| Tunbridge Wells | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1974 |
| Type: | County |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
| Electorate: | 75,213 (2023)[1] |
| Region: | England |
Tunbridge Wells is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat.
1974–1983: The Borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells, the Urban District of Southborough, the Rural District of Cranbrook, in the Rural District of Tonbridge the parishes of Bidborough, Brenchley, Capel, Horsmonden, Lamberhurst, Paddock Wood, Pembury, Speldhurst.
1983–1997: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.
1997–2010: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Brenchley, Capel, Culverden, Goudhurst, Horsmonden, Lamberhurst, Paddock Wood, Pantiles, Park, Pembury, Rusthall, St James', St John's, St Mark's, Sherwood, Southborough East, Southborough North, Southborough West, Speldhurst and Bidborough.
2010–present: The Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Brenchley and Horsmonden, Broadwater, Capel, Culverden, Goudhurst and Lamberhurst, Hawkhurst and Sandhurst, Paddock Wood East, Paddock Wood West, Pantiles and St Mark's, Park, Pembury, Rusthall, St James', St John's, Sherwood, Southborough and High Brooms, Southborough North, Speldhurst and Bidborough.
The current constituency includes the large town of Tunbridge Wells, as well as most of its borough to the east, which is generally rural.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 general election remained unchanged.[2]
The constituency was created in 1974, and was originally named "Royal Tunbridge Wells". Except for Cranbrook Rural District (previously part of the Ashford constituency) the area had formed part of the constituency of Tonbridge prior to 1974. In 1983 the "Royal" prefix was removed from the seat's name.
From 2000 to 2001, Archie Norman was the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions.
The previous MP Greg Clark, was Minister for Decentralisation from the start of the Cameron ministry, and then two years later became Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He then served as the Minister of State for Cities and Constitution, Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities before serving in the cabinet as the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government after the 2015 General Election
In the May ministry, he served throughout as the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy before stepping down after May's resignation in July 2019. After returning to the backbenches, he served as the chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee across the Johnson, Truss and Sunak ministries.
The area is still largely rural in character and landscape, enjoying a gently elevated position which is traversed by the High Weald Landscape Trail. The area has local service sector and financial sector employers, light engineering combined with being substantially a commuter belt town for London, and to an extent, businesses on the southern side of the M25, such as in the Gatwick Diamond.
The electorate voted for Remain in the 2016 EU referendum, and are wealthier than the UK average.[3]
Tonbridge and Ashford prior to 1974
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1974 | Patrick Mayhew | Conservative | ||
| 1997 | Archie Norman | Conservative | ||
| 2005 | Greg Clark | Conservative | ||
| September 2019 | Independent | |||
| November 2019 | Conservative | |||
| 2024 | Mike Martin | Liberal Democrats | ||