Hitchin and Harpenden (UK Parliament constituency)

Hitchin and Harpenden
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Hitchin and Harpenden in Hertfordshire.
County	Hertfordshire
Electorate	74,189 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Hitchin, Harpenden, Wheathampstead
Current constituency
Created	1997 (1997)
Member of Parliament	Peter Lilley (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	North Hertfordshire St Albans Welwyn Hatfield
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	East of England

Hitchin and Harpenden is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

As well as the towns of Hitchin and Harpenden themselves, the constituency also includes Wheathampstead and a number of villages.

Boundary review

The constituency was created for the first time for the 1997 General Election. Following their review of parliamentary representation in Hertfordshire the Boundary Commission for England recommended that the constituency contain electoral wards in North Hertfordshire, and St Albans, as detailed below.

• From North Hertfordshire: Cadwell, Chesfield (previously known as Graveley and Wymondley), Hitchin Bearton, Hitchin Highbury, Hitchin Oughton, Hitchin Priory, Hitchin Walsworth, Kimpton, and Hitchwood, Hoo, Offa and the new development of Great Ashby.
• From St Albans: Harpenden East, Harpenden North, Harpenden South, Harpenden West, Redbourn, Sandridge and Wheathampstead.

History

The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of several former Hertfordshire seats. Prior to 1997 Hitchin was included in the North Hertfordshire constituency and Harpenden in the St Albans constituency, while the village of Wheathampstead was part of the Welwyn Hatfield constituency.

The seat's first, and so far only, MP is the former Cabinet minister Peter Lilley of the Conservative Party, who had previously represented St Albans from 1983.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1997	Peter Lilley	Conservative

Election results

General Election 2010: Hitchin and Harpenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Lilley	29,869	54.6	+5.2
	Liberal Democrat	Nigel Quinton	14,598	26.7	+0.2
	Labour	Oliver de Botton	7,413	13.6	-8.4
	UKIP	Graham Wilkinson	1,633	3.0	+1.3
	Green	Richard Wise	807	1.5	+1.5
	Independent	Margaret Henderson	109	0.2	+0.2
	Citizens for Undead Rights and Equality	Simon Byron	108	0.2	+0.2
	Your Right to Democracy	Eric Hannah	90	0.2	+0.2
	Independent	Peter Rigby	50	0.1	+0.1
Majority			15,271	27.9
Turnout			54,707	74.1	+5.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	2.5

General Election 2005: Hitchin and Harpenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Lilley	23,627	49.9	+2.6
	Liberal Democrat	Hannah Hedges	12,234	25.8	+7.8
	Labour	Paul Orrett	10,499	22.2	-10.3
	UKIP	John Saunders	828	1.7	+0.4
	Independent	Edward Rigby	199	0.4	+0.4
Majority			11,393	24.0
Turnout			47,387	70.5	+3.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.6

General Election 2001: Hitchin and Harpenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Lilley	21,271	47.3	+1.5
	Labour	Alan Amos	14,608	32.5	-0.6
	Liberal Democrat	John Murphy	8,076	18.0	-2.1
	UKIP	John Saunders	606	1.3	N/A
	Independent	Peter Rigby	363	0.8	N/A
Majority			6,663	14.8
Turnout			44,924	66.9	-11.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	1.0

General Election 1997: Hitchin and Harpenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Lilley	24,038	45.9	N/A
	Labour	Rosemary Sanderson	17,367	33.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrat	Chris White	10,515	20.1	N/A
	Natural Law	D. Cooke	290	0.6	N/A
	Socialist Alternative	Jim Horton	217	0.4	N/A
Majority			6,671	12.7	N/A
Turnout			52,427	78.0	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Hertfordshire