Hitchin and Harpenden (UK Parliament constituency)

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Hitchin and Harpenden County constituency
Hitchin and Harpenden shown within Hertfordshire, and Hertfordshire shown within England
Created:	1997
MP:	Peter Lilley
Party:	Conservative
Type:	House of Commons
County:	Hertfordshire
EP constituency:	East of England

Hitchin and Harpenden is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents 1 Boundaries 1.1 Boundary review 2 History 3 Members of Parliament 4 Election results 5 See also

[edit] Boundaries

As well as the towns of Hitchin and Harpenden themselves, the constituency also includes Wheathampstead and a number of villages.

[edit] Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Hertfordshire the Boundary Commission for England has recommended for the next United Kingdom general election the creation of a Hitchin and Harpenden constituency formed from electoral wards in North Hertfordshire, and St Albans, as detailed below.

• From North Hertfordshire: Cadwell, Graveley and Wymondley, Hitchin Bearton, Hitchin Highbury, Hitchin Oughton, Hitchin Priory, Hitchin Walsworth, Hitchwood, Hoo, Kimpton and Offa
• From St Albans: Harpenden East, Harpenden North, Harpenden South, Harpenden West, Redbourn, Sandridge and Wheathampstead.

[edit] History

The constituency was created prior to the 1997 General Election. Hitchin was previously part of Hertfordshire North and Harpenden came under the St Albans constituency. The village of Wheathampstead also in this constituency was previously part of Welwyn Hatfield.

[edit] Members of Parliament

• 1997 – present: Peter Lilley, Conservative

[edit] Election results

General Election 2005: Hitchin and Harpenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Lilley	23,627	49.9	+2.6
	Liberal Democrat	Hannah Hedges	12,234	25.8	+7.8
	Labour	Paul Orrett	10,499	22.2	-10.3
	UK Independence	John Saunders	828	1.7	+0.4
	Independent	Edward Rigby	199	0.4	+0.4
Majority			11,393	24.0
Turnout			47,387	70.5	+3.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 2001: Hitchin and Harpenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Lilley	21,271	47.3	+1.5
	Labour	Alan Amos	14,608	32.5	-0.6
	Liberal Democrat	John Murphy	8,076	18.0	-2.1
	UK Independence	John Saunders	606	1.3	N/A
	Independent	Peter Rigby	363	0.8	N/A
Majority			6,663	14.8
Turnout			44,924	66.9	-11.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1997: Hitchin and Harpenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Lilley	24,038	45.9	N/A
	Labour	Rosemary Sanderson	17,367	33.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrat	Chris White	10,515	20.1	N/A
	Natural Law	D. Cooke	290	0.6	N/A
	Socialist Alternative	Jim Horton	217	0.4	N/A
Majority			6,671		N/A
Turnout				78.0	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

[edit] See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Hertfordshire

Constituencies in the East of England
Conservative	Billericay | Braintree | Brentwood and Ongar | Broxbourne | Bury St Edmunds | Castle Point | Central Suffolk and North Ipswich | Epping Forest | Harwich | Hemel Hempstead | Hertford and Stortford | Hertsmere | Hitchin and Harpenden | Huntingdon | Maldon and East Chelmsford | Mid Bedfordshire | Mid Norfolk | North Essex | North East Bedfordshire | North East Cambridgeshire | North East Hertfordshire | North West Cambridgeshire | North West Norfolk | Peterborough | Rayleigh | Rochford and Southend East | Saffron Walden | Southend West | South Cambridgeshire | South East Cambridgeshire | South Norfolk | South Suffolk | South West Bedfordshire | South West Hertfordshire | South West Norfolk | St Albans | Suffolk Coastal | Welwyn Hatfield | West Chelmsford | West Suffolk
Labour	Basildon | Bedford | Great Yarmouth | Harlow | Ipswich | Luton North | Luton South | Norwich North | Norwich South | Stevenage | Thurrock | Watford | Waveney
Liberal Democrat	Cambridge | Colchester | North Norfolk
East of England European constituency: Conservative (3) | UKIP (2) | Labour (1) | Liberal Democrats (1)