Rayleigh and Wickford (UK Parliament constituency)

Rayleigh and Wickford
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Rayleigh and Wickford in the East of England
County	Essex
Electorate	76,422 (2023) [1]
Major settlements	Hawkwell, Hockley, Rayleigh and Wickford
Current constituency
Created	2010
Member of Parliament	Mark Francois (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Rayleigh, Billericay

Rayleigh and Wickford is a constituency ^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Mark Francois, a Conservative. ^{[n 2]}

Constituency profile

This small-town studded portion of rural Essex reaches out almost as far as the North Sea beside Rochford and has income levels on average slightly above the national average, low unemployment, ^[2] and little social housing. ^{[3] [4]}

History

The seat was created for the 2010 general election following a review of the Parliamentary representation of Essex by the Boundary Commission for England. It was formed from the majority of the abolished constituency of Rayleigh, together with the town of Wickford, previously in the abolished constituency of Billericay.

Francois was previously Member of Parliament for Rayleigh.

Boundaries

2010–2024

• The Borough of Basildon wards of Wickford Castledon, Wickford North, and Wickford Park
• The District of Rochford wards of Ashingdon and Canewdon, Downhall and Rawreth, Grange, Hawkwell North, Hawkwell South, Hawkwell West, Hockley Central, Hockley North, Hockley West, Hullbridge, Lodge, Rayleigh Central, Sweyne Park, Trinity, Wheatley and Whitehouse ^[5]

Map of boundaries 2010–2024

2024–present

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The Borough of Basildon wards of: Wickford Castledon; Wickford North; Wickford Park.¹
• The District of Rochford wards of: Downhall & Rawreth; Hawkwell East; Hawkwell West; Hockley; Hockley & Ashingdon; Hullbridge; Lodge; Sweyne Park & Grange; Trinity; Wheatley. ^[6]

Minor loss of sparsely populated area in the east of the constituency to the newly named Southend East and Rochford seat.

¹ Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2024, ^[7] the contents in the Borough of Basildon now comprise the Wickford North and Wickford Park wards and the part of the Castledon & Crouch ward situated in the civil parish of Wickford.

Members of Parliament

Rayleigh and Billericay prior to 2010

Election		Member [8]	Party
	2010	Mark Francois	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Rayleigh and Wickford ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Francois	17,756	37.0	−35.9
	Reform UK	Grant Randall [10]	12,135	25.3	N/A
	Labour	James Hedges [11]	11,823	24.6	+8.9
	Liberal Democrats	Stewart Mott	4,068	8.5	+0.8
	Green	Christopher Taylor [12]	2,196	4.6	+0.9
Majority			5,621	11.7	−45.6
Turnout			47,978	62.7	−6.6
Registered electors			76,576
	Conservative hold		Swing	−30.6

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result [13]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	38,652	72.9
	Labour	8,304	15.7
	Liberal Democrats	4,081	7.7
	Green	1,960	3.7
Turnout		52,997	69.3
Electorate		76,422

General election 2019: Rayleigh and Wickford ^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Francois	39,864	72.6	+5.9
	Labour	David Flack	8,864	16.1	−8.2
	Liberal Democrats	Ron Tindall	4,171	7.6	+4.8
	Green	Paul Thorogood	2,002	3.6	+1.7
Majority			31,000	56.5	+14.1
Turnout			54,901	69.5	−0.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+7.0

General election 2017: Rayleigh and Wickford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Francois	36,914	66.7	+12.0
	Labour	Mark Daniels	13,464	24.3	+11.7
	UKIP	Peter Smith	2,326	4.2	−18.1
	Liberal Democrats	Ron Tindall	1,557	2.8	−0.2
	Green	Paul Hill	1,062	1.9	−1.0
Majority			23,450	42.4	+10.0
Turnout			55,323	70.4	+2.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.2

General election 2015: Rayleigh and Wickford ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Francois	29,088	54.7	−3.1
	UKIP	John Hayter [16]	11,858	22.3	+18.1
	Labour	David Hough	6,705	12.6	−1.9
	Independent	Linda Kendall [17]	2,418	4.5	New
	Liberal Democrats	Mike Pitt [18]	1,622	3.0	−12.1
	Green	Sarah Yapp [19]	1,529	2.9	New
Majority			17,230	32.4	−10.3
Turnout			53,220	68.3	+2.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	−10.6

General election 2010: Rayleigh and Wickford ^{[20] [21]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Francois*	30,257	57.8	+3.9
	Liberal Democrats	Susan Gaszczak	7,919	15.1	−0.3
	Labour	Michael Le Surf	7,577	14.5	−12.0
	English Democrat	John Hayter	2,219	4.2	New
	UKIP	Tino Callaghan	2,211	4.2	+0.1
	BNP	Tony Evennett	2,160	4.1	New
Majority			22,338	42.7	+15.3
Turnout			50,132	65.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.0

*Served as an MP in the 2005–2010 Parliament

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Essex
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the East of England (region)

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. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
2. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
3. "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
4. "2011 census interactive maps". Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.
7. LGBCE. "Basildon | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
8. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
9. Rayleigh and Wickford
10. "Find My PPC (Eastern England)" (PDF). Reform UK . Retrieved 15 December 2023.
11. "James Hedges has been selected as Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Rayleigh and Wickford". Labour Party (UK) . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
12. "Our Candidates" . Retrieved 2 June 2024.
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. "Rayleigh & Wickford Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
15. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
16. "Election Campaign". UKIP Rayleigh and Wickford. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
17. Nizinskyj, Paul (10 March 2015). "Campaigner Linda wants to be an MP". Echo. Southend.
18. "Candidates (PPCs) for Rayleigh and Wickford". Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
19. "Candidates". Eastern Green Party. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
20. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
21. "BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Rayleigh & Wickford". news.bbc.co.uk.

External links

• Rayleigh and Wickford UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Rayleigh and Wickford UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

51°36′N0°37′E / 51.6°N 0.61°E / 51.6; 0.61