Faversham and Mid Kent (UK Parliament constituency)

Faversham and Mid Kent
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Faversham and Mid Kent in Kent for the 2010 general election
Location of Kent within England
County	Kent
Electorate	68,521 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Faversham and Shepway, Maidstone
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Hugh Robertson (Conservative)
Seats	One

Faversham and Mid Kent is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since 2001, its MP has been Hugh Robertson, a Conservative.

Boundaries

1997-2010: The Borough of Swale wards of Abbey, Boughton, Courtenay, Davington Priory, East Downs, St. Ann's, Teynham and Lynsted, and Watling; and the Borough of Maidstone wards of Bearsted, Boxley, Detling, Harrietsham and Lenham, Headcorn, Hollingbourne, Langley, Leeds, Park Wood, Shepway East, Shepway West, Sutton Valence, and Thurnham.

2010-present: The Borough of Swale wards of Abbey, Boughton and Courtenay, Davington Priory, East Downs, St Ann’s, and Watling; and the Borough of Maidstone wards of Bearsted, Boughton, Monchelsea and Chart Sutton, Boxley, Detling and Thurnham, Downswood and Otham, Harrietsham and Lenham, Headcorn, Leeds, North Downs, Park Wood, Shepway North, Shepway South, and Sutton Valence and Langley.

Faversham and Mid Kent covers sections of the Swale and Maidstone boroughs. The constituency includes the easternmost outlying residents of the county town, Maidstone. This caused minor confusion among a large minority of residents of the Maidstone electoral wards when the boundaries were first changed in 1997 as a constituency named Maidstone and The Weald was also created at the same time (largely replacing the former Maidstone constituency), but residents in the Shepway and Park Wood areas of the town found themselves in Faversham and Mid Kent instead.

History

In 1997 this constituency was formed when the previous Faversham seat was abolished and split into Sittingbourne and Sheppey and the town of Faversham which was then merged with Mid Kent to form this constituency. In 2012 the Boundary Commission proposed the complete abolition of the constituency, with the town of Faversham and surrounding villages being included in a redrawn Canterbury constituency, and the remainder absorbed into neighbouring constituencies.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1997	Andrew Rowe	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	2001	Hugh Robertson	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Faversham and Mid Kent

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michael Desmond
	English Democrat	Gary Butler
	UKIP	Peter Edwards-Daem
	Liberal Democrats	David Naghi
	Green	Tim Valentine
	Conservative	Helen Whately

General Election 2010: Faversham and Mid Kent

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Robertson	26,250	56.2	+6.1
	Liberal Democrats	Dave Naghi	9,162	19.6	+2.9
	Labour	Ashok Rehal	7,748	16.6	-12.5
	UKIP	Sarah Larkins	1,722	3.7	+1.0
	Green	Tim Valentine	890	1.9	N/A
	National Front	Graham Kemp	542	1.2	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Hairy Knorm Davidson	398	0.9	-0.6
Majority			17,088	36.6	+16.6
Turnout			46,712	67.8	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.6

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Faversham and Mid Kent

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Robertson	21,690	49.7	+4.1
	Labour	Andrew Bradstock	12,970	29.7	-5.8
	Liberal Democrats	David Naghi	7,204	16.5	+3.0
	UKIP	Robert Thompson	1,152	2.6	+0.6
	Monster Raving Loony	Norman Davidson	610	1.4	+1.4
Majority			8,720	20.0	9.9
Turnout			43,626	65.7	+5.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.9

General Election 2001: Faversham and Mid Kent

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Robertson	18,739	45.6	+1.3
	Labour	Grahame Birchall	14,556	35.5	-0.5
	Liberal Democrats	Mike Sole	5,529	13.5	+1.1
	UKIP	Jim Gascoyne	828	2.0	+1.1
	Green	Penny Kemp	799	1.9	+1.2
	Rock 'n' Roll Loony	Norman Davidson	600	1.5	N/A
Majority			4,183	10.1	+1.7
Turnout			41,051	60.4	-13.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.9

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Faversham and Mid Kent

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Rowe	22,016	44.4	N/A
	Labour	Alan Stewart	17,843	36.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Bruce Parmenter	6,138	12.4	N/A
	Referendum	Robin Birley	2,073	4.2	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Norman Davidson	511	1.0	N/A
	UKIP	Michael Cunningham	431	0.9	N/A
	Green	David Currer	380	0.8	N/A
	Green Referendum Lawless Naturally Street Party	Caroline Morgan	115	0.2	N/A
	Natural Law	Nigel Pollard	99	0.2	N/A
Majority			4,173	8.4	N/A
Turnout			49,606	73.5	N/A

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Kent

Notes and references

Notes

References

Sources

• Election result, 2005 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 - 2001 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 - 2001 (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1997 - 2005 (Guardian)