Bromley and Chislehurst (UK Parliament constituency)

Bromley and Chislehurst
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bromley and Chislehurst in Greater London.
County	Greater London
Population	88,633 (2011 census)
Electorate	65,508 (December 2010)
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of parliament	Bob Neill (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	Ravensbourne, Chislehurst
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	London

Bromley and Chislehurst is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2006 by Bob Neill of the Conservative Party.

Aside from a few ex-council estates which retain significant proportions of social housing in parts of Mottingham and Bromley Common, this constituency is relatively prosperous in terms of income, has low unemployment and is largely suburban with significant parkland and sports areas. The 2011 census shows that the borough is 84.3% White European/British, lower than the national average (86%) and higher than then London average (59%). Until 2006 it was one of the Conservative Party's safest seats but the by-election of that year saw the party's electoral majority fall steeply from over 13,000 (in the 2005 election) to just over 600 votes (see below - "Election results").

The Bromley parliamentary constituency was created in 1918. In 1974 Bromley became Ravensbourne.

Before the 1997 election western wards of Chislehurst merged with eastern wards in Ravensbourne to form Bromley and Chislehurst.

The earlier Bromley, later Ravensbourne, seat was markedly prosperous in regional terms and did not elect Labour Party MPs during its 1918 to 1974 existence. One of the Ravensbourne wards, Plaistow and Sundridge, had a Communist Councillor in the 1940s. Prime Minister (1957-1963) Harold Macmillan was the MP for Bromley from 1945 until his retirement in 1964, when he was succeeded by John Hunt. Hunt, on the left of the Conservative party, held the seat (renamed Ravensbourne in 1974) until 1997.