Medway (UK Parliament constituency)

Medway
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Medway in Kent for the 2005 general election.

Outline map

Location of Kent within England.
County Kent
Major settlements Rochester
1983–2010
Number of members One
Replaced by Rochester and Strood
Created from Rochester & Chatham and Gravesend[1]
1885–1918
Number of members One

Medway was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1983 and 2010. A previous constituency of the same name existed from 1885 to 1918.

Boundaries

1885–1918

The Mid or Medway Division of Kent was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. It comprised a rural area consisting of the petty sessional divisions of Bearstead, Rochester and part of Malling PSD, but did not include the Medway Towns which were comprised in the parliamentary boroughs of Chatham and Rochester. It also surrounded, but did not include the town of Maidstone.[2] The following parishes were included in the constituency:[3]

The Rochester constituency is an old one, going back to the 16th century, but it saw many changes in the 20th century. In 1918 it was split between Chatham, Gillingham and the "old", rural, Medway constituency. The Chatham seat became Rochester and Chatham in 1950, and then Medway in 1983.

1983–2010

The constituency was revived in 1983 by Parliament's acceptance of a Boundary Commission national review,[4] and was defined as comprising thirteen wards of the then City of Rochester upon Medway: All Saints, Cuxton and Halling, Earl, Frindsbury, Frindsbury Extra, Hoo St. Werburgh, Rede Court, St. Margarets and Borstal, Temple Farm, Thames Side, Town, Troy Town and Warren Wood.[4]

Boundaries were not changed at the next redistribution that followed the Fourth Review for the 1997 election.[5]

Conveniently but somewhat confusingly 1998 Rochester upon Medway merged with the neighbouring Borough of Gillingham to form the larger unitary Borough of Medway.[6] The Medway constituency covered only part of the unitary authority: some towns in the borough of Medway, such as Gillingham (Gillingham) or Chatham see (Chatham and Aylesford) had and retain their own constituency. Because of this, the name of the seat caused much confusion leading to its renaming in 2010.

Boundary review

Following the boundary review of parliamentary representation in Kent between 2000 and 2008, the Boundary Commission for England renamed the Medway seat to Rochester and Strood. This is because the Commission agreed that the term "Medway" is now primarily used for the larger unitary authority.[7]

The constituency will consist of ten wards of the Borough of Medway: Cuxton and Halling, Peninsula, River, Rochester East, Rochester South and Horsted, Rochester West, Strood North, Strood Rural and Strood South.[8]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1885–1918

ElectionMember[9] Party
1885 John Stewart Gathorne-Hardy Conservative
1892 Charles Warde Conservative

MPs 1983–2010

ElectionMember[9] Party
1983 Dame Peggy Fenner Conservative
1997 Bob Marshall-Andrews Labour
2010 Constituency abolished: see Rochester and Strood

Elections

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Medway[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 17,333 42.2 −6.8
Conservative Mark Reckless 17,120 41.7 +2.5
Liberal Democrat Geoffrey Juby 5,152 12.5 +3.2
UKIP Bob Oakley 1,488 3.6 +1.1
Majority 213 0.5
Turnout 41,093 61.1 1.6
Labour hold Swing −4.6
General Election 2001: Medway[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 18,914 49.0 +0.1
Conservative Mark Reckless 15,134 39.2 +2.3
Liberal Democrat Geoffrey William Juby 3,604 9.3 −0.8
UKIP Nikki Sinclaire 958 2.5 +1.6
Majority 3,780 9.8
Turnout 38,610 59.5 −12.8
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Medway[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 21,858 48.9 +14.3
Conservative Dame Peggy Fenner 16,504 36.9 −15.4
Liberal Democrat Roger D.C. Roberts 4,555 10.2 +0.6
Referendum Joseph Main 1,420 3.2 N/A
UKIP Mrs. Susan P. Radlett 405 0.9 N/A
Majority 5,354 12.0
Turnout 44,742 72.3
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +14.9
General Election 1992: Medway[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Dame Peggy Fenner 25,924 52.3 +1.3
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 17,138 34.6 +4.8
Liberal Democrat Cyril L. Trice 4,751 9.6 −8.5
Liberal Mark Austin 1,480 3.0 N/A
Natural Law Paul A. Kember 234 0.5 N/A
Majority 8,786 17.7 −3.5
Turnout 49,527 80.2 +7.2
Conservative hold Swing −1.7

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Medway[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Dame Peggy Fenner 23,889 51.0 +2.2
Labour Vernon Alan Hull 13,960 29.8 −0.3
Social Democratic Mrs. Jennifer Horne-Roberts 8,450 18.1 −2.0
Green Ms. June Vivien Rosser 504 1.1 N/A
Majority 9,929 21.2 +2.4
Turnout 46,803 73.0 +0.4
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Medway[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Dame Peggy Fenner 22,507 48.9 N/A
Labour Robert Ernest Bean 13,851 30.1 N/A
Social Democratic F.C. Winckless 9,658 20.1 N/A
Majority 8,656 18.8 N/A
Turnout 46,016 72.6 N/A
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "'Medway', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Boundary Commissioners' Map of Divisions of Kent". London Ancrestor. 1885. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  3. ↑ Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 739. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  4. 1 2 Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/417)
  5. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/1626)". Office of Public Sector Information. 1995. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  6. ↑ "The Kent (Borough of Gillingham and City of Rochester upon Medway) (Structural Change) Order 1996". Office of Public Sector Information. 1996. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  7. ↑ Fifth Periodical Report, Volume I: Report, Cm 7032-i (PDF). London: The Stationery Office. 2007. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  8. ↑ Fifth Periodical Report, Volume 2: Appendices, Cm 7032-ii (PDF). London: The Stationery Office. 2007. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  9. 1 2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)
  10. ↑ "UK General Election results May 2005". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  11. 1 2 "Medway". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  12. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  13. ↑ "UK General Election results June 1987". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  14. ↑ "UK General Election results June 1983". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. Retrieved 13 April 2009.

Coordinates: 51°26′N 0°30′E / 51.433°N 0.500°E / 51.433; 0.500

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