Lewisham, Deptford
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
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.
Constituency profile
The seat takes in Lewisham's northern tip - a short stretch alongside the river Thames - along with the Deptford and New Cross areas, and the centre of Lewisham itself. These are historically some of the more deprived in London with high crime rates and social problems, though some more upmarket housing developments are springing up as former industrial sites are cleared away as part of an ongoing rejuvenation process.The area is relatively affordable, given the short commuting distance to both central London and Canary Wharf, via the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
. Goldsmiths, University of London is within the seat and there is a substantial student population here.
Lewisham Deptford has been one of Labour's safest London seats for many years - it was the party's 25th safest in the entire country at the 2001 election - though social change in the last decade has seen things become a little more competitive, with an active Liberal Democrat party
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
in the area.
Boundaries
The constituency covers the northern and north-western parts of the London Borough of LewishamLondon Borough of Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham...
. It is made up of seven electoral wards from the borough:
- Brockley; Crofton Park; Evelyn; Ladywell; Lewisham Central; New Cross; Telegraph Hill
Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South LondonSouth London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, the Boundary Commission for England has made changes to the constituencies within Lewisham borough, pairing Lewisham with the London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
and allocating six seats to the pairing, with the electorate of Lewisham requiring approximately 2.5 seats and Bromley 3.5. This resulted in the creation of a new cross-boundary seat of Lewisham West and Penge
Lewisham West and Penge (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewisham West and Penge is a cross-border 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....
which takes electoral wards from both Boroughs.
In Lewisham, Deptford the Commission made changes following a review of ward boundaries. Part of Crofton Park ward was transferred from the former Lewisham West constituency. A large part of Lewisham Central ward was transferred from Lewisham East constituency, and part of Rushey Green ward was transferred from Lewisham, Deptford to Lewisham East.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
John Silkin John Silkin John Ernest Silkin, PC was an English Labour politician and solicitor.He was the third son of Lewis Silkin, 1st Baron Silkin, and a younger brother of Samuel Silkin, Baron Silkin of Dulwich. He was educated at Dulwich College, the University of Wales, and Trinity Hall at the University of... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
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| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... |
Joan Ruddock Joan Ruddock Joan Mary Ruddock is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford since 1987. She is a feminist and is the wife of Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
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