Croydon North West was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Politics and history of the constituency The Croydon North West constituency was created for the 1955 general election, just five years after a previous re-organisation of the three seats in the County Borough of Croydon.
It took in areas of the former Croydon North and Croydon West constituencies and bordered Croydon North East and Croydon South, as well as, when originally created, the constituencies of Streatham, Norwood, Beckenham and Mitcham.
The constituency was abolished at the 1997 general election and was entirely subsumed within the new Croydon North, with the addition of the Thornton Heath, Upper Norwood and South Norwood wards.
For almost all of its history, Croydon North West had Conservative Members of Parliament. It was the scene of a famous by-election in 1981, following the death of its MP, won by Bill Pitt for the SDP-Liberal Alliance. However, it returned to the Conservatives two years later, remaining so until it was snatched by Malcolm Wicks for the Labour Party at the 1992 general election.
Boundaries
DatesLocal authorityMapsWards1955–1974County Borough of CroydonBensham Manor, Norbury, Upper Norwood, West Thornton, and Whitehorse Manor.1974–1983London Borough of CroydonBensham Manor, Norbury, Upper Norwood, West Thornton, and Whitehorse Manor.1983–1997Bensham Manor, Beulah, Broad Green, Norbury, West Thornton, and Whitehorse Manor. When first created, Croydon North West included the areas of Norbury, Upper Norwood and parts of west Croydon and Thornton Heath. It saw various boundary changes, largely stretching further south and losing its more easterly parts. At the time of its abolition in 1997, Croydon North West covered all of West Croydon, Selhurst, Norbury and parts of Thornton Heath around the Thornton Heath Pond, within the London Borough of Croydon.
Members of Parliament ElectionMemberPartyNotes 1955 Fred Harris Conservative Member for main predecessor seat (1948–1955) 1970 Robert Taylor Conservative Died 1981 1981 by-election Bill Pitt Liberal 1983 Humfrey Malins Conservative 1992 Malcolm Wicks Labour Contested Croydon North following redistribution1997 constituency abolished: see Croydon North
Elections Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
1970 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 19,100 49.2 Labour 15,000 38.7 Liberal 4,700 12.1Turnout38,80067.8Electorate57,228
Elections in the 1980s
1979 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 19,415 46.3 Labour 18,006 42.9 Liberal 4,491 10.7 Others 46 0.1Turnout41,958Electorate
Elections in the 1990s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in London
References
Sources