Chelmsford is a parliamentary constituency

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...

. From the 2010 general election it has elected 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.

A previous Chelmsford constituency existed from 1885 to 1997.

Boundaries

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, the Boundary Commission for England created a new Chelmsford constituency.

A majority of the electorate for this new constituency come from the previous West Chelmsford constituency. A smaller element (around Great Baddow) comes from the Maldon & East Chelmsford constituency

The constituency is contained entirely within the Borough of Chelmsford

Chelmsford (borough)

Chelmsford is a local government district and borough in Essex, England. It is named after its main settlement, Chelmsford, which is also the county town of Essex.-History:...

 though it is not coterminous with it. Wards from the borough will also comprise parts of the Maldon

Maldon (UK Parliament constituency)

Maldon is a county 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...

 and Saffron Walden

Saffron Walden (UK Parliament constituency)

Saffron Walden 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 :...

 constituencies.

It contains the following wards from the Borough of Chelmsford:

Chelmer Village

Chelmer village

Chelmer Village is a suburb in the east of Chelmsford, Essex. Chelmsford Borough Council names it "Chelmer Village & Beaulieu Park". Chelmer Village is a ward in Chelmsford....

 and Beaulieu Park, Galleywood, Goat Hall, Great Baddow East, Great Baddow West, Marconi, Moulsham and Central, Moulsham Lodge, Patching Hall, St Andrews, Springfield North, The Lawns, Trinity, Waterhouse Farm and Writtle

At its first contest in 2010, the seat was closely fought by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, who finished less than 10% apart, with Conservative candidate Simon Burns

Simon Burns

Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been Member of Parliament for Chelmsford since the 1987 general election...

 (the former MP for West Chelmsford) being elected. Labour polled 11%, despite having been only around 100 votes behind the Liberal Democrats in West Chelmsford in 2005, and even taking second place in 2001.

The previous Chelmsford constituency that existed before 1997 was often closely fought between the (then) Liberal party and the Conservatives, with the latter often winning by only small margins, even when they won the election nationally.

History

Chelmsford had its own constituency from 1885 until its abolition in 1997.

Under the proposals of the Boundary Commission for England the constituency was recreated for the 2010 general election.

MPs 1885–1997

Election		Member	Party
	1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...	William James Beadel	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...
	1892 by-election Chelmsford by-election, 1892 The Chelmsford by-election, 1892 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Chelmsford in Essex on 30 April 1892...	Thomas Usborne Thomas Usborne Thomas Usborne , MP, was an English Conservative Party politician. He was born in Limerick and studied successively at Harrow School and at Trinity College, Cambridge where he obtained an MA degree....	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...
	1900 United Kingdom general election, 1900 -Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...	Sir Carne Rasch, Bt Sir Carne Rasch, 1st Baronet Sir Frederic Carne Rasch, 1st Baronet , was a British Conservative politician.Rasch was born in London, the only son of Frederick Carne, a barrister, and his wife Catherine James Edwards, daughter of James Edwards. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge...	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...
	1908 by-election	E. G. Pretyman	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...
	1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...		Coalition 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...
	1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...		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...
	1923 United Kingdom general election, 1923 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...	Sydney Walter Robinson Sydney Walter Robinson Sir Sydney Walter Robinson JP was an English farmer, building contractor and Liberal politician.-Family and education:...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1924 United Kingdom general election, 1924 - Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...	Sir Henry Honywood Curtis-Bennett Henry Curtis-Bennett Sir Henry Honywood Curtis-Bennett was an English barrister and Member of Parliament....	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...
	1926 by-election	Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury DSO, DL, JP was a British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician.-Background and education:...	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...
	1931 United Kingdom general election, 1931 The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...	Sir Vivian Leonard Henderson	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...
	1935 United Kingdom general election, 1935 The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...	John Macnamara John Macnamara Colonel John Robert Jermain Macnamara was a British Conservative Party politician and British Army officer who was killed in Italy during the Second World War....	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...
	1945 by-election Chelmsford by-election, 1945 The Chelmsford by-election, 1945 was a by-election held on 26 April 1945 for the British House of Commons constituency of Chelmsford in Essex. The seat was won by Ernest Millington for the short-lived Common Wealth Party....	Ernest Millington	Common Wealth Common Wealth Party The Common Wealth Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom in the Second World War. Thereafter, it continued in being, essentially as a pressure group, until 1993.-The war years:...
	1946		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...
	1950 United Kingdom general election, 1950 The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...	Sir Hubert Ashton Hubert Ashton Sir Hubert Ashton KBE MC was an English cricketer and politician...	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...
	1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...	Norman St John-Stevas Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley Norman Anthony Francis St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, PC, FRSL , is a British politician, author, constitutional expert and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Leader of the House of Commons in the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from 1979 to 1981...	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...
	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...	Simon Burns Simon Burns Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been Member of Parliament for Chelmsford since the 1987 general election...	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...
	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...	constituency abolished - see West Chelmsford, Maldon and Chelmsford East, Rayleigh Rayleigh (UK Parliament constituency) Rayleigh was a parliamentary constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

MPs since 2010

Election		Member	Party
	2010	Simon Burns Simon Burns Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been Member of Parliament for Chelmsford since the 1987 general election...	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

* Served in the 2005–2010 Parliament as MP for West Chelmsford

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Boundary changes

Sources

• F. W. S. Craig
  F. W. S. Craig
  Frederick Walter Scott Craig was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compiling election results in his spare time which were published by the Scottish Unionist Party...
  
  , British Parliamentary Election Results 1974 - 1983
• The Times
  The Times
  The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
  
  Guide to the House of Commons 1983, 1987 & 1992