County East Sussex Major settlements Eastbourne Created from East Sussex Member of parliament Caroline Ansell Number of members 1 Party Conservative Party | Electorate 78,262 (May 2015) Created 1885 European Parliament constituency South East England Major settlement Eastbourne Replaced by East Sussex | |
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Eastbourne is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since May 2015 by Caroline Ansell of the Conservative Party.
Contents
Constituency profile
Before 1990 almost always a safe Conservative seat, and with larger borders, Eastbourne since 1983 has been narrowed to the town and its immediate outskirts, primarily in the South Downs National Park. The town is towards the edge of the reasonable London Commuter Belt and is a coastal resort town that has had only marginal majorities following the 1990 by-election between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats for many years. A Liberal Democrat gained the seat at the 2010 general election, in an election which saw the 6th lowest Labour share of the vote of the 631 candidates who stood at the election, on 4.8%.
During the 2016 referendum to gauge support for the UK remaining a member of or leaving the European Union, the majority of voters in the area voted in favour of exiting the European Union. This was the preferred outcome of Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell.
Boundaries
1885-1918: The Corporate Towns of Pevensey and Seaford, the Sessional Divisions of Hailsham and Uckfield (except the civil parishes of East Hoathley and Waldron), and part of the Sessional Division of Lewes.
1918-1950: The County Borough of Eastbourne, the Rural District of Eastbourne, and in the Rural District of Hailsham the civil parishes of Arlington, Chalvington, Chiddingly, Hailsham, Hellingly, Laughton, and Ripe.
1950-1955: The County Borough of Eastbourne, the Municipal Borough of Bexhill, and in the Rural District of Hailsham the civl parishes of Eastdean, Friston, Hooe, Jevington, Ninfield, Pevensey, Polegate, Wartling, Westham, and Willingdon.
1955-1974: The County Borough of Eastbourne, and part of the Rural District of Hailsham.
1974-1983: The County Borough of Eastbourne, and in the Rural District of Hailsham the civl parishes of Eastdean, Friston, Jevington, Pevensey, Polegate, Westdean, Westham, and Willingdon.
1983-1997: The Borough of Eastbourne, and the District of Wealden wards of Polegate North, Polegate South, and Willingdon.
1997-2010: The Borough of Eastbourne, and the District of Wealden wards of East Dean and Willingdon.
2010-present: The Borough of Eastbourne, and the District of Wealden ward of Willingdon.
The constituency presently comprises all nine electoral wards of Eastbourne Borough, as well as the wards of Willingdon and Wannock in the Wealden district.
History
This seat was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Its territory had previously been incorporated in the East Sussex constituency, which in turn had been created by the Reform Act 1832 as a division of the Sussex constituency.
There have been four by-elections in the constituency:
Elections in the 2010s
This is second on the Liberal Democrats target list for the next election and their previous incumbent Stephen Lloyd will be standing once again.
Elections in the 1990s
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.
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;