Rochester and Strood
Notional 2005 Results:
Conservative: 19822 (43.9%)
Labour: 18321 (40.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 5367 (11.9%)
Other: 1618 (3.6%)
Majority: 1501 (3.3%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 17120 (41.7%)
Labour: 17333 (42.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 5152 (12.5%)
UKIP: 1488 (3.6%)
Majority: 213 (0.5%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 15134 (39.2%)
Labour: 18914 (49%)
Liberal Democrat: 3604 (9.3%)
UKIP: 958 (2.5%)
Majority: 3780 (9.8%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 16504 (36.9%)
Labour: 21858 (48.9%)
Liberal Democrat: 4555 (10.2%)
Referendum: 1420 (3.2%)
Other: 405 (0.9%)
Majority: 5354 (12%)
Boundary changes: gains part of Rochester South and Horsted and part of River ward while losing part of Chatham central to Chatham and Aylesford. The name of the seat was changed from Medway to avoid any confusion with the Unitary Authority of Medway.
Profile: A largely industrial seat in the conurbation of Medway in Kent. Rochester and Strood is geographically the largest of the Medway seats, taking in not just Rochester and Strood themselves but also the expanse of the Hoo peninsula between the estuaries of the Thames and Medway. The peninsula and the Isle of Grain are largely marshland and an important site for wild birds. In 2002-3 the area was considered as the possible site for a new airport, but the plans were eventually dropped. The south of the peninsula is industrial, and includes a major container port, a gas import plant and two power stations.
The urban part of the seat is the Western part of Medway, with Strood to the west of the river and Rochester to the east. Rochester is a historic city of strategic importance on the Medway (hence the presence of Rochester Castle and various Napoleonic Forts built to protect Chatham dockyard), it is also the second oldest Bishopric in England. As is the case across North Kent there is significant redevelopment in progress, with thousands of new houses being planned along the river medway waterfront, specifically Rochester Riverside, Strood Riverside and Temple Waterfront. The village of Borstal in the West of Rochester was the site of the original borstal and still hosts HMP Rochester.
The constituency also stretches south to take in Cuxton and Halling, a former chalk mining village that is now largely a commuter village.
Outgoing MP: Bob Marshall-Andrews(Labour) born 1944. Educated at Mill Hill School and Bristol University. Barrister. A high-profile, colourful left-winger and persistent rebel. Contested Medway in 1992, first elected as MP for Medway in 1997. On the night of the 2005 election Marshall-Andrews famously conceeded defeat and blamed Tony Blair, only to discover he has in fact held on by a wafer thin majority of 213 (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Mark Reckless (Conservative) Educated at Oxford University. Barrister and former banker. Medway councillor. Contested Medway 2001, 2005.
Teresa Murray (Labour) born London. Teacher. Medway councillor.
Geoff Juby (Liberal Democrat) born 1954. Educated at East Dereham Boys School. Caterer. Former Gillingham councillor and Medway councillor since 1997. Leader of Liberal Democrat group on Medway council. Contested Medway in 2001 and 2005.
Simon Marchant (Green)Robin Johnson (UKIP)
Ron Sands (English Democrat)
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 96246
Male: 49.6%
Female: 50.4%
Under 18: 24.1%
Over 60: 18.2%
Born outside UK: 6.3%
White: 94.7%
Black: 0.7%
Asian: 2.9%
Mixed: 0.9%
Other: 0.8%
Christian: 72.8%
Hindu: 0.6%
Muslim: 0.9%
Sikh: 1.4%
Full time students: 2.7%
Graduates 16-74: 13.1%
No Qualifications 16-74: 29.8%
Owner-Occupied: 74.9%
Social Housing: 14.2% (Council: 2%, Housing Ass.: 12.2%)
Privately Rented: 7.5%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 9.8%
I don’t think it was aimed at you Matt,
in fact I can’t think of who does fit that description here atall.
I think HH was just trying to defend me (kindly, although I’d very much prefer not at anyone else’s expense)
against the remarks from another poster who dislikes me .
But I’m sorry if anyone else was caught up in it,
and thanks to others for their posts.
Which seats was Rochester in from 1885?
Which seats has Rochester been in?
Rochester & Chatham from 1955 – 1983, then Medway since.
Before that I think it was the Chatham division of the city of Rochester. The other division was Gillingham.
Rochester was an ancient parliamentary borough until 1918 (losing one member in 1885).
As Dickens came from the area and knew Rochester well, read “Pickwick Papers” although I believe that Rochester was not the actual real place represented by Eatanswill.
According to Wikipeadi, in 1918, Rochester was split up between shatham, Gillingham and the “old” Medway consitutency. Actually, I think most of it went into Chatham. From what I know of the area, the people of Rochester, an old Cathedral city as opposed to a comparatively new dockyards town, must have been absolutely furious. Chatham was renamed Rochester and Chatham in 1950.
Wikipedia says that Rochester was a City Council, extended to include parts of Strood and Gillibgham, until 1974. I recollect that Chatham was a county borough.
Barnaby, Rochester would be livid at being described as the Chatham division of the City of Rochester.
Since 1974, Rochester has been part of Medway, which is now a Unitary Borough.
Anatagonism between Rochester and Chatham continues. Specifically, Rochester “accidentally” lost its city status when the Unitary Council was set up in 1998. Wikipedia says that this was not noticed until 2002, when Rochester petitioned the Queen for city staus back. I have suspicions that this has not happened because of spite on the part of Chatham and Gillingham.
If the candidates in this seat have any wits they will be pursuing Rochester’s City Status. It wouldn’t cost anything to rectify this scandalous anomally, and it would be politically popular in Rochester.
If I may comment, I am old-fashioned enough to think that Cities in England should be places where the estavblished church has a cathedral. Labour, again becuase it is cheap, has been getting the Queen to throw around city status like confetti, including places like Preston that were actually proud to be towns (my grandfather lived in Preston before moving, amongst other places to Canterbury and the Chatham). Rochester is I think not the only place to have a cathedral but no city status: Chelmsford is another example.
“According to Wikipeadi, in 1918, Rochester was split up between shatham, Gillingham and the “old” Medway consitutency.”
There was no Medway constituency after 1918. There had been one from 1885 to 1918 which was a county division covering more or less all the rural areas that are now in the Medway, Maidstone and Gravesham districts plus the borough freeholders from Gravesend, Maidstone, Rochester and Chatham. In 1918 this seat was divided mostly between Maidstone and Gravesend (which became county seats) with some areas being added to the two ‘Rochester’ seats (as Frederic says Rochester itself was mostly in the division called Rochester, Chatham)