Chatham and Aylesford

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Chatham and Aylesford
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Chatham and Aylesford
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
South East England - Chatham and Aylesford constituency.svg
Boundary of Chatham and Aylesford in South East England
County Kent
Population97,281 (2011 census) [1]
Electorate 74,840 (2023) [2]
Major settlements Chatham, Walderslade, Larkfield, Snodland
Current constituency
Created 1997
Member of Parliament Tris Osborne (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created from Mid Kent and Tonbridge and Malling

Chatham and Aylesford is a constituency [n 1] in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Tris Osborne of the Labour Party. [n 2]

Contents

Constituency profile

The Chatham and Aylesford constituency is located in Kent. The Kent Downs runs through the centre of the constituency, dividing it into two populated areas. In the east is the town of Chatham, although the constituency does not include the town centre. In the west is the Medway Gap which includes the small town of Snodland, the villages of New Hythe and Larkfield and the old centre of Aylesford. The Medway area has a long naval history. Parts of Chatham, particularly around Luton, are within the 10% most-deprived areas in England, whilst Walderslade and the west of the constituency are more affluent. [3]

Compared to national averages, residents of the constituency have low levels of education and professional employment and average levels of income. House prices are low compared to the rest of South East England. White people make up 86% of the population. [4] At the local council level, most of the constituency is represented by Labour Party councillors, whilst Walderslade elected Conservatives and New Hythe and Larkfield elected Liberal Democrats. Voters in Chatham and Aylesford were strongly in favour of leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, with an estimated 65% voting for Brexit. [4]

Political history

Local voters returned the Labour candidate in the first three elections to 2005 then the Conservative candidate in the four general elections up to and including 2019, then reverted to Labour in 2024, reflecting the winner of the national general election in each case.

The greatest third party share of vote was 24.5% for Reform UK in 2024, followed by 19.9% for the UK Independence Party candidate in 2015. A Liberal Democrat came third in the first four elections reaching a vote share of 15% in 1997.

In June 2016, an estimated 63.9% of local adults voting in the EU membership referendum chose to leave the European Union instead of to remain. This was matched in two January 2018 votes in Parliament by its MP. [5]

Boundaries

1997–2010: The City of Rochester-upon-Medway wards of Holcombe, Horsted, Lordswood, Luton, Walderslade, Wayfield, and Weedswood, and the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling wards of Aylesford, Blue Bell Hill, Burham, Eccles and Wouldham, Ditton, Larkfield North, Larkfield South, Snodland East, and Snodland West.

2010–2024: The Borough of Medway wards of Chatham Central, Lordswood and Capstone, Luton and Wayfield, Princes Park, and Walderslade, and the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling wards of Aylesford, Blue Bell Hill and Walderslade, Burham, Eccles and Wouldham, Ditton, Larkfield North, Larkfield South, Snodland East, and Snodland West.

2024–present: Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was defined as composing of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

The Medway ward of Rochester South and Horsted was transferred in from Rochester and Strood, offset by the loss of the Tonbridge and Malling wards of Aylesford South and Ditton to the new constituency of Maidstone and Malling.

Following local government boundary reviews in Medway, and Tonbridge and Malling which came into effect in May 2023, [7] [8] the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

Members of Parliament

Mid Kent and Tonbridge & Malling prior to 1997

ElectionMember [10] [11] Party
1997 Jonathan Shaw Labour
2010 Tracey Crouch Conservative
2024 Tris Osborne Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Chatham and Aylesford [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Tris Osborne 13,689 33.5 +9.1
Conservative Nathan Gamester11,69128.6−37.3
Reform Thomas Mallon9,98924.5N/A
Green Kim Winterbottom2,5046.1+3.6
Liberal Democrats Nick Chan2,1755.3−1.4
Workers Party Matt Valentine3400.8N/A
CPA Adedotun Ogundemuren3160.8+0.3
SDP Steven Tanner1410.4N/A
Majority 1,9984.9N/A
Turnout 40,84554.4–6.8
Registered electors 75,109
Labour gain from Conservative Swing Increase2.svg23.2

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result [13]
PartyVote%
Conservative 30,18365.9
Labour 11,19124.4
Liberal Democrats 3,0856.7
Green 1,1382.5
Others2120.5
Turnout45,80961.2
Electorate74,840
General election 2019: Chatham and Aylesford [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tracey Crouch 28,856 66.6 +9.6
Labour Vince Maple10,31623.8−9.9
Liberal Democrats David Naghi2,8666.6+4.1
Green Geoff Wilkinson1,0902.5+1.2
CPA John Gibson2120.5−0.1
Majority 18,54042.8+19.5
Turnout 43,34059.1−4.6
Conservative hold Swing +9.7
General election 2017: Chatham and Aylesford
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tracey Crouch 25,587 57.0 +6.8
Labour Vince Maple15,12933.7+10.1
UKIP Nicole Bushill2,2255.0−14.9
Liberal Democrats Thomas Quinton1,1162.5−0.7
Green Bernard Hyde5731.3−1.3
CPA John-Wesley Gibson2600.6+0.3
Majority 10,45823.3−3.3
Turnout 44,96363.7+0.9
Conservative hold Swing -1.6
General election 2015: Chatham and Aylesford [15] [16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tracey Crouch [17] 21,614 50.2 +4.0
Labour Tris Osborne 10,15923.6−8.7
UKIP Ian Wallace [18] 8,58119.9+16.9
Liberal Democrats Thomas Quinton1,3603.2−10.1
Green Luke Balnave1,1012.6+1.7
CPA John-Wesley Gibson [19] 1330.3New
TUSC Ivor Riddell1250.3New
Majority 11,45526.6+12.7
Turnout 43,07362.8+1.2
Conservative hold Swing +6.4
General election 2010: Chatham and Aylesford [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tracey Crouch 20,230 46.2 +9.4
Labour Jonathan Shaw 14,16132.3−12.7
Liberal Democrats John McClintock5,83213.3−0.2
BNP Colin McCarthy-Stewart1,3653.1New
UKIP Steve Newton1,3143.00.0
English Democrat Sean Varnham4000.9−0.8
Green Dave Arthur3960.9New
Christian Maureen Smith1090.2New
Majority 6,06913.9N/A
Turnout 43,80761.6+1.0
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +11.1

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Chatham and Aylesford [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jonathan Shaw 18,387 43.7 −4.6
Conservative Anne Jobson16,05538.2+0.9
Liberal Democrats Debbie Enever5,74413.7+1.9
UKIP Jeffrey King1,2262.9+0.4
English Democrat Michael Russell6681.6New
Majority 2,3325.5−5.5
Turnout 42,08059.7+2.7
Labour hold Swing −2.7
General election 2001: Chatham and Aylesford [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jonathan Shaw 19,180 48.3 +5.2
Conservative Sean Holden14,84037.3−0.1
Liberal Democrats David Lettington4,70511.8−3.2
UKIP Gregory Knopp1,0102.5+1.5
Majority 4,34011.0+5.3
Turnout 39,73557.0−13.6
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Chatham and Aylesford [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jonathan Shaw 21,191 43.1
Conservative Richard Knox-Johnston18,40137.4
Liberal Democrats Robin Murray7,38915.0
Referendum Keith Riddle1,5383.1
UKIP Alan Harding4931.0
Natural Law Timothy Martell1490.3
Majority 2,7905.7
Turnout 49,16170.6
Labour win (new seat)

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

  1. ↑ "Chatham and Aylesford: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Chatham and Aylesford: Seat Details". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "European Union (Withdrawal) Bill – Reject Third Reading – Membership of the European Union: Recent Votes". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  6. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
  7. ↑ LGBCE. "Medway | LGBCE". lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "The Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2021".
  9. ↑ "New Seat Details – Chatham and Aylesford". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  10. ↑ "Chatham and Aylesford 1997-". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 3)
  12. ↑ Chatham and Aylesford
  13. ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament . Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  14. ↑ "Chatham & Aylesford Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  15. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Chatham & Aylesford parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  17. ↑ "Ian Wallace, Parliamentary Candidate for Chatham and Aylesford". ianwallacechathamandaylesford.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Constituencies". UKIP South East. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "CPA Candidates for the General Election". Christian Peoples Alliance. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

51°20′N0°29′E / 51.333°N 0.483°E / 51.333; 0.483

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