The second periodic review of Westminster constituencies was undertaken between 1965 and 1969 by the four boundary commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the United Kingdom Parliament as provided by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 and amended by House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1958. The changes to the constituencies were approved in 1970 and took effect at the February 1974 United Kingdom general election.
Review and approval process Under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1958, the four boundary commissions were required to review the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies in their respective countries every 10 to 15 years. The commissions commenced their reports in 1965 and completed them in 1969. Although the final recommendations were laid before Parliament (1968-69 Cmnd. 4084-4087), the Labour Government did not put them forward for approval before calling an election which was held in June 1970. Following the election, the new Conservative Government put the proposals forward and they were approved by Parliament on 11 November 1970 through the following Statutory Instruments:
1970 No. 1674 - Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970 1970 No. 1675 - Parliamentary Constituencies (Wales) Order 1970 1970 No. 1678 - Parliamentary Constituencies (Northern Ireland) Order 1970 1970 No. 1680 - Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970
The new boundaries were first applied for the February 1974 general election. Accordingly, there was a gap of nine years between the beginning of the process and their first application, by which time the local authority boundaries used in the review had been superseded by the major reorganisation of local authorities brought in by the Local Government Act 1972 which came into effect on 1 April 1974. The boundaries and constituencies introduced by the Second Review were also used for the general elections of October 1974 and 1979. They were superseded by the boundaries introduced by the Third Review which came into effect for the 1983 general election.
Summary of changes As a result of the considerable delay between the first and second periodic reviews, there were a large number of significant changes, with the total number of seats increasing from 630 to 635. There were 108 new constituencies created and 103 abolished, excluding 13 constituencies with very minor or no changes which were renamed. The resulting net increase of 5 constituencies were all in England (511 to 516), with the number of constituencies in Wales (36), Scotland (71) and Northern Ireland (12) remaining the same. There were changes to a further 311 constituencies, of which 105 were of a very minor nature, mainly bringing constituency boundaries in line with local authority boundaries which had been altered. This left 216 constituencies which were unchanged.
The Review took into account the creation of Greater London with effect from 1 April 1965, as provided by the London Government Act 1963. There was a net decrease of 11 seats within Greater London and this was offset by increases in seats in the surrounding counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey and Kent. The constituencies in Greater London were used as the basis for electoral divisions for the Greater London Council.
There had also been significant reorganisations of local authorities in the Black Country and Teesside resulting in major changes to boundaries in these areas. Outside the large cities, the bulk the constituencies in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire were unchanged.
The commissions had carried out interim reviews in 1956, 1960 and 1964 under the provisions of the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 to bring boundaries into line with those of local authorities. This resulted in the passing of 31 Statutory Instruments, affecting 79 constituencies.
List of constituencies created, abolished or altered Primary source: Craig, F. W. S. (1972). Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. . Pages 119 to 158.
Also referred to Boundary Maps on the Vision of Britain Through Time website.
BC denotes a Borough Constituency; CC denotes a County Constituency.
England CountySeats 1955-74CreatedAbolishedAlteredNo change (or very minor change)Seats 1974-83Bedfordshire4Luton East BC
Luton West BCLuton BCMid Bedfordshire CC
South Bedfordshire CCBedford CC5Berkshire5Reading North BC Reading South CCReading BCNewbury CC Wokingham CCAbingdon CC
Windsor and Maidenhead CC
(formerly Windsor CC)6Buckinghamshire5Beaconsfield CC
Chesham and Amersham CCSouth Buckinghamshire CCAylesbury CC
Buckingham CC
Wycombe CCEton and Slough BC6Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely3Isle of Ely CCCambridgeshire CC
Cambridge BC3Cheshire16Bebington and Ellesmere Port BC Hazel Grove BCBebington BCKnutsford CC Macclesfield CC
Wirral CC
Birkenhead BC
Cheadle BCCity of Chester CC
Crewe CC
Nantwich CC
Northwich CC
Runcorn CC
Stalybridge and Hyde CC
Altrincham and Sale BC
Stockport North BC
Stockport South BC
Wallasey BC17Cornwall5Bodmin CC
North Cornwall CC
Truro CCFalmouth and Camborne CC
St Ives CC5Cumberland4Penrith and the Border CC
Whitehaven CC
Workington CC
Carlisle BC4Derbyshire10Belper CC North East Derbyshire CC
South East Derbyshire CC
Derby North BC
Derby South BCBolsover CC
High Peak CC
Ilkeston CC
West Derbyshire CC
Chesterfield BC10Devon10West Devon CC
Plymouth, Drake BCTavistock CC
Torrington CCHoniton CC North Devon CC
Tiverton CC
Exeter BC
Plymouth, Devonport BC
Plymouth, Sutton BCTotnes CC
Torbay BC
(formerly Torquay BC)10Dorset4North Dorset CC
South Dorset CC
West Dorset CC
Poole BC4Durham17Sedgefield CCBishop Auckland CC Durham CC
Easington CC
Houghton-le-Spring CC
North West Durham CC
Blaydon CC
Sunderland North BC
Sunderland South BCChester-le-Street CC
Consett CC
Darlington BC
Gateshead East BC
Gateshead West BC
Jarrow BC
South Shields BC
Hartlepool BC
(formerly The Hartlepools BC)16Essex12Braintree CC Brentwood and Ongar CC
Epping Forest CC
Harlow CC
Basildon BCBillericay CC
Chigwell CC
Epping CCChelmsford CC Maldon CC
Saffron Walden CC
South East Essex CCColchester CC
Harwich CC
Southend East BC
Southend West BC
Thurrock BC14Gloucestershire12Kingswood CCBristol Central BCSouth Gloucestershire CC West Gloucestershire CC
Bristol North East BC
Bristol South East BC
Bristol West BC
Gloucester BCCirencester and Tewksbury CC Stroud CC
Bristol North West BC
Bristol South BC
Cheltenham BC12Greater London103Bethnal Green and Bow BC Bexleyheath BC
Brent East BC
Brent North BC
Brent South BC
Brentford and Isleworth BC
Chingford BC
Chipping Barnet BC
Croydon South BC
Enfield North BC
Feltham and Heston BC
Hackney South and Shoreditch BC
Islington Central BC
Islington South and Finsbury BC
Kensington BC
Lambeth Central BC
Lewisham East BC
Mitcham and Morden BC
Newham North East BC
Newham South BC
Paddington BC
Ravensbourne BC
Sidcup BC
Stepney and Poplar BC
Tooting BC
Upminster BC
Walthamstow BCBarnet CC East Surrey CC
Barons Court BC
Bethnal Green BC
Bexley BC
Brentford and Chiswick BC
Brixton BC
Bromley BC
Clapham BC
Ealing South BC
East Ham North BC
East Ham South BC
Enfield East BC
Enfield West BC
Feltham BC
Heston and Isleworth BC
Islington East BC
Islington South West BC
Kensington North BC
Kensington South BC
Lewisham North BC
Lewisham South BC
Merton and Morden BC
Mitcham BC
Paddington North BC
Paddington South BC
Poplar BC
Shoreditch and Finsbury BC
Southwark BC
Stepney BC
Wandsworth Central BC
Wembley North BC
Wembley South BC
Walthamstow East BC
Walthamstow West BC
Willesden East BC
Willesden West BC
West Ham South BCBattersea North BC Battersea South BC
Beckenham BC
Bermondsey BC
Carshalton BC
Chelsea BC
Chislehurst BC
Ealing, Acton BC
Ealing North BC
Ealing, Southall BC
Enfield, Southgate BC
Finchley BC
Fulham BC
Hackney Central BC
Hackney North and Stoke
Newington BC
(formerly Stoke Newington
and Hackney North BC)
Hammersmith North BC
Hayes and Harlington BC
Hendon North BC
Hendon South BC
Hornchurch BC
Ilford North BC
Islington North BC
Lewisham, Deptford BC
Lewisham West BC
Peckham BC
Putney BC
Romford BC
Streatham BC
Uxbridge BC
Vauxhall BC
Wanstead and Woodford BC
Wimbledon BCBarking BC City of London and Westminster
South BC (formerly Cities of
London and Westminster BC)
Croydon Central BC
(formerly Croydon South BC)
Croydon North East BC
Croydon North West BC
Dagenham BC
Dulwich BC
Edmonton BC
Erith and Crayford BC
Greenwich BC
Hampstead BC
Harrow Central BC
Harrow East BC
Harrow West BC
Holborn and St Pancras
South BC
Hornsey BC
Ilford South BC
Kingston-upon-Thames BC
Leyton BC
Newham North West BC
(formerly West Ham North BC)
Norwood BC
Orpington BC
Richmond BC
(formerly Richmond (Surrey) BC)
St Marylebone BC
St Pancras North BC
Surbiton BC
Sutton and Cheam BC
Ruislip-Northwood BC
Tottenham BC
Twickenham BC
Wood Green BC
Woolwich East BC
Woolwich West BC92Hampshire14Bournemouth East BC Christchurch and Lymington BC
Fareham BC
Gosport BC
Havant and Waterloo BC
Portsmouth North BCBournemouth East and
Christchurch BC
Gosport and Fareham BC
Portsmouth, Langstone BC
Portsmouth West BCAldershot CC Basingstoke CC
Eastleigh CC
New Forest CC
Winchester CC
Bournemouth West BC
Portsmouth South BCPetersfield CC Southampton, Itchen BC
Southampton, Test BC16Herefordshire2Hereford CC
Leominster CC2Hertfordshire7Hertford and Stevenage CC South Hertfordshire CC
Welwyn and Hatfield CCHertford CCEast Hertfordshire CC Hemel Hempstead CC
Hitchin CC
St Albans CC
South West Hertfordshire CCWatford BC9Huntingdonshire and Peterborough2Huntingdonshire CC
Peterborough BC
(previously included with
Northamptonshire)2Isle of Wight1Isle of Wight CC1Kent13Royal Tunbridge Wells CC Tonbridge and Malling CC
Thanet East BC
Thanet West BCIsle of Thanet CC
Tonbridge CCAshford CC Dartford CC
Sevenoaks CCCanterbury CC Dover and Deal CC
(formerly Dover CC)
Faversham CC
Folkestone and Hythe CC
Gravesend CC
Maidstone CC
Gillingham BC
Rochester and Chatham BC15Lancashire62Liverpool, Scotland Exchange BC Manchester Central BCLiverpool, Exchange BC Liverpool, Scotland BC
Manchester, Cheetham BC
Manchester, Exchange BCHuyton CC Ormskirk CC
Bootle BC
Crosby BC
Liverpool, Edge Hill BC
Liverpool, Kirkdale BC
Liverpool, Toxteth BC
Manchester, Ardwick BC
Manchester, Moss Side BC
Manchester, Withington BC
Manchester, Wythenshawe BCChorley CC Clitheroe CC
Darwen CC
Heywood and Royton CC
Lancaster CC
Morecambe and Lonsdale CC
Newton CC
North Fylde CC
South Fylde CC
Westhoughton CC
Widnes CC
Accrington BC
Ashton-under-Lyne BC
Barrow-in-Furness BC
Blackburn BC
Blackpool North BC
Blackpool South BC
Bolton East BC
Bolton West BC
Burnley BC
Bury and Radcliffe BC
Eccles BC
Farnworth BC
Ince BC
Leigh BC
Liverpool, Garston BC
Liverpool, Walton BC
Liverpool, Wavertree BC
Liverpool, West Derby BC
Manchester, Blackley BC
Manchester, Gorton BC
Manchester, Openshaw BC
Middleton and Prestwich BC
Nelson and Colne BC
Oldham East BC
Oldham West BC
Preston North BC
Preston South BC
Rochdale BC
Rossendale BC
St Helens BC
Salford East BC
Salford West BC
Southport BC
Stretford BC
Warrington BC
Wigan BC60Leicestershire8Blaby CC
Leicester East BC
Leicester South BC
Leicester West BCLeicester North East BC
Leicester North West BC
Leicester South East BC
Leicester South West BCHarborough CC Loughborough CC
Melton CCBosworth CC8Lincolnshire (Parts of Holland)1Holland with Boston CC1Lincolnshire (Parts of Kesteven)
and Rutlandshire2Grantham CC
Rutland and Stamford CC2Lincolnshire (Parts of Lindsey)6Brigg CC
Gainsborough CC
Horncastle CC
Louth CC
Grimsby BC