Chatham and Aylesford | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Kent |
Population | 97,281 (2011 census) [1] |
Electorate | 68,437 (December 2010) [2] |
Major settlements | Chatham, Walderslade, Larkfield, Snodland |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1997 |
Member of Parliament | Tracey Crouch (Conservative) |
Seats | One |
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 2010 by Tracey Crouch, a Conservative. [n 2]
Most of the population lives in two distinct areas divided by the North Downs. These are Chatham and its suburbs of Luton and Walderslade, within the Medway Towns conurbation; and a patchwork of smaller settlements in the Medway Gap further west.
This is one of the less affluent seats in the otherwise wealthy South East, as shown by lower rates of formal qualifications and cheaper house prices. [3]
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 (which two parties' candidates have polled second when they have not won the seat).
The greatest third party share of vote was 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. [4]
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–present: 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.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
The Medway ward of Rochester South and Horsted will be 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 [6] [7] , the constituency will now comprise the following from the next general election:
Election | Member [9] [10] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Jonathan Shaw | Labour | |
2010 | Tracey Crouch | Conservative | |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Nick Chan [11] | ||||
Reform UK | Thomas Mallon [12] | ||||
SDP | Steven Tanner [13] | ||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tracey Crouch | 28,856 | 66.6 | +9.6 | |
Labour | Vince Maple | 10,316 | 23.8 | -9.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Naghi | 2,866 | 6.6 | +4.1 | |
Green | Geoff Wilkinson | 1,090 | 2.5 | +1.2 | |
CPA | John Gibson | 212 | 0.5 | -0.1 | |
Majority | 18,540 | 42.8 | +19.5 | ||
Turnout | 43,340 | 59.1 | -4.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +9.7 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tracey Crouch | 25,587 | 57.0 | +6.8 | |
Labour | Vince Maple | 15,129 | 33.7 | +10.1 | |
UKIP | Nicole Bushill | 2,225 | 5.0 | -14.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Thomas Quinton | 1,116 | 2.5 | -0.7 | |
Green | Bernard Hyde | 573 | 1.3 | -1.3 | |
CPA | John-Wesley Gibson | 260 | 0.6 | +0.3 | |
Majority | 10,458 | 23.3 | -3.3 | ||
Turnout | 44,963 | 63.7 | +0.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -1.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tracey Crouch [17] | 21,614 | 50.2 | +4.0 | |
Labour | Tristan Osborne | 10,159 | 23.6 | −8.7 | |
UKIP | Ian Wallace [18] | 8,581 | 19.9 | +16.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Thomas Quinton | 1,360 | 3.2 | −10.1 | |
Green | Luke Balnave | 1,101 | 2.6 | +1.7 | |
CPA | John-Wesley Gibson [19] | 133 | 0.3 | New | |
TUSC | Ivor Riddell | 125 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 11,455 | 26.6 | +12.7 | ||
Turnout | 43,073 | 62.8 | +1.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tracey Crouch | 20,230 | 46.2 | +9.4 | |
Labour | Jonathan Shaw | 14,161 | 32.3 | −12.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | John McClintock | 5,832 | 13.3 | −0.2 | |
BNP | Colin McCarthy-Stewart | 1,365 | 3.1 | New | |
UKIP | Steve Newton | 1,314 | 3.0 | 0.0 | |
English Democrat | Sean Varnham | 400 | 0.9 | −0.8 | |
Green | Dave Arthur | 396 | 0.9 | New | |
Christian | Maureen Smith | 109 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 6,069 | 13.9 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 43,807 | 61.6 | +1.0 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +11.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jonathan Shaw | 18,387 | 43.7 | −4.6 | |
Conservative | Anne Jobson | 16,055 | 38.2 | +0.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Debbie Enever | 5,744 | 13.7 | +1.9 | |
UKIP | Jeffrey King | 1,226 | 2.9 | +0.4 | |
English Democrat | Michael Russell | 668 | 1.6 | New | |
Majority | 2,332 | 5.5 | -5.5 | ||
Turnout | 42,080 | 59.7 | +2.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −2.7 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jonathan Shaw | 19,180 | 48.3 | +5.2 | |
Conservative | Sean Holden | 14,840 | 37.3 | −0.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Lettington | 4,705 | 11.8 | −3.2 | |
UKIP | Gregory Knopp | 1,010 | 2.5 | +1.5 | |
Majority | 4,340 | 11.0 | +5.3 | ||
Turnout | 39,735 | 57.0 | −13.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jonathan Shaw | 21,191 | 43.1 | ||
Conservative | Richard Knox-Johnston | 18,401 | 37.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Robin Murray | 7,389 | 15.0 | ||
Referendum | Keith Riddle | 1,538 | 3.1 | ||
UKIP | Alan Harding | 493 | 1.0 | ||
Natural Law | Timothy Martell | 149 | 0.3 | ||
Majority | 2,790 | 5.7 | |||
Turnout | 49,161 | 70.6 | |||
Labour win (new seat) |
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