123-590: Orpington is a town in Greater London , England , within the London Borough of Bromley . It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross . On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area , it is south of St Mary Cray , southwest of Swanley , west of Ramsden , north of Goddington and Green Street Green , and east of Crofton and Broom Hill . Orpington is covered by
246-649: A by-election in 2021 . The loss of safe seats can become historic moments: the defeat of Michael Portillo in his "safe" Conservative seat in 1997 created the " Portillo moment ". That expression has since been used to describe huge voting swings that generally usher in a new government, as occurred in 1997. Similarly, in 2015, the Labour Party lost many formerly safe seats in Scotland, including Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath , which had previously been held by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown , and Paisley and Renfrewshire South ,
369-456: A ceremonial county also called Greater London , and the City of London . The Greater London Authority is responsible for strategic local government across the region, and regular local government is the responsibility of the borough councils and the City of London Corporation . Greater London is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Hertfordshire to the north, Essex to the north-east, Kent to
492-473: A split vote is more likely under a first past the post electoral system, as in the UK. Opposition supporters in safe seats have restricted means to affect election outcomes, and thus the incumbent parties can, in theory, decide to ignore those supporters' concerns, as they have no direct effect on the election result. Even those voters who are moderate supporters of the incumbent party may be disenfranchised by having
615-534: A Labour gain despite the incumbent MP, Nick Clegg , being the party leader and Deputy Prime Minister . Clegg held the seat, albeit with a much reduced majority of just 2,353 (4.2%). In 2017, several Lib Dem MPs either regained their seat, such as Vince Cable and Ed Davey , or won new ones. Despite the net gain in seats, several were still lost, such as Clegg's, whilst Farron's majority was reduced to less than 1,000. The ERS identifies what it calls "super safe seats", which have been held continuously by one party since
738-607: A Private Member's Bill to provide permanent Romani sites; this resulted in the Caravan Sites Act 1968 that placed an obligation upon local authorities to provide sites for locally residing travellers. In 1971, an international meeting of Romany people was held at Orpington; this Orpington Congress marked the founding of the International Romani Union , a group seeking political representation for Romanis throughout Europe. Orpington railway station opened in 1868 to
861-417: A defeat for the seat holder is considered possible. In systems where candidates must first win the party's primary election , the phrase " tantamount to election " is often used to describe winning the dominant party's nomination for a safe seat. There is a spectrum between safe and marginal seats. Supposedly safe seats can still change hands in a landslide election , such as Enfield Southgate being lost by
984-440: A marginal seat, even though it had been held by Labour for a long time. Safe seats are usually seats that have been held by one party for a long time, but the two concepts are not interchangeable. In countries with parliamentary government, parties often try to ensure that their most talented or influential politicians are selected to contest these seats – in part to ensure that these politicians can stay in parliament, regardless of
1107-632: A new multi-sport stadium with a spectator capacity of 2,200. However, in July 2016 new London Mayor Sadiq Kahn vetoed the plan as part of his pledge to protect green belt land. Orpington Boxing Club has produced numerous amateur champions. It moved to Westerham in 1986. The club closed in 2013 due to lack of funding, but reopened in Pettswood in 2024 with a 15 year lease. Since 1985, members of Orpington Road Runners have met every Tuesday near The Buff Pub and on Sundays at High Elms Country Park . For over 10 years,
1230-433: A popular sitting member may make a seat more competitive, as the accrued personal vote of a long-serving parliamentarian will sometimes have resisted countervailing demographic trends. An independent or third-party candidate with an ideology close to that of the incumbent party may also be able to make a more credible challenge than more established parties, but these factors can combine: a retiring third-party member may turn
1353-476: A range of primary and secondary schools . The state secondary schools include St. Olave's Grammar School and Newstead Wood School , which both select students on the basis of their performance in a highly competitive entrance examination. The Orpington campus of Bromley College, Bromley is a further education college, affiliated with the University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church University . It
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#17329318924061476-412: A representative that must appeal to a broader electorate, take the opportunity to choose a candidate from the more ideological reaches of the membership. Opposing parties will often be compelled to nominate much less well-known individuals (such as backroom workers or youth activists in the party), who will sometimes do little more than serve as paper candidates who do little or no campaigning, or will use
1599-405: A representative whose views may be more extreme than their own. Political objectors in such areas may experience marginalisation from wider democratic processes and political apathy . This is often regarded as undemocratic, and is a major argument in favour of various multi-member proportional representation election methods. Safe seats may receive far less political funding than marginal seats, as
1722-529: A safe seat for that party into a marginal seat. For instance, in Berwick-upon-Tweed , with the retirement of the popular incumbent Alan Beith , the seat was no longer safe for the Liberal Democrats . Traditionally safe seats can also be more vulnerable in by-elections , especially for governing parties. Safe seats may also become marginal if the sitting member is involved in scandal: in 1997, Tatton
1845-735: A safer or more tenuous list position. If a party is strong enough nationwide to gather representations in all subdivisions, the top candidate(s) on each list tend to be very safely elected to parliament. This is seen in the extremely proportional election systems of the Nordic countries , for example. Safe seats and candidates can be avoided altogether by a purposefully marginal -preference allocation of all divisions, ensuring all divisions are near-identically demographically diverse which may be achieved by pairing non-adjoining areas. The Australian Electoral Commission defines seat margins as follows: In his election analysis, psephologist Antony Green puts
1968-680: A sensation and was headline news across the nation. It is from this win that the revival of the Liberal Party is usually dated. Data from the 2011 census reported that the population of Orpington was 15,311 with 52% being female and 48% male. The average age is 42, slightly above the national average age of 40. 86% of Orpington's population was born in England, with the second highest group being those born in Scotland at 1.1%. 95.1% of Orpington's population speak English , with 'Others' at 0.4%. Christianity
2091-527: A sports hall used for activities such as badminton , basketball , trampolining and fitness classes. The sports hall is also used for Women's Artistic Gymnastics , and the leisure centre has been the main training venue for Orpington Gymnastic Club since the opening of the centre. There are also other leisure centres such as one situated at Harris Academy Orpington, which has a floodlit, synthetic pitch for hockey and football , three outdoor tennis courts, two netball courts, four outdoor cricket nets and
2214-898: A sports hall with gymnasium/fitness suite and dance studio. Another is Banaatyne Health Club, a members-only health club on Sandy Lane which was previously LA Fitness but changed causing controversy in late 2015. Other exercise facilities include bodybuilding gym Ripped Muscle And Fitness located on Orpington high street, previously Keddles Gym (now based in Dartford), and Anytime fitness which can be found on Orpington high street. There are rugby , football, tennis and cricket pitches in Goddington Park which are used by Westcombe Park RFC, Orpington Cricket Club and Orpington Football Club . Westcombe Park RFC competes in National League 3 London & SE (four leagues below premiership rugby). 'Combe' moved from
2337-493: A storm in 1771. The rebuilt steeple was struck by lightning in 1809, and it was not replaced. The church was greatly enlarged in 1957. The present Vicar is the Reverend George Rogers. The Priory is a medieval hall house . In 1032, Eadsy, chaplain to King Cnut , gave his estate at Orpedingetune to Christ Church Priory, Canterbury . The first Rector of Orpington, Hugh de Mortimer, held court here in 1270. The house
2460-684: A two-tier system of local government, with the Greater London Council (GLC) sharing power with the City of London Corporation (governing the small City of London) and the 32 London Borough councils. The GLC was abolished in 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985 . Its functions were devolved to the City Corporation and the London Boroughs, with some functions transferred to central government and joint boards. Greater London formed
2583-608: A winning candidate defines the seat margin. In this case: The northern, east coast, and rural constituencies have been safe seats for the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and Perikatan Nasional (PN). Especially in Kelantan , PAS has been in government since 1990 (7 consecutive terms). Pakatan Harapan , the senior coalition in the current government has been a dominant coalition in highly industrialized states, namely Penang , Selangor and Kuala Lumpur . Even prior to
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#17329318924062706-566: Is Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough . Orpington War Memorial standing at the southern end of the High Street is a focal point for Remembrance Sunday. It was designed by local architect Charles Heaton Comyn and unveiled on Sunday 28 August 1921. It originally contained the names of 111 local men who died in the Great War, however further names were added later, bringing the total for
2829-618: Is Westerham Heights (245 m (804 ft)), part of the North Downs . In the north-east the area contains part of Epping Forest , an ancient woodland. The City of London has had its own government since the Anglo-Saxon period. The first London-wide directly elected local government was the London County Council , established for the County of London in 1889, which covered the core of
2952-418: Is an electoral district which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party , or the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both. With such seats, there is very little chance of a seat changing hands because of the political leanings of the electorate in the constituency concerned or the popularity of the incumbent member. This contrasts with a marginal seat in which
3075-512: Is covered by two or three constituencies. The London Region does not have city status granted by the Crown. The Cities of London and Westminster within it have received formal city status. Despite this, Greater London is commonly regarded as a city in the general senses of a conurbation and a municipality. A Lord Lieutenant of Greater London is appointed for its area, excluding the City of London. For
3198-621: Is explained by the quantity of independent schools getting good A-level results. The state school system is often bypassed at age 16 by the more able pupils. Some London boroughs need more good sixth form colleges. The region's 34 further education colleges are funded through the Skills Funding Agency and the Young People's Learning Agency . Large colleges include Kingston College , Havering College of Further and Higher Education , and Croydon College . Safe seat A safe seat
3321-808: Is home to sizeable Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish communities. Many Muslims live in Tower Hamlets and Newham ; the most important Muslim buildings are the East London Mosque in Whitechapel and the London Central Mosque on the edge of Regent's Park . London's large Hindu community is in the north-western boroughs of Harrow and Brent, the latter containing one of Europe's largest Hindu temples, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London . Sikh communities are in East and West London, particularly Southall in
3444-453: Is in the grounds of Newstead Wood School . Construction work on a new cinema complex at The Walnuts Centre commenced in 2014; the seven screen Odeon Cinema opened on 26 February 2016. Orpington was without a cinema since 1982, when the old Commodore cinema closed. Education in Orpington is managed by the London Borough of Bromley which is the local education authority . The town contains
3567-571: Is rare for the opposition to take such seats, outside candidates may be able to. Examples include the election of Peter Law and George Galloway in very safe Labour seats in 2005, Jim Murphy in the Eastwood constituency in Scotland in 1997, Martin Bell in the safe Conservative seat of Tatton in 1997, and most recently, Helen Morgan in the Conservatives' historically safest seat, North Shropshire , in
3690-692: Is regarded as a Conservative safe seat , with the party winning the seat in every general election held since 1970 . Gareth Bacon is also the London Assembly member for the Bexley and Bromley constituency in which Orpington is located. Orpington is a town located in Greater London, specifically within the London Borough of Bromley. It has farms, roads, and homes divided by the border with Kent. This characteristic means that some areas of Orpington fall within
3813-513: Is the defining geographic feature of the area, entering it near Hampton in the west and flowing east before exiting downstream of Dagenham . Several tributaries of the Thames flow through the area, but are now mostly culverted and form part of London's sewerage system . The land immediately north and south of the river is flat, but rises to low hills further away, notably Hampstead Heath , Shooter's Hill , and Sydenham Hill . The area's highest point
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3936-437: Is the most prominent religion in Orpington, with 63.1% of the population identifying as Christian; 'no religion' was second with 24.4% and Islam third at 2.1%. 45 people identify as Jewish and five as Buddhist . 51.1% of the local population is married, 23.8% are single, 8.2% cohabit with a partner of the opposite sex and 0.5% cohabit with a partner of the same sex. The leading occupation is 'professionals' who make up 19.2% of
4059-573: Is under the strategic local governance of the Greater London Authority (GLA). It consists of an elected assembly, the London Assembly , and an executive head, the Mayor of London . The current Mayor (not to be confused with the Lord Mayor of London ) is Sadiq Khan . He is scrutinised by the elected London Assembly , which may amend his annual budget (by two-thirds majority) but otherwise lacks
4182-516: The 2007 federal election , the governing Australian Labor Party 's safest seat was the seat of Division of Batman in Melbourne 's inner-northern suburbs, with a two-party-preferred margin of 26.0%. The safest seat for the opposition Liberal Party was the rural Victorian electorate of Murray , with a margin of 18.3%. The Liberal Party's junior coalition partner, the National Party 's safest seat
4305-537: The 2008 elections which ended Barisan Nasional dominant over the country, PH and its predecessors performed well in these states despite never having a chance to rule over the states before. For Barisan Nasional, another major partner in the government, the southern states and Sabah are the safe seats for the coalition. During its dominant period, it also controlled Sarawak and west coast states. Sabah and Sarawak are safe states for their local parties, with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak governing
4428-463: The Conservatives (and then-potential future party leader Michael Portillo ) to Labour at the 1997 UK general election , whilst other seats may remain marginal despite large national swings, such as Gedling , which Labour narrowly won in every election for twenty years until the 2019 general election , despite having both major victories and defeats during this time. Gedling would still be seen as
4551-602: The Democratic Party . On 6 April 2010, the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) estimated that going into the 2010 general election , of the 650 constituencies , 382 (59%) were safe seats. Some of these seats have since been lost by the parties that held them at the time, notably most of the Liberal Democrat seats and some Labour seats, meaning they can no longer be considered "safe". Examples of safe seats for
4674-471: The European Union . The region covers an area of 1,579 square kilometres. The population density is 4,761 people per square kilometre, more than ten times that of any other British region. In terms of population, London is the 25th largest city and the 17th largest metropolitan region in the world. It is ranked 4th in the world in the number of US dollar billionaires residing in the city. It ranks as one of
4797-605: The European Union . Irish people, from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, number about 200,000, as do the Scots and Welsh combined. In January 2005, a survey of London's ethnic and religious diversity claimed that there were more than 300 languages spoken and more than 50 non-indigenous communities with a population of more than 10,000. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2006 London's foreign-born population
4920-663: The Kent BR postcode area . It is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London . Stone Age tools have been found in several areas of Orpington, including Goddington Park, Priory Gardens, the Ramsden estate , and Poverest. Early Bronze Age pottery fragments have been found in the Park Avenue area. During the building of Ramsden Boys School in 1956, the remains of an Iron Age farmstead were excavated. The area
5043-747: The Labour Party are in major urban areas and the industrial centres, such as the North West ( Liverpool , Manchester ); the North East ( Newcastle , Sunderland ); South and West Yorkshire , the Valleys of South Wales ; the West Midlands county and parts of Inner London (e.g. Hackney and Newham ). Many areas of the Central Belt of Scotland, such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, were seen as safe Labour seats until
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5166-1405: The Liberal Party since 1946, except from 1953 to 1957; as the Liberals have not nominated someone in this district in the 2025 election, their domination of this district will end. Bohol's 3rd district has been held by the Nacionalista Party from 1912 to 1972. From the 1960s, parliamentary constituencies in Gyeongsang region , especially Northern Gyeongbuk and Western Gyeongnam , are considered as safe seats for People Power Party . City centres in Southeastern Gyeongnam, Southern Gyeogbuk and parliamentary constituencies in rural Gangwon , Chungbuk , Chungnam and Gyeonggi and affluent villages in such as Gangnam-gu , Seocho-gu , Songpa-gu and Yongsan-gu of Seoul , Haeundae-gu , Nam-gu , Dongnae-gu and Suyeong-gu of Busan are also considered as safe seats for People Power Party . Parliamentary constituencies in industrial areas and built-up residential areas in Gyeonggi , Southeastern Gyeongnam, Cheongju – Daejeon – Sejong City and Jeolla regions such as Jeonbuk and Jeonnam are considered as safe seats for
5289-501: The London County Council (LCC) and County of London were created in 1889, the area did not cover all of London. London's built-up area, postal district , transport network and Metropolitan Police District, extended vastly beyond the boundaries of the new administrative county. Many of the LCC housing projects, including the vast Becontree Estates , were also outside its boundaries. The LCC pressed for an alteration in its boundaries soon after
5412-526: The Metropolitan Green Belt which protects designated greenfield land in a similar way to the city's parks. The closest and furthest boundaries are with Essex to the northeast between Sewardstonebury next to Epping Forest and Chingford and with the Mar Dyke between Bulphan and North Ockendon . Greater London is also bounded by Hertfordshire to the north, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire to
5535-518: The National Party . An example of a safe National seat is East Coast Bays , currently held by Erica Stanford , who gained 71.52% of votes in the 2023 election , with only 19% of votes going to her Labour rival . By contrast, inner-city and poorer suburban electorates such as those in South Auckland are typically safe Labour seats. For example, in 2023 , the seat of Mangere was held by Labour list MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene with just under 60% of
5658-513: The Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London , chaired by Sir Edwin Herbert , which issued the 'Herbert Report' after three years of work in 1960. The commission applied three tests to decide if a community should form part of Greater London: how strong is the area as an independent centre in its own right; how strong are its ties to London; and how strongly is it drawn outwards towards
5781-635: The 12th century and is separate from the county of Greater London, although is still part of the region served by the Greater London Authority. All London Borough councils belong to the London Councils association. Three London Boroughs carry the honorific title of Royal Borough : Kensington and Chelsea , Kingston , and Greenwich . Within the City of London are the liberties of Middle Temple and Inner Temple . With increasing industrialisation, London's population grew rapidly throughout
5904-580: The 1890s. One could see the Buff Orpington at Tripes Farm, Chelsfield Lane until the late 1990s when the chicken coop was removed from the farm. Buff Orpington Ducks were also developed by Cook. The town still has a pub called The Buff, originally named in honour of the Buff Orpington. The Orpington Car, designed by Frank Smith and built by Smith & Milroy Ltd at their works in Wellington Road,
6027-463: The 1920s). It has now surpassed the previous 1939 peak, and is over 9 million. Figures here are for Greater London in its 2001 boundaries. Figures before 1971 have been reconstructed by the Office for National Statistics based on past censuses to fit the 2001 boundaries. Figures from 1981 onward are mid-year estimates (revised in August 2007), which are more accurate than the censuses, known to underestimate
6150-472: The 1960s used "Orpington man" to designate a typical member of the lower middle class, for example as the target audience of an electoral or advertising appeal. Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region , containing most of the continuous urban area of London . It contains 33 local government districts : the 32 London boroughs , which form
6273-790: The 1990s to parts of the boundaries of three boroughs near the M25 . The only part of Greater London outside the motorway is North Ockendon , the furthest land unit from its centre. The majority of Greater London forms the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). The London postal district does not cover all of Greater London. Sadiq Khan ( L ) Statutory Deputy Mayor Joanne McCartney ( L/Co ) London Assembly Lord Mayor Peter Estlin London boroughs ( list ) Vacant Greater London
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#17329318924066396-444: The 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was the most populated city in the world until overtaken by New York in 1925. Its population peaked at 8,615,245 in 1939. There were an estimated 7,753,600 official residents in mid-2009. London's wider metropolitan area has a population of between 12 and 13 million depending on the definition of that area. According to Eurostat, London has been the most populous city and metropolitan area of
6519-418: The 19th century. In so doing, it equates seats with their rough equivalents under previous boundaries. For example, following the 2010 general election, it identifies the national representative of the area forming Haltemprice and Howden (drawn as a constituency in 1997) as having been a Conservative since the 1837 general election . Similarly, it considers that Wokingham (and a few others) have been held by
6642-581: The 2015 election, when the Scottish National Party took all but one Labour seat in Scotland ( Edinburgh South ). Safe seats for the Conservative Party tend to be in rural areas: the Home Counties (e.g. Surrey , Buckinghamshire ), the shires (e.g. North Yorkshire and Cheshire ) and affluent areas of London (e.g. Chelsea and Fulham ). The safest seat in the 2017 general election
6765-472: The 2022 redistricting, California's 12th district is the most Democratic at D+40, while Alabama's 4th district is the most Republican at R+33. Other examples of a safe seat for the Democrats is California's 11th congressional district , which currently covers most of the city of San Francisco . This district and its predecessors have been in Democratic hands without interruption since 1949. Its current representative, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ,
6888-403: The Blackheath area to Orpington in 1936. Cray Wanderers F.C. , established in 1860 no longer plays in Orpington, but now shares a ground with Bromley F.C. On 3 October 2014 Cray Wanderers signed a conditional contract to purchase Flamingo Park Sports Centre on the A20 Sidcup bypass. The club subsequently obtained planning permission from Bromley Council for a new sporting community hub, featuring
7011-486: The British armed forces in Germany. London has been a focus for immigration for centuries, whether as a place of safety or for economic reasons. Huguenots , Eastern European Jews, Cypriots and East African Asians are examples of the former; Irish, Bangladeshis and West Indians of the latter. The East End district around Spitalfields has been first home for several ethnic groups, which have subsequently moved elsewhere in London as they gained prosperity. The population of
7134-457: The City and Southwark Cathedral south of the river are Anglican administrative centres, while the clerical head of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion , the Archbishop of Canterbury , has his main residence at Lambeth Palace in the London Borough of Lambeth . Important national and royal ceremonies are shared between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey . The Abbey is not to be confused with nearby Westminster Cathedral ,
7257-457: The City of London and the 32 London boroughs, since the 1990 enactment of the Education Reform Act 1988 . From 1965 to 1990, 12 Inner London boroughs and the City of London were served by the Inner London Education Authority . The introduction of comprehensive schools , directed by Circular 10/65 in 1965, was mostly followed in Greater London; however, 19 grammar schools have been retained in some Outer London boroughs, with Sutton having
7380-450: The Conservative Party since 1885, Devon East , Fylde and Arundel and South Downs since 1868, Hampshire North East since 1857, and Rutland and Melton , Bognor Regis and Littlehampton , and East Worthing and Shoreham all since 1841. (For historical reasons, the Conservative Party being older than the other current main parties, it holds all the oldest safe seats.) Even the safest of seats can be – and sometimes are – upset. Whilst it
7503-426: The GDP of Outer London to be 103 billion euros in 2009 and per capita GDP of 21,460 euros. The largest religious groupings are Christian (48.4%), Muslim (8.4%), Hindu (8.0%), Jewish (1.8%), Sikh (1.5%), and Buddhist (1.0%), alongside those of no religion (21.7%). The United Kingdom has traditionally been Christian, and London has a large number of churches, particularly in the city. St Paul's Cathedral in
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#17329318924067626-513: The Great War up to 117. A campaign in 1997–98 for the remembrance of 432 armed forces personnel who fell in the Second World War resulted in the unveiling of eight more plaques on Sunday 2 August 1999. Another new plaque has been added detailing the eight local men who have died on active duty since 1945. In the corner of All Saints' Church sits Canadian Corner. This is a First World War memorial that marks where 182 soldiers who died being treated at Orpington Hospital are buried. The name derives from
7749-501: The London region in 1994. The 1998 London referendum established a public will to recreate an upper tier of government to cover the region. The Greater London Authority , London Assembly and the directly elected Mayor of London were created in 2000 by the Greater London Authority Act 1999 . In 2000, the outer boundary of the Metropolitan Police District was re-aligned to the Greater London boundary. The 2000 and 2004 mayoral elections were won by Ken Livingstone , who had been
7872-407: The London Borough of Bromley since 1 April 1965. Prior to this Orpington's local government was the Orpington Urban District within the county of Kent . Orpington forms part of the Orpington (UK Parliament constituency) and the current MP is Gareth Bacon , who has held the seat since 2019 for the Conservative Party . Orpington constituency, which covers a large swathe of southern Bromley borough,
7995-437: The UK, with "a huge majority of them living in London"). Though a Polish community has existed in London since the late-Middle Ages, it was not significant in the 2001 Census but has grown significantly since 2004, when Poland joined the European Union and by June 2010; London had 122,000 Polish residents. The German-born population figure may be misleading, however, because it includes British nationals born to parents serving in
8118-405: The administrative boundaries of Bromley, while others extend into Kent. After the Conservative member for the Orpington constituency , Donald Sumner, had resigned to become a county court judge, a by-election was held on 15 March 1962. Orpington was considered a safe Conservative seat, but Eric Lubbock , the Liberal candidate, won with a 22% swing away from the Conservatives. The result caused
8241-415: The authority. The commission made its report in 1923, rejecting the LCC's scheme. Two minority reports favoured change beyond the amalgamation of smaller urban districts, including both smaller borough councils and a central authority for strategic functions. The London Traffic Act 1924 was a result of the commission. Reform of local government in the County of London and its environs was next considered by
8364-406: The best GCSE results in England, at A-level it is not even above average. Sutton gets the best A-level results in London and in England. Three of the schools in the top four at A-level in London are in Sutton. It has only one independent school. The few other boroughs with above-average A-level results are Havering, Barnet, Bexley, Redbridge, and Ealing. The poor A-level results in many London boroughs
8487-426: The best results for regions of England. Greater London is generally a prosperous region, and prosperous areas generally have good GCSE results. The City of London has no state schools, just two independent schools. Haringey and Kensington and Chelsea have the most people that pass no GCSEs. At A-level, the average results for LEAs are disappointing compared to their good GCSE results. Although Kingston upon Thames gets
8610-458: The club has organised a 10k race and series of 2k fun runs during the summer in conjunction with Darrick Wood School. Bromley Indoor Bowls Club is situated off Gillmans Road. Lawn bowls is played at the Excelsior Club in Poverest Recreation Ground. Knoll Lawn Tennis Club has (despite its name) five tarmac courts tucked away among the houses of Mayfield Avenue and Lynwood Grove. Bromley Tennis Centre (six indoor courts and four floodlit outdoor courts)
8733-399: The contest to gain experience so that they become more likely to be selected for a more winnable seat. In some cases (especially in the United States), these seats may go uncontested by other major parties. Safe seats can become marginal seats (and vice versa) gradually as voter allegiances shift over time. This shift can happen more rapidly for a variety of reasons. The retirement or death of
8856-539: The council to wipe away road markings indicating parking restrictions. By combining the lack of markings with CCTV monitoring, the council has been able to reduce the amount of street clutter and improve the quality of the High Street environment. Much of the town's retailers reside at the Nugent Shopping Park. This retail park is located to the north of the high street, in the St Mary Cray area. The vicinity of
8979-532: The country rather than inwards towards London. Greater London was created by the London Government Act 1963 , which came into force on 1 April 1965, replacing the administrative counties of Middlesex and London , including the City of London , where the London County Council had limited powers, and absorbing parts of Essex , Hertfordshire , Kent and Surrey . Greater London originally had
9102-406: The current area of Greater London rose from about 1.1 million in 1801 (when only about 850,000 people were in the urban area, while 250,000 were living in villages and towns not yet part of London) to an estimated 8.6 million in 1939, but declined to 6.7 million in 1988, before starting to rebound in the 1990s. By 2006, the population had recovered to the level of 1970 (and the level of population in
9225-533: The cutoff between "safe" and "very safe" at 12%. In Australia's federal system, most rural seats are safe seats for either the National Party or Liberal Party . Conversely, inner-city and poorer suburban seats are typically safe Australian Labor Party seats, and a few of the most affluent inner-middle urban seats are held by the Liberal Party. Marginals are generally concentrated in the middle-class outer-suburban areas of Australia's larger state capitals, which therefore decide most Australian federal elections. At
9348-623: The end of the First World War , noting that within the Metropolitan and City Police Districts there were 122 housing authorities. A Royal Commission on London Government was set up to consider the issue. The LCC proposed a vast new area for Greater London, with a boundary somewhere between the Metropolitan Police District and the home counties . Protests were made at the possibility of including Windsor , Slough and Eton in
9471-676: The fact 88 of those buried are Canadians. Canadian Corner is unique in that its design resembles that of First World War Cemeteries found in France & Belgium, with the text on the memorial suggesting that the Memorial Cross was the first outside of the Western Front, as the English public were interested in how the war cemeteries looked. The Memorial Cross in Canadian Corner was unveiled in 1921 in
9594-601: The final leader of the GLC. The 2008 and 2012 elections were won by Boris Johnson . The 2016, 2021 and 2024 elections were won by Sadiq Khan . London was covered by a single Parliamentary constituency in the European Parliament before Brexit . Greater London includes the most closely associated parts of the Greater London Urban Area and their historic buffers and includes, in five boroughs, significant parts of
9717-457: The importance of winning votes in geographical electorates. It remains to be seen what long-term effect proportional representation will have on the safety of individual electorate seats. While party-switching in the Philippines is rampant, certain congressional districts have been held by political families for generations. These are: Under the usual definition, Capiz–1st has been held by
9840-491: The largest Roman Catholic cathedral in England and Wales. Religious practice in London is lower than in any other part of the UK or Western Europe and is around seven times lower than American averages. Despite the prevalence of Anglican churches, weekly observance is low within that denomination , although in recent years church attendance , particularly at evangelical Anglican churches in London, has started to increase. London
9963-645: The last private owners of The Priory, Cecil and Lilian Hughes, consists of Italianate and Arts & Crafts style formal gardens reflecting the Hughes respective interests, a landscaped park with children's play area, and a trio of natural ponds where the River Cray rises. Each year the Orpington May Queen is crowned in the gardens. During the First World War a large military hospital, the "16th Canadian General",
10086-415: The majority of the Greater London Built-up Area , which extends into Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Berkshire and in 2011 had a population of 9,787,426. None of the administrative area, region, or ceremonial county hold city status , but the City of London and City of Westminster separately do. The area was historically part of Middlesex , Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire. The River Thames
10209-760: The most expensive cities in the world, alongside Tokyo and Moscow . In the 2001 UK Census, 71.15% of the population classed their ethnic group as White, including White British (59.79%), White Irish (3.07%) or "Other White" (8.29%, mostly Greek-Cypriot, Italian, Polish and Portuguese). 12.09% classed themselves as British Asian, including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and "Other Asian" (mostly Sri Lankan, Arab and other Southern Asian ethnicities). 10.91% classed themselves as Black British (around 6% as Black African, 4% as Black Caribbean, 0.84% as "Other Black"). 3.15% were of mixed race; 1.12% as Chinese; and 1.58% as other (mostly Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and other "British Orientals"). 21.8% of inhabitants were born outside
10332-492: The most with five, followed by Bexley with four and others in five other boroughs. In these boroughs the state schools outperform the (relatively few) independent schools. In inner London, private schools always get the best results and are larger in number. At GCSE and A level , Outer London boroughs have broadly better results than Inner London boroughs. At GCSE, the best borough is Kingston upon Thames, closely followed by Sutton. Both boroughs have selective schools, and get
10455-462: The only one considered safe. Orkney and Shetland has been held by the Liberal Democrats and their predecessor party, the Liberal Party , continuously since the 1950 general election , but was almost lost to the Scottish National Party in the latter's national landslide. The seat of Sheffield Hallam was notable in the run up to the 2015 general election , when opinion polls were forecasting
10578-636: The other 5 going to the ultra-nationalist Conservative Alliance – which later merged into the SDL. All 19 "Indian" seats were retained by the Labour Party. In the 2006 general election , all Indo-Fijian seats remained safely Labour, while the SDL won all 23 indigenous seats. Among other minorities, only the communal seat of West Central was a safe seat for the ethnic United Peoples Party . The new Constitution adopted in 2013 abolished constituency representation altogether, in favour of party list seat allocation based on nationwide results. The 2014 general election
10701-400: The other direction services call at Sevenoaks , Tunbridge Wells and Hastings . Orpington is served by London Buses routes 51 , 61 , 208 , 353 , 358 , B14 , R1 , R2 , R3 , R4 , R5 , R6 , R7 , R8 , R9 , R10 , R11 , school routes 654 , 684 , night route N199 , Go-Coach route 3 and Arriva Kent Thameside route 477. The M25 motorway around London passes Orpington to
10824-490: The park also hosts several 'big box' retail outlets. Following the relocation of Marks & Spencer from their town-centre store to the Nugent Shopping Park, their previous site was taken over by Sainsbury's , who moved from their site nearby in the Walnuts. The Walnuts Leisure Centre, just east of the High Street, has a six-lane, 33.3-metre indoor swimming pool , squash courts and a gym with sauna and steam room, as well as
10947-546: The parties will attempt to "buy" marginal seats with funding (a process known in North America and Australia as " pork barrelling "), while ignoring safe seats which will reliably fall to the same party every time; this is especially true in cases where the safe seat is held by the minority party. In countries that do not apply the first past the post system, many of which equally operate a geographic division-based system, selected or party sub-nominated candidates can be allocated
11070-445: The population followed by administrative and secretarial at 16.2%. The High Street and adjacent Walnuts Shopping Centre contain a variety of high-street shops, pubs and restaurants. A large Tesco supermarket opened in 2009 on the site of a former multi-storey car park . There is also a general market three days a week in front of Orpington College. In 2017 a restricted parking zone was introduced on Orpington High Street, which enabled
11193-654: The population of London. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added (GVA) of Inner London at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling. Eurostat data shows the GDP of Inner London to be 232 billion euros in 2009 and per capita GDP of 78,000 euros. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Outer London at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling. Eurostat data shows
11316-665: The power to block his directives. The headquarters of the GLA, previously at City Hall in Southwark , moved to The Crystal in Newham in January 2022. The Mayor is responsible for Greater London's strategic planning and is required to produce or amend the London Plan each electoral cycle. The Mayor of London is a directly elected politician who, along with the London Assembly, is responsible for
11439-558: The presence of the High Commissioner for Canada. The automatic plunger used to release the Union flag which hid the Cross was the same used by George V during the unveiling of The Cenotaph a year earlier. The Memorial Cross in Canadian Corner was the first Canadian Memorial unveiled in the UK. Orpington is known for the "Buff", "Black" and "Speckled" chickens bred locally by William Cook in
11562-572: The purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 , this area is defined as a county . The term "London" usually refers to region or to the conurbation, but not often to the ancient, tiny City of London. That small area is often referred to as "the City" or "the Square Mile" and it forms the main financial district. Archaically, the urbanised area of London was known as the Metropolis . In common usage,
11685-506: The seat of shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander . In both cases, swings of over 25% to the SNP were recorded. In the 2019 general election , Labour lost many formerly safe seats that were part of its ' Red Wall ' in northern England. These defeats represented about 20% of the party's overall 2017 vote in such seats. The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates congressional districts on how strongly they lean toward either major party. As of
11808-653: The south of the town and three A roads , the A208 , A224 and A232 , pass through the area. Additionally, the A21 passes along the town's southern border. The Parish Church is All Saints Church , which stands upon pre- Norman foundations. Mentioned in the Domesday Book , it is Early English in style, but some Saxon work is still visible. It was endowed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1173. The tower and steeple were damaged by
11931-423: The south-east, Surrey to the south, and Berkshire and Buckinghamshire to the west. Greater London has a land area of 1,572 km (607 sq mi) and an estimated population of 8,866,180 in 2022. The ceremonial county of Greater London is only slightly smaller, with an area of 1,569 km (606 sq mi) and a population of 8,855,333 in 2022. The area is almost entirely urbanised and contains
12054-514: The southwest of the town centre, prompting housing development in the Crofton and Broom Hill areas, with the Derry Downs areas to the east also developed at about the same time. The station was expanded in 1904, prompting a wave of house building that peaked in the 1920-30s, transforming the area into a suburb of London. The Walnuts Shopping Centre was built in the early 1970s. Orpington has been part of
12177-411: The specific election result, and that they can concentrate on ministerial roles without needing to spend too much effort on managing electorate-specific issues. Candidate selection for a party's safe seats is usually keenly contested, although many parties restrict or forbid challenges to the nomination of sitting members. The selection process can see the incumbent party, untroubled by the need to have
12300-573: The states with supermajority. For Sabah, despite being described as a swing state in the past, it has been consistently ruled by parties that once a part in BN. Prior to the 2018 elections , these states were described as 'fixed deposits' for BN as they won almost all seats there with a landslide. In New Zealand, many rural electorates, and those based in wealthy suburban areas, notably the North Shore and eastern suburbs of Auckland , are considered safe seats for
12423-399: The strategic government of Greater London. For elections to the London Assembly , London is divided into 14 constituencies, each formed from two or three boroughs. The City of London forms part of the City and East constituency. London is divided into 73 Parliamentary borough constituencies , formed from the combined area of several wards from one or more boroughs. Typically a borough
12546-429: The terms "London" and "Greater London" are usually used interchangeably. Greater London is officially divided for some purposes, with varying definitions, into Inner London and Outer London . For some strategic planning purposes, it is divided into five sub-regions . Greater London is divided into 32 London Boroughs, each governed by a London Borough council. The City of London has a unique government dating back to
12669-599: The top 21 countries of birth of residents in 2011. These figures do not give a fair indication of the total population of the specific ethnic groups associated with each country. For example, Londoners of Greek origin (from both Greece and Cyprus) number 300,000, since an organised Greek community has been established for nearly two centuries. The same can be said for Italian and French Londoners whose communities have been here for centuries (the French Embassy estimates there are between 300,000 and 400,000 French citizens living in
12792-421: The top two average GCSE results in England for LEAs. Next is Kensington and Chelsea, the third best in England, then Redbridge , Hammersmith and Fulham, Bromley, Barnet and Harrow. Only ten boroughs have GCSE results under the England average, and some inner-London boroughs have surprisingly good results considering where they lie on the scale of deprivation, e.g. Lambeth. Overall at GCSE in 2009, Greater London had
12915-406: The urban area. In 1965 the county was abolished and replaced by Greater London, a two-tier administrative area governed by the Greater London Council , thirty-two London boroughs, and the City of London Corporation. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, and its responsibilities largely taken over by the boroughs. The Greater London Authority was formed in 2000. The term "Greater London"
13038-675: The vote, while her National rival won just under 20% of the vote even despite the nationwide Labour losses of that year. Historically, some seats thought to be safe have witnessed surprise upsets. Perhaps the most dramatic recent case was the 1996 election , in which the Maori seats , safe Labour seats for the previous 60 years, were all won by New Zealand First . Meanwhile, in the 2023 election , Labour lost many seats that they had held for decades prior such as Mount Roskill , Rongotai and Wellington Central . The adoption of proportional representation by New Zealand, beginning in 1996, has decreased
13161-435: The west, Kent to the southeast and Surrey to the south and southwest. The highest point is Westerham Heights, in the North Downs and on the boundary with Kent, at 245 m (804 ft). Central government has implemented small boundary changes . The greatest were the 1969 transfers of Farleigh to Surrey and Knockholt to Kent. Others have included exchange of two Thames islands with Surrey and adjustments during
13284-522: The western borough of Ealing, which is also home to the largest Sikh temple in the capital. The majority of British Jews live in London, with significant communities in Stamford Hill (the most Orthodox Jewish area outside New York City and Israel) and St. John's Wood , Golders Green , and Edgware in North London. Publicly funded education has been administered through 33 LEAs , which correspond to
13407-471: Was Liverpool Walton , where Labour received 86% of the vote, giving them a 77% majority over the second-placed Conservatives (at 9%). Christchurch is a safe Conservative seat; in 2017 the party gathered 69.6% of the vote there, giving it a near-50% majority over Labour. At the 2015 general election , seven out of eight of the Liberal Democrats' remaining seats were marginal, with their soon-to-be leader Tim Farron 's seat of Westmorland and Lonsdale being
13530-856: Was 2,288,000 (31%), up from 1,630,000 in 1997. The 2001 UK Census showed that 27.1% of the population were born outside the UK, and a slightly higher proportion were classed as Non-White. In the 2011 UK Census, 59.79% of the population classed their ethnic group as White, including White British (44.89%), White Irish (2.15%) or "Other White" (12.65%, mostly Greek-Cypriot, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Colombians and Portuguese). 18.49% classed themselves as British Asian, including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and "Other Asian" (mostly Sri Lankan, Arab and other Southern Asian ethnicities). 13.32% classed themselves as Black British (7% as Black African, 4.22% as Black Caribbean, 2.08% as "Other Black"). 4.96% were of mixed race; and 3.44% as other (mostly Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and other "British Orientals"). The table shows
13653-530: Was a small country village surrounded by soft fruit farms, hop fields and orchards. These crops attracted Romani people , working as itinerant pickers, to annual camps in local meadows and worked-out chalk pits. Although this work has largely ended, the Borough still provides a permanent site for travellers at Star Lane, and historic gatherings are commemorated in local street names, such as Romany Rise. In 1967, Eric Lubbock , then Liberal MP for Orpington , promoted
13776-467: Was a strong tendency toward voting on ethnic lines. Thus, in the 1999 general election , although the indigenous seats were split between several parties, all 19 Indo-Fijian seats were won by the Fiji Labour Party – which won none of the indigenous seats. In the 2001 general election , the conservative indigenous nationalist Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua party won 18 of the indigenous seats, with
13899-449: Was also built in the Anglo-Saxon period. On 22 July 1573, Queen Elizabeth I was entertained at Bark Hart (Orpington Priory) and her horses stabled at the Anchor and Hope Inn on the High Street . Historically, the major local commercial centre was nearby St Mary Cray rather than Orpington. St Mary Cray had a regular market, and industry (paper mills and bell foundry). In contrast, Orpington
14022-609: Was built south-east of the station, funded by the government of Ontario , Canada. It originally accommodated 1,050 patients; an extra wing was added in 1917. By January 1919 more than 25,000 wounded soldiers had been treated here. Most of the original pre-fabricated buildings remained in use for more than 80 years before a major renovation around the turn of the century. Today Orpington Hospital provides rehabilitation and therapy services, outpatient and diagnostic services (including dermatology and diabetes ), but it no longer has an Accident and Emergency Unit. The nearest A&E
14145-488: Was gained from the Conservatives by an anti-sleaze independent candidate, despite the majority previously being that of a very safe seat for the Conservatives. The incumbent, Neil Hamilton , had been mired in controversy, and was defeated by the veteran BBC journalist Martin Bell , who was aided by the decision of the main opposition parties (Labour and the Liberal Democrats) not to field candidates. Without such pacts,
14268-473: Was held on that basis, thus putting an end to all safe seats. The Labour Party suffered a near wipe-out. There is no formal definition in Hong Kong, yet there are some functional constituency seats which are regarded as fully secured by a political party or a political camp. Fully secured by the pan-democracy camp : Fully secured by the pro-Beijing camp : In Malaysia, the percentage of votes secured by
14391-438: Was most recently reelected with 77.6 percent of the vote. Safe Republican seats include Tennessee's 1st congressional district and Tennessee's 2nd congressional district , which are located in the eastern part of the state. Both districts have been held by Republicans or their predecessors (except for two terms in the 1st) since 1859. These districts elected some of the few truly senior Southern Republican Congressmen before
14514-611: Was occupied in Roman times, as shown by Crofton Roman Villa and the Roman bath-house at Fordcroft. During the Anglo-Saxon period, Fordcroft Anglo-Saxon cemetery was used in the area. The first record of the name Orpington occurs in 1038, when King Cnut 's treasurer Eadsy gave land at "Orpedingetune" to the Monastery of Christ Church at Canterbury . The name means 'Orped's farmstead', Orped being an Anglo-Saxon first-name. The Church of All Saints
14637-463: Was originally built as Orpington College in 1972, and remains the tallest building in the area, being refurbished in 2008 and then merging with Bromley College in 2011. Orpington railway station is a transport hub served by Southeastern with trains to the Central London stations of Charing Cross and Cannon Street via Grove Park , as well as Victoria via Bromley South and Herne Hill . In
14760-469: Was rebuilt in 1290, this time in stone, and extended in 1393 and 1471. In the 17th century the house ceased to be a rectory and passed into private ownership; a timber-framed extension was added, which no longer exists. The house was acquired by Orpington Urban District Council in 1947, and used to house a museum which closed in September 2015 for cost reasons. The Grade II listed Priory Gardens designed by
14883-490: Was shown at the 1920 Motor Show. It was a two-seater convertible, with a dickey seat , and a 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) engine. Although briefly successful, Smith and Milroy could not compete with mass production , and the last car was commonly believed to have been built in 1925. The only known survivor at the time reportedly once appeared in the 1970s television series Crossroads , but this has not been substantiated. There are now no known surviving examples. Journalists in
15006-534: Was the division of Mallee , also located in rural Victoria, with a margin of 21.3%. Examples include: In Fiji, prior to the December 2006 military coup , elections were held under the 1997 Constitution , which allotted 46 of the House of Representatives ' 71 seats on an ethnic basis. 23 were reserved for the indigenous majority, 19 for Indo-Fijians , 1 for Rotumans , and 3 for members of all other ethnic minorities. There
15129-959: Was used before it was established by statute in 1965. It referred to the Metropolitan Police District , the area served by the Metropolitan Water Board , the London Passenger Transport Area , and the area defined by the Registrar General as the "Greater London Conurbation". The term was also used for the Greater London Arterial Road Programme, devised between 1913 and 1916, and the Greater London Planning Region, devised in 1927, which occupied 1,856 square miles (4,810 km ) and included 9 million people. Although
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