County Essex Number of members One | Created 1974 (1974) Created from Maldon | |
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Population 97,840 (2011 census)
electorate = 72,064 (December 2010) Member of parliament James Cleverly (Conservative) | ||
Braintree is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by James Cleverly of the Conservative Party.
Contents
Boundaries
1974-1983: The Urban Districts of Braintree and Bocking, and Witham, the Rural District of Braintree, and in the Rural District of Chelmsford the civil parishes of Boreham, Broomfield, Chignall, Good Easter, Great and Little Leighs, Great Waltham, Little Waltham, Mashbury, Pleshey, Roxwell, Springfield, and Writtle.
1983-1997: The District of Braintree wards of Black Notley, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree West, Coggeshall, Cressing, Hatfield Peverel, Kelvedon, Panfield, Rayne, Terling, Three Fields, Witham Central, Witham Chipping Hill, Witham North, Witham Silver End and Rivenhall, Witham South, and Witham West, and the Borough of Chelmsford wards of Broomfield and Chignall, Good Easter Mashbury and Roxwell, Great and Little Leighs and Little Waltham, Great Waltham and Pleshey, and Writtle.
1997-2010: The District of Braintree wards of Black Notley, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree West, Coggeshall, Cressing, Earls Colne, Gosfield, Hatfield Peveril, Kelvedon, Panfield, Rayne, Terling, Three Fields, Witham Central, Witham Chipping Hill, Witham North, Witham Silver End and Rivenhall, Witham South, and Witham West.
2010-present: The District of Braintree wards of Bocking Blackwater, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree South, Bumpstead, Cressing and Stisted, Gosfield and Greenstead Green, Great Notley and Braintree West, Halstead St Andrews, Halstead Trinity, Hedingham and Maplestead, Panfield, Rayne, Stour Valley North, Stour Valley South, The Three Colnes, Three Fields, Upper Colne, and Yeldham.
The 2010 redistribution allowed a new Witham seat to be created and caused extension of this constituency out towards the Stour Valley, the border with Suffolk, and took in Bumpstead which shares a civil parish boundary with south-east Cambridgeshire.
History
The former Leader of the House Tony Newton held the seat for the Conservatives from its creation in 1974 until 1997 when Alan Hurst defeated Newton to gain the seat for Labour. Brooks Newmark defeated Hurst in 2005 to regain the seat for the Conservatives, and held it until he stood down and was succeeded by James Cleverly, also a Conservative.