Epping Forest is a constituency in Essex, created for the February 1974 general election from parts of the abolished Epping and Chigwell constituencies. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Neil Hudson of the Conservative Party.
Epping Forest is a constituency located in Essex. Its largest town is Loughton, which has a population of around 33,000. Other towns in the constituency include Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell, Waltham Abbey and Epping. The constituency lies just outside Greater London within the Metropolitan Green Belt and is named after Epping Forest, an ancient woodland which separates Loughton and Waltham Abbey. Much of Loughton was developed after the Second World War to accommodate the London overspill. The area continues to house London commuters and is served by the Central line of the London Underground. The constituency is generally affluent and house prices are higher than national averages.
In general, residents of Epping Forest have average levels of education, high rates of household income and are more likely to work in professional occupations compared to the rest of the country. White people made up 81% of the population at the 2021 census. Asians (primarily Indians) were the largest ethnic minority group at 9%, concentrated mainly in Chigwell. Most of the constituency is represented by Conservatives at the local council level, although Loughton is mostly represented by a local residents' association. Voters in Epping Forest strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 62% voted in favour of Brexit compared to 52% nationwide.
The seat was created for the February 1974 general election, primarily from part of the abolished constituency of Chigwell, together with parts of the abolished constituency of Epping, which was notably the seat held by Winston Churchill from 29 October 1924 â 15 June 1945.
When Epping Forest was first created, it was more favourable to the Conservatives than the old Epping seat, as it lost the new town of Harlow (part of the old Epping Rural District) and gained the more Conservative Chigwell Urban District. During the Thatcher period the Labour Party's vote was crushed. Even though the Liberals managed to move into second place, their vote did little more than follow national trends and as soon as 1987 their votes dropped away as well.
Two former candidates in the Epping Forest constituency have also stood for election as Mayor of London: Steve Norris (Conservative; MP 1988âÂÂ97) and Julian Leppert (British National Party).
The constituency comprises Loughton, Epping, Waltham Abbey, Chigwell, Buckhurst Hill, Theydon Bois, part of North Weald, small intermediate villages and almost the whole of the ancient Forest itself, except those parts which were transferred to Greater London in 1965.
The majority of the new constituency, comprising the Urban District of Chigwell (incorporating Buckhurst Hill and Loughton), had previously been part of the abolished constituency of Chigwell.ÃÂ Remaining parts had previously been in the abolished constituency of Epping.
Minor loss to Brentwood and Ongar.
North Weald Bassett transferred from Harlow.
The North Weald Bassett ward was transferred to Brentwood and Ongar. Other marginal changes due to redistribution of local authority wards.
The 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place on 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged. However, following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2024, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
The constituency was created in 1974 from the seats of Epping and Chigwell â both of these (then one constituency, Epping) were represented by Winston Churchill throughout his tenure as Prime Minister during World War II. The Conservative Party has won in Epping Forest in every election since the creation of the constituency. The previous MP Eleanor Laing, was Deputy Speaker of the House from October 2013 and Chairman of Ways and Means from 2020 until 2024.
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