Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 51°01′59″N 0°06′54″W / 51.033°N 0.115°W / 51.033; -0.115

Mid Sussex is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Nicholas Soames, a Conservative.

Constituency profile

The constituency is in the north east of West Sussex bordering East Sussex, containing relatively small villages and the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, all of which have green buffers preventing them from being contiguous and rail connections to Brighton, London Gatwick Airport and the City of London. The motorway network is also close by, the M23 providing access to this, west of the main towns.

Income levels are on average considerably higher than the national average and levels of rented and social housing are below the national average, particularly levels seen in cities.

Boundaries

1974-1983: The Urban Districts of Burgess Hill and Cuckfield, and the Rural District of Cuckfield.

1983-1997: The District of Mid Sussex wards of Ardingly, Bolney, Burgess Hill Chanctonbury, Burgess Hill Franklands, Burgess Hill North, Burgess Hill St Andrews, Burgess Hill Town, Burgess Hill West, Clayton, Cuckfield, East Grinstead East, East Grinstead North, East Grinstead South, East Grinstead West, Haywards Heath Ashenground, Haywards Heath Bentswood, Haywards Heath Franklands, Haywards Heath Harlands, Haywards Heath Heath, Horsted Keynes, Hurstpierpoint, Keymer, Lindfield Rural, Lindfield Urban, and West Hoathly.

Mid Sussex

Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.

The district was created on 1 April 1974 from parts of East Sussex: the urban districts of Cuckfield, Burgess Hill, and East Grinstead and nearly all of Cuckfield Rural, the far north-west of which was transferred to Crawley.

The district borders the Tandridge district of Surrey to the north, Wealden and Lewes district district to the east, and Brighton and Hove to the south, all in East Sussex, and Horsham district to the west and Crawley, northwest, equally in West Sussex.

The Prime Meridian passes through the district, has most headwaters of the River Ouse, Sussex and its largest body of water is Ardingly reservoir which is used by watersports clubs. The north of the area is the High Weald has sections of Ashdown Forest.

Civil parishes

Within the Mid Sussex District are the following civil parishes:

History

Population increased substantially in the 19th century, with most of this increase in the most urban areas and leading by its close to urban districts, town-based and rural districts, multi-village-based.