Rochester and Strood
2010 Results:
Conservative: 23604 (49.2%)
Labour: 13651 (28.46%)
Liberal Democrat: 7800 (16.26%)
Green: 734 (1.53%)
English Democrat: 2182 (4.55%)
Majority: 9953 (20.74%)
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.
Current MP: Mark Reckless (Conservative) Educated at Oxford University. Barrister and former banker. Medway councillor. Contested Medway 2001, 2005.
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)
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%
The winning candidate in the River ward by-election seems to be going for the Doktorb Award. He has resigned 13 days after winning his seat on the council.
That will give Labour plenty of encouragement. It will be surprising if the Tories were able to hold the seat in the circumstances.
‘The winning candidate in the River ward by-election’
River ward is not in this constituency, it is in Chatham and Aylesford. (Unless it is split between the two of course) I have discussed it on that seat’s thread.
I guess Benjamin is talking about Medway district generally and not this constituency specifically.
Harry you are mistaken. The whole of this ward is in this constituency. Previously parts of it were in Chatham & Aylesford and Gillingham but the boundary changes which came into force at the recent general election brought it all into this seat. The ward does include the historic Chatham dockyard of course, which may contribute to some confusion about which seat it is in.
‘Harry you are mistaken. The whole of this ward is in this constituency.’
I said exactly that on the Chatham thread, whilst discussing the confusion Pete mentioned!! Silly me
The River ward by-election has taken place, and it was a Labour gain, but only by 64 votes.
Peggy Fenner is still alive.
She could have stood again to recapture the seat,
as in 1970 and 1979.
In theory, yes. Trouble was, Dame Peggy was already 78 at the 2001 election. Plus she would have needed a 6% swing to regain Medway then, which was very difficult to achieve at the time.
Apparently she is now the oldest living woman in the UK to have served as an MP. She’s 88 on 12th November.
Quite a battle axe I seem to remember.
(I wonder whether she ever worked in her parents’ pub).
A little bit like a Tory Gwyneth Dunwoody.
Used to be Prices Minister under Ted Heath,
and an Agriculture Minister under Thatcher.
The MP she defeated in 1970 was Anne Kerr (wife of Russell Kerr – also an MP), who tragically died at the age of 48 three years later.
Rebelled on the student vote. Apparently his grandfather was a Fianna Foil MP in the Dail. Drunk on duty. The Tories must wonder what they’ve got – suspect Labour are pretty pleased with the last election here.
Mark Reckless has certainly not done himself any favours so far if he wants to climb the greasy career pole within the Commons. But I don’t think a bit of misbehaviour of the sort he has engaged in will hurt him locally. Labour hung on in a couple of seats in Kent in 2005 with high profile backbenchers, including the rebellious lawyer Bob Marshall-Andrews.
That said, if Reckless has more alcohol trouble it ought to be, and might be, a different story. On this site I have gone out on a limbin the past making observations about MPs who make themselves unfit through drink.
MPs should remember that ordinary people do not drink at working or, usually, whilst working. Even if there is plenty of temptation in the Commons, personally I would expect MPs to discipline themsleves not to use alcohol whilst performing their duties.
The Medway towns, particularly Chatham, used to have a dreadful reputation in relation to drink when there was a naval base here, from which I suspect at least some of the electorate will wish the area to continue to distance itself.
Even if the Lib Dem vote halved and went to Labour, the Tories would be home and dry.
Their share of the vote here last time would be about the same as in 1983, but not as high as 1987 or 1992.
“The Tories must wonder what they’ve got – suspect Labour are pretty pleased with the last election here”
I doubt the Conservative leadership would prefer a Labour MP here to Mark Reckless, even if he does rebel.
And let”s be honest, he won’t be the only MP who gets sloshed in Parliament. The surprising thing is that he actually admitted it.
“Mark Reckless has certainly not done himself any favours so far if he wants to climb the greasy career pole within the Commons”
He may not want to climb the ministerial pole. There are a few new Tory MPs who don’t seem too fussed about promotion to the frontbench. Although a degree of independence may help him get elected to the 1922 Executive Committee in future (he unsuccessfully ran for election to the Executive a few weeks after the GE).
A degree of independence probably isn’t a great hindrance if you want to be select committee chairman either.
The English Democrats had a respectable result in the general election polling 2,182 votes or 4.5%. The absence of UKIP and BNP must have helped them a bit.
1997-2010 MP Bob Marshall Andrews has just published a book titled “Off Message” about his “rebellious” parliamentary experience.
Hi Pete,
Would you be able to reconstruct how the old
Rochester and Chatham seat (1979) voted in 2010?
(also, a long shot,
how it voted in 1983?)
Thanks
Joe