout			43,928	78.4	+5.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.6

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Chingford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Norman Tebbit	22,541	55.1	−1.0
	Liberal	Richard Hoskins	10,127	24.8	+12.9
	Labour	William Shepherd	7,239	17.7	−10.2
	Ecology	John Morgan	479	1.2	−0.3
	National Front	Brent A. Cheetham	380	0.9	−1.7
	Independent	J.C. Neighbour	104	0.2	New
	Independent	S.J.A. Barklem	34	0.1	New
Majority			12,414	30.3	+2.1
Turnout			40,904	72.7	−5.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1987: Chingford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Norman Tebbit	27,110	62.2	+7.1
	Liberal	John Williams	9,155	21.0	−3.8
	Labour	Margaret Cosin	6,650	15.3	−2.4
	Green	Elizabeth Newton	634	1.5	+0.3
Majority			17,955	41.2	+10.9
Turnout			43,549	76.7	+4.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.5

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Chingford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Iain Duncan Smith	25,730	59.2	−3.0
	Labour	Peter J. Dawe	10,792	24.8	+9.5
	Liberal Democrats	Simon G. Banks	5,705	13.1	−7.9
	Liberal	David W. Green	602	1.4	New
	Green	John M. Baguley	575	1.3	−0.2
	Independent	Christine M. Johns	41	0.1	New
Majority			14,938	34.4	−6.8
Turnout			43,445	78.3	+1.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−6.3

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)