Dartford
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 19309 (42.7%)
Conservative: 18725 (41.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 4623 (10.2%)
Other: 2541 (5.6%)
Majority: 583 (1.3%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 19203 (41.1%)
Labour: 19909 (42.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 5036 (10.8%)
UKIP: 1407 (3%)
Other: 1224 (2.6%)
Majority: 706 (1.5%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 18160 (40.6%)
Labour: 21466 (48%)
Liberal Democrat: 3781 (8.5%)
UKIP: 989 (2.2%)
Other: 344 (0.8%)
Majority: 3306 (7.4%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 20950 (40.3%)
Labour: 25278 (48.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 4827 (9.3%)
Other: 943 (1.8%)
Majority: 4328 (8.3%)
Boundary changes: Only minor changes, with Dartford losing Horton Kirby and South Darenth, while gaining the hamlet of Hodsall Street.
Profile: The last seat in Kent before Greater London, Dartford is a former industrial area that is now largely a commuter town. The town is undergoing rapid expansion with large scale housing projects around the Bluewater shopping centre and Ebbsfleet, which will be served by the high speed Channel tunnel raillink. Dartford itself contains strong Labour areas like the Tree and Temple Hill housing estates, but is balanced out by outlying Conservative supporting areas like Joydens Wood and Longfield.
Following the Conservative victory in Gravesham in 2005 Dartford is now, along with Chorley, the country`s strongest bellwether seat, having returned an MP from the party that went on to win the election since 1964 (Luton South arguably has a longer record – back to 1951 – but has gone through incarnations of Luton South, Luton East and Luton during that time)
Current MP: Howard Stoate(Labour) born 1954. Howard Stoate remains a practicing GP and as an MP has taken an interest in health matters. He is a Labour loyalist and served as PPS to John Denham and then Estelle Morris during the last Parliament. Will stand down at the next election (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Gareth Johnson (Conservative) born 1969. Educated at Dartford Grammar School. Solicitor. Former Bexley councillor. Contested Lewisham West 2001, Dartford 2005
John Adams (Labour)
James Willis (Liberal Democrat)
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 91782
Male: 48.9%
Female: 51.1%
Under 18: 23.5%
Over 60: 19.7%
Born outside UK: 5.7%
White: 94.7%
Black: 0.8%
Asian: 2.6%
Mixed: 1.2%
Other: 0.7%
Christian: 73.7%
Hindu: 0.7%
Muslim: 0.7%
Sikh: 1.1%
Full time students: 2.5%
Graduates 16-74: 13.9%
No Qualifications 16-74: 27.9%
Owner-Occupied: 74.9%
Social Housing: 15.9% (Council: 12.5%, Housing Ass.: 3.4%)
Privately Rented: 7.1%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 6.1%
Paul, if the appalling state of Dartford town centre is anything to go by thanks to the ineptitude of the Tory controlled Borough Council the people of Dartford may think twice before electing a Tory to Parliament.
Ann, sadly it’s not an issue for the parliamentary election, people are worried about the economy, their jobs, savings, immigration etc.
Voters will be able to voice their opinions in 2011 and the ineptitude that you claim will be examined by the electorate.
This Government is doomed, the sad thing is that we here in Dartford can’t say goodbye to the good doctor in the manner he deserves.
No word of a Labour PPC yet, I can only assume that he/she will be a local after all the abuse the last Conservative PPC received from Labour in Dartford for not living in the borough.
Please God it’s one of the local Labour party activists!!
Anns’ also suffering from some form of amnesia, because of course the Labour Party ran Dartford for a very long time. Its a bit rich for her to start attacking the Tories fo everything that is wrong in the borough.
Ann is right – and seems like Rosie M is conceding local Tories are to blame for decline of town centre. Actions (or lack of) speak louder than words…
If someone could provide any specific examples to illustrate what is wrong with Dartford town centre, and how the borough council is responsible those shortcomings, it would greatly assist those of us who have no knowledge of this locality. Exchanges which don’t get beyond “the town centre is falling apart, it’s the Tory council’s fault”, “oh no it isn’t, the council was Labour until a few years ago” are not really that informative.
Coming from elsewhere in Kent, I would suspect that the major problem with Dartford town centre is not the result of local politics, but the development of the huge Bluewater shopping centre nearby, and to a lesser extent Lakeside on the other side of the Dartford crossing . I have travelled on occasion from East Kent to Bluewater, but have never had reason to go into Dartford Town Centre, which perhaps illustrates the point.
I understand that over the past year Dartford has had the worst economic record in Kent in that unemployment has more than doubled.
South East London and North East Kent are heavily overshadowed by the financial sector dominated London economy, which makes the area unattractive to the traditional industries here (e.g. cement). Now that the financial sector has “caught a cold”, Dartford and surrounding areas have a lack of alternative sources of work, and little to attract employers.
The hope is that this part of the world will be regenerated by the Thames gateway initiatives, and in particular the improved access provided by the new Ebbsfleet station (I think this is a scandalous misuse of a high-speed line designed for longer journeys, but that is another story, and not what would play well in Dartford as opposed to Dover or Thanet South). But I believe that building around Ebbsfleet is stalled by the credit crunch.
The Labour candidate is John Adams, does anyone know if he’s a local as this seems to be a pre-requisite for all candidates according to Dartford Labour party.
Previous opposition MPs and candidates have all been derided by them as not being local or living in the constituency.
Rosie, there is a John Adams who has stood as a Labour candidate in various places over the last few elections. Not sure if its the same fella though – its not an uncommon name.
Certainly doesn’t seem like a local member as I can’t see any sign of anyone by that name having stood for Labour in Dartford at any level.
So that’s both the ‘local’ angle and the Dartford park angle that Dartford Labour can’t use anymore, both of which have served them well in the past.
I wonder what they will be campaigning on this time.
Scott, interesting choice of candidate if it’s the same fellow, he’s previously stood against Eric Pickles and Damian Green. I would imagine that both those times he was a paper candidate, what does this say about Labour’s hopes of winning Dartford? Was a previous poster correct with the idea that Labour’s majority being less than 3,000 is undefendable?
The road through the park fox has been shot, particularly as the local Labour Group and MP are all signed up members of the current redevelopment plan so can’t use that one now.
Maybe Tony Kite could answer.
The decline of Dartford Town centre is more due to the arrival of Bluewater and Lakeside across the river as mentioned rather than due to Conservative councillors. This decline would have been obvious when plans to build Bluewater were shown early on. It is also worth noting that Labour were the decision makers here for a substantial amount of time and should have had a plan in place which would allow Dartford to not lose its appeal with shoppers (e.g attract more specialist shops, independent boutiques, craft shops etc…shops which people would travel to rather than charity shops and £1 shops, which generally put people off shopping in particular areas) and potential new residents.
This is a similar issue over the river in Thurrock where Grays Town centre has declined since the arrival of Lakeside in the early 1990s again under Labour governance I think.