Maidstone and The Weald (UK Parliament constituency)

Maidstone and The Weald is a constituency[n 1] in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Helen Grant of the Conservative Party. She succeeded fellow party member Ann Widdecombe, who had held the seat since it was created for the 1997 general election.

Maidstone and The Weald
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Maidstone and The Weald in Kent
Outline map
Location of Kent within England
CountyKent
Electorate70,576 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsMaidstone, Staplehurst and Cranbrook
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentHelen Grant (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromMaidstone, Mid Kent, Tunbridge Wells

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to boundary changes, losing southern, rural areas ("The Weald") to the newly created constituency of Weald of Kent. To compensate, it will gain parts of the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling, including the town of West Malling. As a consequence, it will be renamed Maidstone and Malling, to be first contested at the next general election.[2]

Boundaries

1997–2010: The Borough of Maidstone wards of Allington, Barming, Boughton Monchelsea, Bridge, Coxheath, East, Farleigh, Heath, High Street, Loose, Marden, North, South, Staplehurst, Yalding; and the Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Benenden, Cranbrook, Frittenden and Sissinghurst, Hawkhurst, Sandhurst.

2010–present: The Borough of Maidstone wards of Allington, Barming, Bridge, Coxheath and Hunton, East, Fant, Heath, High Street, Loose, Marden and Yalding, North, South, Staplehurst; and the Borough of Tunbridge Wells wards of Benenden and Cranbrook, Frittenden and Sissinghurst.

The largest settlement is the central county town of Maidstone in Kent in southeast England with smaller settlements spread throughout agriculture-rich Maidstone borough and partly wooded Tunbridge Wells borough.

History

The constituency was created for the 1997 general election, after the previous Maidstone constituency was split in two: its southeast wards of Shepway and Park Wood of the town itself and the rural wards east of the town joined Faversham in the new Faversham and Mid Kent constituency. The remaining two-thirds of the electorate in west-central Maidstone were reunited with the town wards that had been lost in 1983 to Mid Kent (which was abolished), as well as joined by a rural part of the Weald to the south of the town, previously in the Tunbridge Wells constituency.

History of members

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the seat from its creation in 1997 was Ann Widdecombe of the Conservative Party. Widdecombe was the MP for the former seat of Maidstone (1987–1997); she served as a Home Office Minister of State in the government of John Major from 1995 to 1997 and later as Shadow Home Secretary from 1999 to 2001. She stood down at the 2010 general election and was succeeded by Helen Grant, also a member of the Conservative Party.

Constituency profile

Most of the electorate live in urban Maidstone, which has some light industry but whose economy is increasingly dominated by the service sector (including care, hospitality and insurance). The south of the constituency is rural with significant orchards and market gardens. Many residents commute daily to London. To summarise this is an urban-rural seat in a prosperous part of Kent.[3]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[4]Party
1997 Ann Widdecombe Conservative
2010 Helen Grant Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Maidstone and The Weald[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Helen Grant 31,220 60.4 +4.0
Labour Dan Wilkinson 9,448 18.3 −3.8
Liberal Democrats James Willis 8,482 16.4 0.0
Green Stuart Jeffery 2,172 4.2 +2.5
Independent Yolande Kenward 358 0.7 +0.4
Majority 21,772 42.1 +7.8
Turnout 51,680 67.9 -0.7
Conservative hold Swing +3.9
General election 2017: Maidstone and The Weald[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Helen Grant 29,156 56.4 +10.9
Labour Allen Simpson 11,433 22.1 +11.6
Liberal Democrats Emily Fermor 8,455 16.4 −7.7
UKIP Pamela Watts 1,613 3.1 −12.8
Green Stuart Jeffery 888 1.7 −1.1
Independent Yolande Kenward 172 0.3 New
Majority 17,704 34.3 +12.9
Turnout 51,717 68.6 +0.3
Conservative hold Swing -0.4
General election 2015: Maidstone and The Weald[7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Helen Grant 22,745 45.5 −2.5
Liberal Democrats Jasper Gerard 12,036 24.1 −11.9
UKIP Eddie Powell 7,930 15.9 +12.6
Labour Allen Simpson 5,268 10.5 +0.8
Green Hannah Patton 1,396 2.8 +1.5
NHA Paul Hobday 583 1.2 New
Independent Robin Kinrade 52 0.1 New
Majority 10,709 21.4 +9.4
Turnout 50,010 68.3 −0.6
Conservative hold Swing +4.5
General election 2010: Maidstone and The Weald[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Helen Grant 23,491 48.0 −3.8
Liberal Democrats Peter Carroll 17,602 36.0 +13.8
Labour Rav Seeruthun 4,769 9.7 −12.6
UKIP Gareth A. Kendal 1,637 3.3 +0.3
Green Stuart R. Jeffery 655 1.3 +0.4
National Front Gary Butler 643 1.3 New
Christian Heidi A. Simmonds 131 0.3 New
Majority 5,889 12.0 −18.5
Turnout 48,928 68.9 +3.1
Conservative hold Swing −8.5

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: Maidstone and The Weald[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ann Widdecombe 25,670 52.7 +3.1
Labour Elizabeth Breeze 10,814 22.2 −4.8
Liberal Democrats Mark Corney 10,808 22.2 +2.3
UKIP Anthony 'Felix' Robertson 1,463 3.0 +0.9
Majority 14,856 30.5 +7.9
Turnout 48,755 65.8 +4.2
Conservative hold Swing +3.9
General election 2001: Maidstone and The Weald[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ann Widdecombe 22,621 49.6 +5.5
Labour Mark Davis 12,303 27.0 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Allison Wainman 9,064 19.9 −2.5
UKIP John Botting 978 2.1 +1.5
Independent Neil Hunt 611 1.3 New
Majority 10,318 22.6 +4.7
Turnout 45,577 61.6 −12.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s
General election 1997: Maidstone and the Weald[15][16][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ann Widdecombe 23,657 44.1
Labour John Morgan 14,054 26.2
Liberal Democrats Jane Nelson 11,986 22.4
Referendum Sarah Hopkins 1,998 3.7
Socialist Labour Maureen Cleator 979 1.8
Green Penelope Kemp 480 0.9
UKIP Ruth Owens 339 0.6
Natural Law John Oldbury 115 0.2
Majority 9,603 17.9
Turnout 53,608 73.7
Conservative win (new seat)

Notes
  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)

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. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South East | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  3. "Maidstone and The Weald: Constituency". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)
  5. "Maidstone & The Weald Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. "Parliamentary Election - Thursday 8th June, 2017". maidstone.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  7. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. "Maidstone & The Weald parliamentary constituency - Election 2019" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. "BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Maidstone & The Weald". news.bbc.co.uk.
  11. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. "BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Results | Maidstone & The Weald". news.bbc.co.uk.
  13. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. "BBC NEWS | VOTE 2001 | RESULTS & CONSTITUENCIES | Maidstone & The Weald". news.bbc.co.uk.
  15. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. "Maidstone and the Weald". Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2021.

Sources
  • T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
  • Robert Waller, The Almanac of British Politics (1st edition, London: Croom Helm, 1983; 5th edition, London: Routledge, 1996)
  • Frederic A Youngs, jr, "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I" (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)

See also

51°12′N 0°33′E

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