New Forest East is a constituency in Hampshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its creation in 1997 by Julian Lewis of the Conservative Party.

Constituency profile

New Forest East is a constituency in Hampshire. It covers the towns and villages on west bank of Southampton Water and most of the sparsely-populated New Forest National Park. Its largest town is Totton, which has a population of around 28,000. Other settlements include the town of Hythe and the villages of Marchwood, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Sway, Holbury and Blackfield.

Totton is a mostly suburban town with average levels of wealth. Much of the town, which is separated from the city of Southampton by the River Test, was developed in the late 20th century. To the south are large industrial estates; Marchwood has a military port and electricity generation facilities, and adjacent to Holbury is Fawley Refinery, the largest oil refinery in the United Kingdom. The inland villages within the New Forest are generally affluent.

New Forest East is home to a large retiree population. Residents have high rates of homeownership and average levels of education. Household income is above average and there is a low rate of child poverty. A high proportion of residents work in the manufacturing and tourism sectors and a low percentage claim unemployment benefits.

At the local council level, the inland areas are mostly represented by Conservatives whilst more Liberal Democrats were elected in the east, especially in Hythe. An estimated 59% of voters in New Forest East supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the nationwide figure of 52%. the constituency now comprises the following:

  • The District of New Forest wards of: Ashurst, Bramshaw, Copythorne & Netley Marsh; Brockenhurst & Denny Lodge; Dibden & Dibden Purlieu; Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley; Forest & Solent; Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield; Hythe Central; Hythe South; Lyndhurst & Minstead; Marchwood & Eling; Sway; Totton Central; Totton North; Totton South.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.

History

This constituency was created when the old New Forest constituency was divided for the 1997 general election. All election results but one since its creation suggest that it is a Conservative safe seat. The 2001 election produced a marginal victory when the Liberal Democrats came within 4,000 votes of winning, closer than any challengers since.

Members of Parliament

New Forest and Romsey & Waterside prior to 1997

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!colspan="2"|Election!!Member

!Party

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| 1997

| rowspan="3" | Sir Julian Lewis

| Conservative

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| July 2020

| Independent

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

|December 2020

|Conservative

|}

Elections

thumb|centre|750px|Election results 1997-2024

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

See also

  • List of parliamentary constituencies in Hampshire
  • List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)

Notes

References

Sources

  • Election result, 2005 (BBC)
  • Election results, 1997 - 2001 (BBC)
  • Election results, 1997–2001 (Election Demon)
  • Election results, 1997 - 2005 (Guardian)
  • New Forest East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
  • New Forest East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
  • New Forest East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK