Croydon North West (UK Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Croydon North West was a special voting area, called a borough constituency, in the United Kingdom. It was represented in the House of Commons, which is a part of the UK's Parliament. People in this area elected one person, known as a Member of Parliament (MP), to represent them. The MP was chosen using the first past the post system, where the candidate with the most votes wins.

History of the Constituency

The Croydon North West voting area was created for the 1955 general election. This happened just five years after the three existing voting areas in Croydon were changed.

This new area included parts of the former Croydon North and Croydon West constituencies. It shared borders with other voting areas like Croydon North East and Croydon South. When it was first created, it also bordered Streatham, Norwood, Beckenham, and Mitcham.

The Croydon North West constituency was closed down at the 1997 general election. All of its areas became part of the new Croydon North constituency. This included the Thornton Heath, Upper Norwood, and South Norwood wards (smaller local areas).

For most of its history, people in Croydon North West elected MPs from the Conservative Party. However, it became famous for a special election, called a by-election, in 1981. This by-election happened after the death of the MP at the time. Bill Pitt won this election for the SDP-Liberal Alliance, which was a partnership between the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party. But just two years later, the area elected a Conservative MP again. It stayed Conservative until Malcolm Wicks from the Labour Party won in the 1992 general election.

What Were the Boundaries?

The "boundaries" of a constituency are its official borders. These borders decide which people can vote for a particular MP. The boundaries of Croydon North West changed a few times over the years:

• 1955–1974: It included the Croydon wards (local areas) called Bensham Manor, Norbury, Upper Norwood, West Thornton, and Whitehorse Manor.
• 1974–1983: The same wards were included, but they were now part of the London Borough of Croydon.
• 1983–1997: The wards changed slightly to Bensham Manor, Beulah, Broad Green, Norbury, West Thornton, and Whitehorse Manor.

When it was first created, Croydon North West covered areas like Norbury, Upper Norwood, and parts of west Croydon and Thornton Heath. Over time, its borders moved, generally stretching further south and losing some of its eastern parts. By the time it was closed in 1997, Croydon North West covered all of West Croydon, Selhurst, Norbury, and parts of Thornton Heath around the Thornton Heath Pond.

Members of Parliament

Here are the people who served as the MP for Croydon North West:

Elections

During its existence, Croydon North West saw several general elections and one important by-election. For many years, it was considered a safe seat for the Conservative Party, meaning they usually won by a large number of votes.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Fred Harris of the Conservative Party won comfortably. This trend continued with Robert Taylor in the 1970s.

However, the 1981 by-election was a big surprise. Bill Pitt from the Liberal Party won, which was a rare victory for a party other than Conservative or Labour at that time. This showed that voters were sometimes willing to choose a different party.

After this, the Conservative Party, with Humfrey Malins, won back the seat in the 1983 general election and held it in 1987. But in the 1992 general election, Malcolm Wicks of the Labour Party won the seat. This was a significant change, as it showed the Labour Party gaining strength in areas that had traditionally voted Conservative.

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in London

Sources

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)