Faversham and Mid Kent is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since 2015, the seat has been held by Helen Whately of the Conservative Party.

Constituency profile

Faversham and Mid Kent is a rural constituency located in Kent. Its largest settlement is the town of Faversham, which has a population of around 23,000. Other settlements include some eastern suburbs of the town of Maidstone (Weavering, Bearsted and Shepway) and the villages of Lenham and Teynham. Faversham is a historic market town traditionally known for its explosives industry. The constituency contains Leeds Castle, a popular tourist site. Wealth in the constituency is divided; Faversham has average levels of deprivation, Shepway is more deprived and Weavering and Bearsted are affluent. House prices are marginally higher than the national average.

In general, residents of the constituency are older and have low levels of education. Household income is in line with the rest of South East England and high compared to the rest of the country. White people made up 94% of the population at the 2021 census.

2010–2024: 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.

2024–present: Under the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was defined as comprising the following, as they existed on 1 December 2020:

  • The Borough of Maidstone wards of Bearsted, Boxley, Detling and Thurnham, Downswood and Otham, Harrietsham and Lenham, Leeds, North Downs, Park Wood, Shepway North, and Shepway South.
  • The Borough of Swale wards of Abbey, Boughton and Courtenay, East Downs, Priory, St Ann's, Teynham and Lynsted, Watling, and West Downs.

The Swale wards of Teynham and Lynstead, and West Downs were transferred in from Sittingbourne and Sheppey, offset by the loss of the Maidstone wards of Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton, Headcorn, and Sutton Valence and Langley to the new constituency of Weald of Kent.

Following a local government boundary review in Maidstone which came into effect in May 2024, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

  • The Borough of Maidstone wards or part wards of: Bearsted & Downswood; Boughton Monchelsea & Chart Sutton (small part); Boxley Downs; Grove Green & Vinters Park (part); Harrietsham, Lenham & North Downs; Leeds & Langley (except Langley parish); Park Wood & Mangravet; Senacre; Shepway.
  • The Borough of Swale wards of: Abbey; Boughton and Courtenay; East Downs; Priory; St Ann's; Teynham and Lynsted; Watling; West Downs.

Members of Parliament

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!colspan="2"|Election!!Member

!Party

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| 1997

| Andrew Rowe

| Conservative

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| 2001

| Sir Hugh Robertson

| Conservative

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| 2015

| Helen Whately

| Conservative

|}

Elections

thumb|centre|750px|Election results 1997–2024

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! colspan="4" | 2019 notional result

|-

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %

|-

|

| Conservative ||align=right| 30,187 ||align=right| 62.6

|-

|

| Labour ||align=right| 9,569 ||align=right| 19.8

|-

|

| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 6,011 ||align=right| 12.5

|-

|

| Green ||align=right| 1,974 ||align=right| 4.1

|-

|

| Others ||align=right| 474 ||align=right| 1.0

|-

|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|

|-

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|48,215

|align=right|67.2

|-

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|71,798

|}

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

See also

  • List of parliamentary constituencies in Kent
  • List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)

Notes

References

Sources

  • Election result, 2005 (BBC)
  • Election results, 1997 – 2001 (BBC)
  • Election results, 1997 – 2001 (Election Demon)
  • Election results, 1997 – 2005 (Guardian)
  • Faversham and Mid Kent UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
  • Faversham and Mid Kent UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
  • Faversham and Mid Kent UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK