BBC Profile:
Chatham and Aylesford was created for the 1997 general election and Conservative Andrew Rowe, whose previous seat of Mid Kent covered most of the area of the new seat, was defending a notional majority of more than 13,000 in 1997. Rowe moved to Faversham and Mid Kent.
In the event, a swing of more than 15%, handed Chatham and Aylesford to Labour's Jonathan Shaw, a locally-born councillor and social worker, with a majority over the Conservative Richard Knox-Johnston of 2,790. In 2001 he held the seat with an increased majority over the Conservatives of 4,340. In 2005 Shaw returned a 2,332 majority.
At the election, boundary changes see the seat gain one part-ward each from Medway and Gillingham, and lose one part-ward each to Gillingham and Rainham and Rochester and Strood. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.
Chatham has a long historical connection with the Royal Navy. Aylesford is a fairly small town in the south of the constituency with its surrounding commuter villages and towns.
Chatham used to be heavily dependent on the naval dockyard which had existed there since Tudor times but its subsequent closure in 1984 impacted employment in the constituency. Now just outside the constituency, the docks are being regenerated into residential, commercial and leisure facilities.
The Dickens World entertainment attraction opened at Chatham Dockyar
[More...]BBC Profile:
Chatham and Aylesford was created for the 1997 general election and Conservative Andrew Rowe, whose previous seat of Mid Kent covered most of the area of the new seat, was defending a notional majority of more than 13,000 in 1997. Rowe moved to Faversham and Mid Kent.
In the event, a swing of more than 15%, handed Chatham and Aylesford to Labour's Jonathan Shaw, a locally-born councillor and social worker, with a majority over the Conservative Richard Knox-Johnston of 2,790. In 2001 he held the seat with an increased majority over the Conservatives of 4,340. In 2005 Shaw returned a 2,332 majority.
At the election, boundary changes see the seat gain one part-ward each from Medway and Gillingham, and lose one part-ward each to Gillingham and Rainham and Rochester and Strood. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.
Chatham has a long historical connection with the Royal Navy. Aylesford is a fairly small town in the south of the constituency with its surrounding commuter villages and towns.
Chatham used to be heavily dependent on the naval dockyard which had existed there since Tudor times but its subsequent closure in 1984 impacted employment in the constituency. Now just outside the constituency, the docks are being regenerated into residential, commercial and leisure facilities.
The Dickens World entertainment attraction opened at Chatham Dockyard in 2007 and Chatham also has a new university campus, a partnership between the Universities of Greenwich and Kent.
Employment in the constituency is more diverse since the docks were closed. Paper, packaging and cement production are major industries and Aylesford's location and travel links has made it a major distribution centre.
There are also many small and medium-sized enterprises and many commuters to London. Aylesford, Larkfield and Snodland (named after a Saxon king) are now more like towns than villages. The whole area is now more suburban than rural.
A high speed rail-link into St Pancras opened in 2009.
Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
Lab 17,960 (45.05%)
C 14,671 (36.80%)
LD 5,388 (13.52%)
UKIP 1,178 (2.95%)
Others 668 (1.68%)
[Less...]
20,230 (46.18%)