Sittingbourne and Sheppey (UK Parliament constituency)

Sittingbourne and Sheppey
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Sittingbourne and Sheppey in Kent
Location of Kent within England
County	Kent
Electorate	74,796 (December 2010) [1]
Major settlements	Sheerness, Sittingbourne
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Gordon Henderson (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Faversham

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

Map of current boundaries

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

Election		Member [7]	Party
	1997	Derek Wyatt	Labour
	2010	Gordon Henderson	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: Sittingbourne and Sheppey

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Aisha Cuthbert [8]
	Reform UK	William Fotheringham-Bray [9]
	Liberal Democrats	Frances Kneller [10]
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
			Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Sittingbourne and Sheppey ^[11]

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 ^[12]

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 ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gordon Henderson	24,425	49.5	–0.5
	UKIP	Richard Palmer [14]	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 ^{[15] [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 ^[16]

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 ^[17]

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 ^[18]

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

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Kent

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. "Candidates. Cuthbert selected in Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Thompson selected in Heywood and Middleton". ConservativeHome . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
9. "Sittingbourne and Sheppey Constituency". Reform UK . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
10. "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
11. "Sittingbourne & Sheppey Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
12. "Loony Party Candidates" . Retrieved 7 May 2017.
13. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
14. "UK Polling Report".
15. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
16. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
17. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

51°21′N0°47′E / 51.350°N 0.783°E / 51.350; 0.783