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North West Essex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North West Essex
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map
Interactive map of boundaries since 2024
Map of constituency
Location within the East of England
CountyEssex
Electorate76,280 (March 2020)[1]
Major settlementsSaffron Walden
Current constituency
Created2024
Member of ParliamentKemi Badenoch (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromSaffron Walden

North West Essex is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament.[2] Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election; it has since been held by Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party, the current leader of the opposition. She was MP for the predecessor seat of Saffron Walden from 2017 to 2024.

Constituency profile

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North West Essex is a constituency in Essex in the East of England, covering parts of the Uttlesford and City of Chelmsford local government districts. Its largest town is Saffron Walden, which has a population of around 17,000.[3] Other settlements include the towns of Great Dunmow and Thaxted and the villages of Stansted Mountfitchet, Newport, Elsenham, Takeley, Great Leighs, Broomfield, Writtle and Boreham.

This is a large, rural constituency with many small villages. The constituency's towns are historic market towns; Saffron Walden is known for its production of saffron, after which the town was named. Broomfield, Writtle and Boreham are suburban villages located on the outskirts of Chelmsford. The constituency contains London Stansted Airport, the UK's fourth-busiest airport and a significant local employer. North West Essex is generally affluent with low levels of deprivation, especially in Saffron Walden,[4] and house prices are considerably higher than regional and national averages.[5]

The constituency has above-average proportions of middle-aged adults and retirees and a low proportion of young adults.[6] Residents have high rates of income and homeownership,[5] and the child poverty rate is less than half the UK-wide figure.[7] Residents are generally well-educated and a high proportion work in the transport and health sectors.[5][8] The percentage of residents claiming unemployment benefits is low.[7] White people made up 93% of the population at the 2021 census.[9]

At the local district council level, most of the constituency is represented by localists with some Liberal Democrats elected in Stansted Mountfitchet and Conservatives elected in Great Dunmow and the villages to its south. At the county council, which held elections in 2026, most of the constituency is represented by Reform UK councillors. An estimated 51% of voters in North West Essex supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the UK-wide figure of 52%.[5]

Boundaries

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The constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The City of Chelmsford wards of: Boreham and The Leighs; Broomfield and The Walthams; Chelmsford Rural West; Writtle.
  • The District of Uttlesford wards of: Ashdon; Clavering; Debden & Wimbish; Elsenham & Henham; Flitch Green & Little Dunmow; Great Dunmow North; Great Dunmow South & Barnston; High Easter & the Rodings; Littlebury, Chesterford & Wenden Lofts; Newport; Saffron Walden Audley; Saffron Walden Castle; Saffron Walden Shire; Stansted North; Stansted South & Birchanger; Stort Valley; Takeley; Thaxted & the Eastons.[10]

It is the successor to Saffron Walden, excluding minor transfers to Braintree and Harlow (two District of Uttlesford wards each).

Members of Parliament

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Saffron Walden prior to 2024

ElectionMemberParty
2024 Kemi Badenoch Conservative

Elections

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Elections in the 2020s

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General election 2024: North West Essex[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kemi Badenoch 19,360 35.6 −26.1
Labour Issy Waite 16,750 30.8 +17.0
Reform Grant StClair-Armstrong[a] 7,668 14.1 N/A
Liberal Democrats Smita Rajesh 6,055 11.1 −8.6
Green Edward Gildea 2,846 5.2 +0.4
Independent Andrew Green 852 1.6 N/A
Independent Erik Bonino 699 1.3 N/A
Independent Niko Omilana 156 0.3 N/A
Majority 2,610 4.8 −37.2
Turnout 54,386 68.5 −4.0
Registered electors 79,824
Conservative hold Swing −21.6

Elections in the 2010s

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2019 notional result[13]
Party Vote %
Conservative34,10561.7
Liberal Democrats10,87819.7
Labour7,61613.8
Green2,6784.8
Turnout 55,277 72.5
Electorate 76,280

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ StClair-Armstrong resigned from Reform UK on 16 June 2024. As nominations had already closed, he was still identified as the Reform UK candidate on the ballot paper.[12]

References

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  1. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – Eastern | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  3. ↑ "Saffron Walden". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Seat Details - Lewisham East". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Constituency data: Population, by age". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Constituency dashboard". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.
  11. ↑ ""North West Essex general election 2024 results in full as Kemi Badenoch contests seat"". 4 July 2024.
  12. ↑ Kendix, Max (16 June 2024). "Reform candidate to resign over BNP support". The Times. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  13. ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
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51°53′N 0°20′E / 51.89°N 0.34°E / 51.89; 0.34

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