History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Bedfordshire
The ceremonial county of Bedfordshire currently comprises the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. From 1997 to 2024, it returned six MPs to the UK Parliament. Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, coming into effect for the 2024 general election, the boundary commission proposed 7 constituencies, including one which is shared with the county of Hertfordshire.
Number of seats
[edit]The table below shows the number of MPs representing Bedfordshire at each major redistribution of seats affecting the county.
| Year | County
seats1 |
Borough
seats1 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prior to 1885 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1885–1918 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 1918–1950 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 1950–1974 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 1974–1983 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 1983–1997 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 1997–2024 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 2024–present | 5 | 2 | 72 |
1Prior to 1950, seats were classified as County Divisions or Parliamentary Boroughs. Since 1950, they have been classified as County or Borough Constituencies.
2Includes one cross-county border constituencies shared with Hertfordshire.
Timeline
[edit]County seat Borough seat
| Constituency | Prior to 1885 | 1885–1918 | 1918–1950 | 1950–1974 | 1974–1983 | 1983–1997 | 1997–2024 | 2024–present |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire | 1290–1885 (2 MPs) | |||||||
| Bedford | 1295–1885 (2 MPs) | 1885–1918 | 1918–1983 | 1997–present | ||||
| North Bedfordshire | 1983–1997 | 2024–present | ||||||
| North East Bedfordshire | 1997–2024 | |||||||
| Hitchin (part) | 2024–present | |||||||
| Biggleswade | 1885–1918 | |||||||
| Mid Bedfordshire | 1918–present | |||||||
| South Bedfordshire | 1950–1983 | |||||||
| South West Bedfordshire | 1983–2024 | |||||||
| Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard | 2024–present | |||||||
| Luton | 1885–1950 | 1950–1974 | ||||||
| Luton East | 1974–1983 | |||||||
| Luton West | 1974–1983 | |||||||
| Luton North | 1983–1997 | 1997–present | ||||||
| Luton South | 1983–2024 | |||||||
| Luton South and | 2024–present | |||||||
Boundary reviews
[edit]| Prior to 1885 | Since 1290, the Parliamentary County of Bedfordshire, along with all other English Counties regardless of size or population, had elected 2 MPs (Knights of the Shire) to the House of Commons. The Parliamentary Borough of Bedford had also returned 2 MPs (burgesses) since 1295. The Great Reform Act of 1832 radically changed the representation of the House of Commons, but Bedfordshire was one of the few counties which were unaffected by this and the County and Borough both continued to elect 2 MPs until 1885. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885,[1] the county was divided into 2 single-member constituencies, namely the Northern or Biggleswade Division and the Southern or Luton Division.
Biggleswade covered the northern half of the county including Biggleswade, Ampthill and Kempston as well as non-resident freeholders of the Municipal Borough of Bedford. Luton covered the southern half of the county, including Leighton Buzzard and the Municipal Boroughs of Dunstable and Luton. Bedford was retained as a Parliamentary Borough but its representation was reduced to 1 MP. |
 |
| 1918 | Under the Representation of the People Act 1918,[2] the Parliamentary Borough of Bedford was replaced by a new county division of the same name, incorporating the Municipal Borough of Bedford, together with the Urban District of Kempston and the rural areas comprising the northern half of the abolished Biggleswade division.
The southern areas of Biggleswade, including the Urban Districts of Biggleswade and Ampthill were included in a new Mid Bedfordshire Division, along with Leighton Buzzard and surrounding rural areas transferred from Luton. |
 |
| 1950 | The Representation of the People Act 1948[3] increased the county's representation from 3 to 4 MPs with the creation of the new constituency of South Bedfordshire. This included Dunstable and the Leagrave and Limbury districts of Luton transferred from the Luton constituency, and Leighton Buzzard transferred from Mid Bedfordshire.
Luton was redesignated as a Borough Constituency, comprising the remainder of the Municipal Borough. Mid Bedfordshire gained some southern and eastern rural areas of Bedford. |
 |
| 1974 | Under the Second Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies,[4] representation was increased from 4 to 5 MPs as Luton was abolished and the Municipal Borough was split between the constituencies of Luton East and Luton West; the majority of the latter comprised the Leagrave and Limbury districts transferred from South Bedfordshire.
There were also two minor changes due to changes to the county boundaries: South Bedfordshire gained the former Urban District of Linslade in Buckinghamshire which had been merged with that of Leighton Buzzard to form the Urban District of Leighton-Linslade; and Mid Bedfordshire lost the village of Eaton Socon which had been absorbed into the Urban District of St Neots in Huntingdonshire. |
 |
| 1983 | The Third Periodic Review[5] left the county's representation at 5 MPs, but saw significant changes to the constituencies, with only Mid Bedfordshire being retained.
Bedford was abolished, being largely replaced by North Bedfordshire, with the exception of Kempston (transferred to Mid Bedfordshire). Luton East and Luton West were replaced by Luton South and Luton North respectively, with both of these including small parts of South Bedfordshire and Luton North (formally the County Constituency of North Luton) extending further northwards to include Flitwick from Mid Bedfordshire. South Bedfordshire was abolished and largely replaced by South West Bedfordshire, which was extended northwards to included south-western parts of Mid Bedfordshire. |
 |
| 1997 | The Fourth Review[6] resulted in a further increase to 6 MPs.
Bedford was re-established as a Borough Constituency comprising the town of Bedford itself, which had contributed most of the electorate of the abolished constituency of North Bedfordshire, together with Kempston which was transferred back from Mid Bedfordshire. A new constituency of North East Bedfordshire was created, comprising the remaining (rural) areas of North Bedfordshire and northern and eastern parts of Mid Bedfordshire, including Biggleswade and Sandy, resulting in the loss of around half of its electorate. To compensate for this and the loss of Kempston, Mid Bedfordshire regained the areas previously transferred to South West Bedfordshire and gained the parts outside the Borough of Luton from Luton North (including Flitwick). The latter was redesignated as a Borough Constituency and gained the Saints ward from Luton South. |
 |
| 2010 | The Fifth Review[7] resulted in only marginal changes due to the revision of local authority wards. |  |
| 2024 | For the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which redrew the constituency map ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Boundary Commission for England opted to combine Bedfordshire with Hertfordshire as a sub-region of the East of England region, with the creation of the cross-county boundary constituency of Hitchin, which included areas previously in Mid Bedfordshire (Shefford) and North Bedfordshire (Stotfold).
The village of Eaton Bray was transferred from South West Bedfordshire to Luton South and the Luton Borough ward of Stopsley from Luton South to Luton North. Other minor changes due to the revision of ward boundaries. As a result of the changes, Luton South was renamed Luton South and South Bedfordshire, North East Bedfordshire renamed North Bedfordshire, and South West Bedfordshire renamed Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.[8] |
 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884. p. 113.
- ^ Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell.
- ^ "Representation of the People Act, 1948". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". paras 193-206. Retrieved 9 July 2023.