Arundel and South Downs
Encyclopedia
Arundel and South Downs is a county 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.
, and many village
s and hamlet
s along the South Downs
, including Petworth
, Pulborough
and Steyning
.
, the Boundary Commission for England has made alterations to all existing constituencies to deal with population changes. The modified Arundel and South Downs constituency is created with the following electoral wards:
due to the deselection of its sitting Conservative member, Howard Flight
, who had represented the constituency since its creation at the 1997 general election
. Anne Marie Morris, Laura Sandys
and Nick Herbert put themselves forward for nomination as replacement candidates. The chosen candidate, Nick Herbert
, won the seat at the election.
In their provisional recommendations, the Boundary Commission for England initially suggested calling the new constituency Chanctonbury after Chanctonbury Ring
, an ancient hill fort at its centre. This name was rejected during the local inquiry process at which the current name was chosen.
Prior to 1997, this seat had been split between other constituencies. Between 1983 and 1997, the town of Arundel had been part of the Arundel
constituency, which also included the towns of Bognor Regis
and Littlehampton
, and the area of the South Downs had been part of the Horsham
constituency.
Between 1974 and 1983, much of the South Downs area was part of the Shoreham
constituency, with the town of Arundel remaining in the Arundel constituency.
Prior to 1974, the seat was largely part of the Arundel and Shoreham
constituency.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elects one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Boundaries
The constituency contains the town of ArundelArundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
, and many village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s and hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
s along the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
, including Petworth
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
, Pulborough
Pulborough
Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north-south A29 and the east-west roads.The village is near the...
and Steyning
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
.
Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary boundaries in West SussexWest Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, the Boundary Commission for England has made alterations to all existing constituencies to deal with population changes. The modified Arundel and South Downs constituency is created with the following electoral wards:
- From the District of ArunArunArun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.-History:...
- AngmeringAngmeringAngmering is a large village and civil parish between Littlehampton and Worthing in West Sussex, England. It is located approximately two miles north of the English Channel; Worthing and Littlehampton are about four miles to the east and west respectively.Angmering railway station is miles away...
, ArundelArundelArundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
, BarnhamBarnham, West SussexBarnham is a large village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, about five miles north of Bognor Regis. The civil parish had a population of 1,270 persons according to the 1991 census, although the adjacent area of 'West Barnham' adds a further 3,107 to the total...
, FindonFindon, West SussexFindon is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, four miles north of Worthing. The parish has an area of 16.41 km² and a population of 1848 persons ....
, and WalbertonWalbertonWalberton is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is located five miles to the north-west of Littlehampton, and is situated south of the A27 road. Located on the southernmost slopes of the South Downs the civil parish covers an area of and has a population... - From ChichesterChichester (district)Chichester is a largely rural local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in the city of Chichester.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Chichester and the Rural Districts of...
- Bury, PetworthPetworthPetworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
, and Wisborough Green - From HorshamHorsham (district)Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
- BramberBramberBramber is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the northern edge of the South Downs and on the west side of the River Adur. Nearby are the communities of Steyning to the west and Upper Beeding to the east, and the other side of the river....
, Upper BeedingUpper BeedingUpper Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the northern end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea and has a land area of 1877 hectares...
and Woodmancote, Chanctonbury, Chantry, Cowfold, Shermanbury and West Grinstead, HenfieldHenfieldHenfield is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, northwest of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester at the road junction of the A281 and A2037. The parish has a land area of . In the 2001 census 5,012...
, Pulborough and Coldwaltham, and Steyning - From Mid SussexMid SussexMid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
- HassocksHassocksHassocks is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. Its name is believed to derive from the tufts of grass found in the surrounding fields....
, and HurstpierpointHurstpierpointHurstpierpoint is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. Together with Sayers Common it forms one of the Mid Sussex civil parishes, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons....
and Downs.
History
Arundel and South Downs has been a Conservative Party stronghold. The constituency shot to prominence in the run-up to the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
due to the deselection of its sitting Conservative member, Howard Flight
Howard Flight
Howard Emerson Flight, Baron Flight is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and a member of the House of Lords. He was Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 to 2005...
, who had represented the constituency since its creation at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. Anne Marie Morris, Laura Sandys
Laura Sandys
Laura Jane Sandys is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament for South Thanet since the general election on 6 May 2010.-Early life:...
and Nick Herbert put themselves forward for nomination as replacement candidates. The chosen candidate, Nick Herbert
Nick Herbert
Nicholas Le Quesne "Nick" Herbert is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs...
, won the seat at the election.
In their provisional recommendations, the Boundary Commission for England initially suggested calling the new constituency Chanctonbury after Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring is a hill fort based ring of trees atop Chanctonbury Hill on the South Downs, on the border of the civil parishes of Washington and Wiston in the English county of West Sussex. A ridgeway, now part of the South Downs Way, runs along the hill...
, an ancient hill fort at its centre. This name was rejected during the local inquiry process at which the current name was chosen.
Prior to 1997, this seat had been split between other constituencies. Between 1983 and 1997, the town of Arundel had been part of the Arundel
Arundel (UK Parliament constituency)
Arundel was twice a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The first incarnation strictly comprised the town centre of Arundel and was a borough constituency first enfranchised in 1332 and disfranchised in 1868 under the Reform...
constituency, which also included the towns of Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
and Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
, and the area of the South Downs had been part of the Horsham
Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)
Horsham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
constituency.
Between 1974 and 1983, much of the South Downs area was part of the Shoreham
Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)
Shoreham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1997....
constituency, with the town of Arundel remaining in the Arundel constituency.
Prior to 1974, the seat was largely part of the Arundel and Shoreham
Arundel and Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)
Arundel and Shoreham was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was created for the 1950 general election, and abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was divided to create the constituencies of Arundel and Shoreham.-Members of...
constituency.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Howard Flight Howard Flight Howard Emerson Flight, Baron Flight is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and a member of the House of Lords. He was Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 to 2005... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... |
Nick Herbert Nick Herbert Nicholas Le Quesne "Nick" Herbert is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Sources
- Election result, 2005 (BBC)
- Election results, 1997 - 2001 (BBC)
- Election results, 1997 - 2001 (Election Demon)
- Election results, 1997 - 2005 (Guardian)