HC Deb 31 October 1984 vol 65 cc1072-3W
Mr. Coombs

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the 20 English non-metropolitan counties which have shown the greatest percentage growth in electorate since 1979; and what has been the percentage growth and actual figure in each case.

Mr. John Patten

The information requested is as follows:

Electorate 1979–1984 growth
Non-metropolitan County (ranked by percentage growth) 1979 register 1984 register Increase in electorate Percentage increase
Shropshire 267,994 288,755 20,761 7.7
Somerset 313,081 337,210 24,129 7.7
Hereford and Worcester 456,899 491,849 34,950 7.6
Oxfordshire 375,588 403,185 27,597 7.3
West Sussex 502,061 537,722 35,661 7.1
Lincolnshire 397,765 425,564 27,799 7.0
Dorset 457,581 488,672 31,091 6.8
Suffolk 424,610 453,070 28,460 6.7
Bedfordshire 350,346 373,226 22,880 6.5
Norfolk 518,072 549,335 31,263 6.0
Cheshire 675,275 715,789 40,514 6.0
Essex 1,082,157 1,146,038 63,881 5.9
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 319,912 338,784 18,872 5.9
Gloucestershire 369,918 391,442 21,524 5.8