County Norfolk Created 1950 European Parliament constituency East of England Number of members 1 | Electorate 64,982 (December 2010) | |
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Norwich North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2009 by Chloe Smith, a Conservative.
Contents
Boundaries
1950-1955: The County Borough of Norwich wards of Catton, Coslany, Fye Bridge, Heigham, Hellesdon, Mousehold, Thorpe, and Westwick.
1955-1974: The County Borough of Norwich wards of Catton, Coslany, Fye Bridge, Heigham, Hellesdon, Mousehold, Thorpe, and Westwick, the part of the civil parish of Thorpe-next-Norwich in the Rural District of Blofield and Flegg, and the part of the civil parish of Sprowston in the Rural District of St Faiths and Aylsham added to the County Borough of Norwich by the Norwich Extension Act 1950.
1974-1983: The County Borough of Norwich wards of Catton, Coslany, Crome, Heigham, Hellesdon, Mousehold, Thorpe, and Westwick.
1983-1997: The District of Broadland wards of Catton, Hellesdon North, Hellesdon South East, Hellesdon West, Sprowston Central, Sprowston East, Sprowston South, Sprowston West, Thorpe St Andrew North East, Thorpe St Andrew North West, and Thorpe St Andrew South, and the City of Norwich wards of Catton Grove, Coslany, Crome, Mile Cross, and Mousehold.
1997-2010: The District of Broadland wards of Catton, Drayton, Hellesdon North, Hellesdon South East, Hellesdon West, Sprowston Central, Sprowston East, Sprowston South, Sprowston West, Taverham, Thorpe St Andrew North East, Thorpe St Andrew North West, and Thorpe St Andrew South, and the City of Norwich wards of Catton Grove, Coslany, Crome, Mile Cross, and Mousehold.
2010-present: The District of Broadland wards of Hellesdon North West, Hellesdon South East, Old Catton and Sprowston West, Sprowston Central, Sprowston East, Thorpe St Andrew North West, and Thorpe St Andrew South East, and the City of Norwich wards of Catton Grove, Crome, Mile Cross, and Sewell.
The constituency includes parts of two local government areas, Norwich and Broadland with the majority of the electorate in Broadland.
History
The constituency was created at the 1950 general election, when the former two-seat constituency of Norwich was divided into two single-member seats, Norwich North and Norwich South.
It has been a Labour Party seat for most of its history, although it was held by the Conservatives for fourteen years, demonstrating its marginality. The Labour member from 1997 to 2009 was Dr Ian Gibson, who resigned as an MP with immediate effect on 5 June 2009 after being implicated in the expenses scandal. A by-election was held to replace him on 23 July 2009, which was won by the Conservative Chloe Smith.