Maidstone and The Weald (UK Parliament constituency)
Template:UK constituency infobox
Maidstone and The Weald is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Boundaries
It is located in the west of the county of Kent in south eastern England and includes parts of the areas of Maidstone Borough Council and Tunbridge Wells District. Towns include Maidstone and Benenden
Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in Kent, the Boundary Commission for England has made major changes to the existing constituency boundaries as a consequence of population changes across the county. The modified Maidstone and The Weald constituency is formed from the following electoral wards:
- Allington, Barming, Bridge, Coxheath and Hunton, East, Fant, Heath, High Street, Loose, Marden and Yalding, North, South and Staplehurst from the borough of Maidstone
- Benenden and Cranbrook, and Frittenden and Sissinghurst from Tunbridge Wells
History
The constituency of Maidstone has sent members to Parliament since 1560. In 1997 the name of the constituency was changed from Maidstone to its current form, Maidstone and The Weald.
The constituency is rural with strong Conservative support although there is a degree of light engineering too and many residents commute to London.
Members of Parliament
This constituency, originally named Maidstone, was created in 1560. Up until 1885 it elected two MPs. In 1997 the name was changed to Maidstone and The Weald.
Elections
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Ann Widdecombe | 25,670 | 52.7 | +3.1 | |
| Labour | Beth 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 | |||
| Turnout | 48,755 | 65.8 | 4.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.9 | |||
| 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 (politician) | Neil Hunt | 611 | 1.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 10,318 | 22.6 | |||
| Turnout | 45,577 | 61.6 | −12.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||