The Beckenham and Penge constituency is located in
south London on the outskirts of the city and covers the north-western part of the
Borough of Bromley. It is suburban in character and contains the areas of
Beckenham,
Penge and
West Wickham. The area was rural but experienced rapid population growth after the arrival of a
railway in 1857. Residents of the constituency are generally wealthier and more likely to work in professional jobs than the London and national averages. Beckenham and Penge is more ethnically diverse than the country as a whole but less so than the rest of London; 73% of the population are
White, 11% are
Black and 7% are
Asian. At the
most recent borough council election in 2022, the seats in Penge and the west of Beckenham were won by
Labour Party candidates whilst the seats in West Wickham and the east of the constituency were won by
Conservatives. In the
2016 referendum on
European Union membership, 58% of the constituency's voters are estimated to have supported remaining in the EU. == Boundaries ==