Bath (UK Parliament constituency)

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Bath
County constituency

Bath shown within Avon (county), and Avon (county) shown within England
Created: 1295
MP: Don Foster
Party: Liberal Democrat
Type: House of Commons
County: Somerset
EP constituency: South West England

Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly present in parliament for a number of centuries. Perhaps its best-known representatives have been William Pitt the Elder (Prime Minister 1766-1768) and Chris Patten (Conservative Party chairman 1990-1992).

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

The constituency includes the city of Bath, and has done so for over two centuries. Since 1995, the constituency now includes a further five village wards and 7000 voters transferred from the Wansdyke constituency.

[edit] Boundary review

Following their review of the constituencies in the former county of Avon the Boundary Commission for England has recommended that the constituency contract back to the city of Bath, and this will probably be agreed before the next general election.

The electoral wards which make up the re-created Bath constituency are;

[edit] History

Before the Reform Act of 1832 Bath had received writs to select representatives to parliament. It had been invited before the seventeenth century, but was certainly present on the list of constituencies from the seventeenth century until the Reform Act along with Bridgwater, Ilchester, Milborne Port, Minehead, Taunton and Wells in Somerset. Bath was able to, along with the others, send 2 constituents to parliament. Each constituency chose its own method of choosing the candidates during this time, in Bath the Mayor, Aldermen and Common Councillors chose the candidate in public. This practiced continued until the Ballot Act of 1872 determined that this should be done in private to resist bribery. It was one of the few Somerset constituencies to survive the nineteenth century reforms to this time, along with Taunton. An Act of 1884 extended the selection of the candidate to all men over 21. Bath had been a county borough as established by the Local Government Act of 1888. While Bath constantly remained a constituency, one of the oldest in the country, Taunton lost its status in 1918 and became part of a county constituency.

Though a Conservative seat for much of the 20th century it was not considered safe. In 1966, Labour had come just 800 votes from taking the seat. The SDP, second for most of the 1980s, came just 1500 votes from winning in 1987 under Malcolm Dean. In 1992, Conservative Chris Patten was ousted by Don Foster. In 1995, the constituency was expanded from just the city to include five further village wards and 7000 Wansdyke voters.

[edit] Members of Parliament

The current Member of Parliament is Don Foster of the Liberal Democrats, who was elected in the 1992 general election. He famously succeeded Chris Patten, the then Conservative Party chairman. Patten's party had held the seat for several decades, fending off close calls and challenges by Labour, the SDP and the Liberal Democrats since before the 1960s.

William Pitt the Elder was briefly Prime Minister from 30 July 1766 while a Bath MP. However on 4 August 1766 he was given a peerage, the Earl of Chatham, so that he could also be Lord Privy Seal, and ceased to be an MP.

[edit] Elections

[edit] Elections in the 2000s

Next UK general election
Confirmed candidates for the next UK general election [1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hattie Ajderian
Liberal Democrat Don Foster
Green Eric Lucas
Conservative Fabian Richter


General election of 2005

The 2005 general election saw two more candidates stand than in 2001, both of whom were independent. All parties apart from the Liberal Democrats ran different candidates.

General Election 2005: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Don Foster 20,101 43.9 −6.6
Conservative Sian Dawson 15,463 33.7 +4.6
Labour Harriet Ajderian 6,773 14.8 −0.9
Green Eric Lucas 2,494 5.4 +2.2
UK Independence Richard Crowder 770 1.7 +0.2
Independent Patrick Cobbe 177 0.4 N/A
Independent Graham Walker 58 0.1 N/A
Majority 4638 10.1 −11.3
Turnout 45,836 68.6 +3.7
Liberal Democrat hold Swing −5.6
General election of 2001
General Election 2001: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Don Foster 23,372 50.5 +2.0
Conservative Ashley Fox 13,478 29.1 -2.1
Labour Marilyn Hawkings 7,269 15.7 -0.7
Green Michael Boulton 1,469 3.2 +2.1
UK Independence Andrew Tettenborn 708 1.5 +0.9
Majority 9,894 21.4 +4.1
Turnout 64.9 -11.3
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

[edit] Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Don Foster 26,169 48.5 -0.4
Conservative Alison McNair 16,850 31.2 -9.4
Labour Tim Bush 8,828 16.4 +8.6
Referendum Party Tony Cook 1,192 2.2 N/A
Green Richard Scrase 580 1.1 +0.3
UK Independence Peter Sandell 315 0.6 N/A
Natural Law Nicholas Pullen 55 0.1 N/A
Majority 9,319 17.3 +10.2
Turnout 76.2 -9.3
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
General Election 1992: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Don Foster 25,718 48.9
Conservative Chris Patten 21,950 41.8
Labour Pam Richards 4,102 7.8
Green Duncan McCanlis 433 0.8
Liberal May Barker 172 0.3
Anti-Federalist League Alan Sked 117 0.2
Independent Conservative John Rumming 79 0.2
Majority 3,768 7.1
Turnout 82.5
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing

[edit] Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Patten 23,515 45.4
Social Democrat J. M. Dean 22,103 42.7
Labour J. Smith 5,507 10.6
Green D. N. Wall 687 1.3
Majority 1,412 2.7
Turnout 79.4
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Patten 22,544 47.1
Social Democrat J. M. Dean 17,240 36.0
Labour A. J. Pott 7,259 15.2
Ecology D. Grimes 441 0.9
Progressive Liberal R. S. Wandle 319 0.7
World Government Gilbert Young 67 0.1
Majority 5,304 11.1
Turnout 74.4
Conservative hold Swing

[edit] Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Patten 23,025 46.4
Liberal Christopher Mayhew 13,913 28.0
Labour M. Baber 11,407 23.0
Ecology D. Grimes 1,082 2.2
National Front T. Mundy 206 0.4
Majority 9,112 18.4
Turnout 78.1
Conservative hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Brown 18,470 37.7
Liberal Christopher Mayhew 16,348 33.4
Labour Malcolm Bishop 14,011 28.6
United Democratic J. Kemp 150 0.3
Majority 2,122 4.3
Turnout 78.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Brown 20,920 40.8
Liberal P. Downey 15,738 30.7
Labour Malcolm Bishop 14,396 27.9
Independent Conservative H. B. de Laterriere 204 0.4
World Government Gilbert Young 118 0.2
Majority 5,182 10.1
Turnout 83.0
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1970: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Brown 22,344 49.0
Labour D. W. Young 16,493 36.1
Liberal R. H. Crowther 5,957 13.1
World Government Gilbert Young 840 1.8
Majority 5,851 12.8
Turnout 77.1
Conservative hold Swing

[edit] Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Brown 19,344 43.0
Labour F. S. Moorhouse 18,544 41.2
Liberal R. H. Crowther 7,095 15.8
Majority 800 1.8
Turnout 80.5
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1964: Bath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Brown 22,255 46.5
Labour F. S. Moorhouse 16,464 34.4
Liberal B. R. Pamplin 8,795 18.4
World Government Gilbert Young 318 0.7
Majority 5,791 12.1
Turnout 84.2
Conservative hold Swing

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
vacant. Last was Buckingham in 1765		 Constituency represented by the Prime Minister
1766		 Succeeded by
vacant. Next was Banbury in 1770
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