Clacton (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Clacton is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
, the Boundary Commission for England created this new constituency, which is essentially the former Harwich constituency
, minus the town of Harwich
itself and a few nearby villages. Additionally, St. Osyth and Weeley
have transferred from the old North Essex constituency
.
This new seat contains the towns of Clacton, Frinton-on-Sea
and Walton-on-the-Naze
, as well as surrounding villages.
The electoral wards used to form the Clacton constituency are entirely within the district of Tendring
peninsula. It shares an inland border with just one constituency - Harwich and North Essex.
Like some other coastal seats, such as Christchurch
in Dorset
, the electorate is one of the oldest in the country, with a high proportion of retirees, and low numbers of non-white residents. Sleepy places like Walton
and Frinton are comfortable, if unexciting retirement havens.
The stark exception is the town of Jaywick
, an area that suffers from extremely high levels of deprivation.
In the Indices of deprivation 2010
an area of Jaywick was identified as the single most deprived LSOA in all of England, out of around 32,000, with unemployment estimated at almost 50%. Many homes essentially beach huts and are severely lacking basic amenities. In the 2007 Index, this area was the third most deprived in the country.
But overall, Clacton is a typical Conservative seaside seat.
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.
Boundaries
Following their review of parliamentary representation in EssexEssex
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 this new constituency, which is essentially the former Harwich constituency
Harwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Harwich was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until its abolition for the 2010 general election it elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, minus the town of Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
itself and a few nearby villages. Additionally, St. Osyth and Weeley
Weeley
Weeley is a small village in Tendring, East Essex, England. It is served by Weeley railway station on the Sunshine Coast Line, with services operated by National Express East Anglia. It is open Monday - Saturday but closed Sundays. It has bus links to Clacton-on-sea and ColchesterIt was host to the...
have transferred from the old North Essex constituency
North Essex (UK Parliament constituency)
North Essex was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2010...
.
This new seat contains the towns of Clacton, Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.-History:...
and Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze is a small town in Essex, England, on the North Sea coast in the Tendring district. It is north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich. It abuts Frinton-on-Sea to the south, and is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton. It is a resort town, with a permanent population of...
, as well as surrounding villages.
The electoral wards used to form the Clacton constituency are entirely within the district of Tendring
Tendring
Tendring is a local government district in North East Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the East and the town of Colchester to the west. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Towns in the district...
- Alton Park, Beaumont and Thorpe, Bockings Elm, Burrsville, Frinton, Golf Green, Hamford, Haven, Holland and Kirby, Homelands, Little Clacton and Weeley, Peter BruffPeter BruffPeter Schuyler Bruff , born in Portsmouth, England, was a civil engineer best known for founding the seaside resort town of Clacton on Sea, Essex, and for improving the lives of residents in the Essex towns of Walton-on-the-Naze, Colchester and Harwich...
, Pier, Rush Green, St Bartholomews, St James, St Johns, St Marys, St Osyth and Point Clear, St Pauls, and Walton.
Constituency profile
The new seat is almost completely coastal, comprising seaside resorts along the TendringTendring
Tendring is a local government district in North East Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the East and the town of Colchester to the west. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Towns in the district...
peninsula. It shares an inland border with just one constituency - Harwich and North Essex.
Like some other coastal seats, such as Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, the electorate is one of the oldest in the country, with a high proportion of retirees, and low numbers of non-white residents. Sleepy places like Walton
Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze is a small town in Essex, England, on the North Sea coast in the Tendring district. It is north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich. It abuts Frinton-on-Sea to the south, and is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton. It is a resort town, with a permanent population of...
and Frinton are comfortable, if unexciting retirement havens.
The stark exception is the town of Jaywick
Jaywick
Jaywick is a small seaside village near Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex on the North Sea coast of England. It was originally intended as a holiday resort for Londoners. Many of the houses were poorly constructed and were only intended for short-term holiday use. As time has passed, more and more people...
, an area that suffers from extremely high levels of deprivation.
In the Indices of deprivation 2010
Indices of deprivation 2010
The Indices of deprivation 2010 is a Deprivation index at the small area level, created by the British Department for Communities and Local Government and released on March 24, 2011...
an area of Jaywick was identified as the single most deprived LSOA in all of England, out of around 32,000, with unemployment estimated at almost 50%. Many homes essentially beach huts and are severely lacking basic amenities. In the 2007 Index, this area was the third most deprived in the country.
But overall, Clacton is a typical Conservative seaside seat.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Douglas Carswell Douglas Carswell John Douglas Wilson Carswell is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Clacton, having been first elected as MP for Harwich in 2005.... |
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... |
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