Sittingbourne and Sheppey
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Sittingbourne and Sheppey in Kent
Outline map
Location of Kent within England
CountyKent
Electorate74,796 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsSheerness, Sittingbourne
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentGordon Henderson (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromFaversham

Sittingbourne and Sheppey is a constituency[n 1] in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Gordon Henderson, a Conservative.[n 2]

Boundaries

1997–2010: The Borough of Swale wards of Borden, Eastern, Grove, Hartlip and Upchurch, Iwade and Lower Halstow, Kemsley, Milton Regis, Minster Cliffs, Murston, Newington, Queenborough and Halfway, Roman, Sheerness East, Sheerness West, Sheppey Central, West Downs, Woodstock.

2010–2015: The Borough of Swale wards of Borden, Chalkwell, Grove, Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch, Iwade and Lower Halstow, Kemsley, Leysdown and Warden, Milton Regis, Minster Cliffs, Murston, Queenborough and Halfway, Roman, St Michael's, Sheerness East, Sheerness West, Sheppey Central, Teynham and Lynsted, West Downs, Woodstock.

2015–present: The Borough of Swale wards of Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow, Borden and Grove Park, Chalkwell, Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch, Homewood, Kemsley, Milton Regis, Minster Cliffs, Murston, Queenborough and Halfway, Roman, Sheerness, Sheppey Central, Sheppey East, Teynham and Lynsted, The Meads, West Downs, Woodstock.

The constituency was created in 1997, mostly from the former seat of Faversham. It covers some of the district of Swale, including Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey.[2]

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be reduced to bring its electorate within the permitted range by transferring the wards of Teynham and Lynstead, and West Downs to Faversham and Mid Kent.[3]

Constituency profile

The seat includes the industrial town of Sittingbourne, the port of Sheerness, as well as significant areas of natural conservation. Some of the traditional fruit-growing sector remains in this part of North Kent.[4] Residents voted strongly for Leave in the 2016 EU referendum, and are slightly poorer and less healthy than the UK average.[5]

History

The constituency has been a bellwether of the national result since its creation in 1997. The seat came extremely close to losing this status in the 2005 general election, when Labour held the seat by just 79 votes after a recount, even though the sitting MP, Derek Wyatt, was expecting to lose.[6]

Boundary changes which came into effect for the 2010 general election suggest that the Conservatives would have won the seat in 2005 on the new boundaries, though the estimated notional Conservative majority is extremely small, so that it could have gone either way.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[7] Party
1997 Derek Wyatt Labour
2010 Ben Stanley (politician)| Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Sittingbourne and Sheppey[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Henderson 34,742 67.6 +7.4
Labour Clive Johnson 10,263 20.0 –10.6
Liberal Democrats Ben J Martin 3,213 6.3 +3.6
Independent Monique Bonney 1,257 2.4 New
Green Sam Collins 1,188 2.3 +1.2
Monster Raving Loony Mad Mike Young 404 0.8 0.0
Independent Lee McCall 327 0.6 0.0
Majority 24,479 47.6 +18.0
Turnout 51,394 61.2 –1.5
Conservative hold Swing +9.0
General election 2017: Sittingbourne and Sheppey[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Henderson 30,911 60.2 +10.7
Labour Mike Rolfe 15,700 30.6 +11.0
Independent Mike Baldock 2,133 4.2 New
Liberal Democrats Keith Nevols 1,392 2.7 –0.5
Green Mark Lindop 558 1.1 –1.3
Monster Raving Loony Mad Mike Young 403 0.8 +0.2
Independent Lee McCall 292 0.6 New
Majority 15,211 29.6 +4.9
Turnout 51,389 62.7 –2.3
Conservative hold Swing –0.2
General election 2015: Sittingbourne and Sheppey[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Henderson 24,425 49.5 –0.5
UKIP Richard Palmer[11] 12,257 24.8 +19.4
Labour Guy Nicholson 9,673 19.6 –5.0
Liberal Democrats Keith Nevols 1,563 3.2 –13.2
Green Gary Miller 1,185 2.4 New
Monster Raving Loony Mad Mike Young 275 0.6 –0.1
Majority 12,168 24.7 –0.7
Turnout 49,378 65.0 +0.5
Conservative hold Swing –10.0
General election 2010: Sittingbourne and Sheppey[12][n 3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Henderson 24,313 50.0 +8.2
Labour Angela Harrison 11,930 24.6 –17.0
Liberal Democrats Keith Nevols 7,943 16.4 +3.5
UKIP Ian Davison 2,610 5.4 +3.1
BNP Lawrence Tames 1,305 2.7 New
Monster Raving Loony Mad Mike Young 319 0.7 New
Independent David Cassidy 158 0.3 New
Majority 12,383 25.4 N/A
Turnout 48,578 64.5 +10.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +12.7

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Sittingbourne and Sheppey[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Derek Wyatt 17,051 41.8 –4.0
Conservative Gordon Henderson 16,972 41.6 +5.1
Liberal Democrats Jane Nelson 5,183 12.7 –1.4
UKIP Stephen Dean 926 2.3 +0.6
Rock 'n' Roll Loony Mad Mike Young 479 1.2 –0.6
Veritas David Cassidy 192 0.5 New
Majority 79 0.2 –9.1
Turnout 40,803 53.7 –3.8
Labour hold Swing –4.6
General election 2001: Sittingbourne and Sheppey[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Derek Wyatt 17,340 45.8 +5.2
Conservative Adrian Lee 13,831 36.5 +0.1
Liberal Democrats Elvina Lowe 5,353 14.1 –4.2
Rock 'n' Roll Loony Mad Mike Young 673 1.8 New
UKIP Robert Oakley 661 1.7 +0.7
Majority 3,509 9.3 +5.1
Turnout 37,858 57.5 –14.8
Labour hold Swing +2.5

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Sittingbourne and Sheppey[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Derek Wyatt 18,723 40.6
Conservative Roger Moate 16,794 36.4
Liberal Democrats Roger Truelove 8,447 18.3
Referendum Peter Moull 1,082 2.3
Monster Raving Loony Chris "Screwy" Driver 644 1.4
UKIP Nico Risi 472 1.0
Majority 1,929 4.2
Turnout 46,162 72.3
Labour gain from Conservative

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.
  3. ↑ Although the constituency was won by Labour in 2005, boundary changes had made it a notionally Conservative seat, so it was thus listed as a Conservative hold by the media.

References

  1. ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ↑ 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England
  3. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
  4. ↑ Orchards http://www.englandinparticular.info/orchards/o-kent.html
  5. ↑ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Sittingbourne+and+Sheppey
  6. ↑ "Education and Health: 2 Jun 2010: House of Commons debates". TheyWorkForYou.
  7. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 3)
  8. ↑ "Sittingbourne & Sheppey Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  9. ↑ "Loony Party Candidates". Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "UK Polling Report".
  12. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

51°21′N 0°47′E / 51.350°N 0.783°E / 51.350; 0.783

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