Chichester (UK Parliament constituency)

Chichester is a constituency in West Sussex, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Andrew Tyrie of the Conservative Party.HistoryChichester centres on the small medieval cathedral city by the South Downs National Park and is one of the oldest constituencies in the UK having been created when commoners were first called to the Model Parliament in 1295 as one of the original Parliamentary boroughs returning two members. The seat has sent one member since 1868, by the Reform Act 1867. In its various forms, Chichester has been a Conservative stronghold since 1924.BoundariesThe constituency is based in the western portion of West Sussex, centred on the city of Chichester and covers the majority of the Chichester district. Other towns in the constituency include Midhurst and Selsey.Prior to the boundary changes implemented in 1974, Chichester was a much more compact constituency, taking in the eastern towns of Arundel and Bognor Regis at various times, but the greater growth in population of other seats nationally, including in Sussex settlements of Crawley, Horsham and Brighton meant that the constituency was expanded to the north to give it equal population.