Maidstone and Malling
Maidstone and Malling is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament.[2] It was created under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, and was first contested in the 2024 general election. It is represented by Helen Grant of the Conservatives, who was MP for the predecessor seat of Maidstone and The Weald from 2010 to 2024.
| Maidstone and Malling | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundaries since 2024 | |
 Boundary of Maidstone and Malling in South East England | |
| County | Kent |
| Electorate | 73,084 (2023)[1] |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2024 |
| Member of Parliament | Helen Grant (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Maidstone and The Weald |
Constituency profile
editMaidstone and Malling is a constituency in Kent. It covers most of the large town of Maidstone (excluding its eastern suburbs), the small market town of West Malling and the villages of East Malling, Ditton, Leybourne and Kings Hill. Maidstone is a historic town and is the largest town in Kent. It has a history of paper manufacturing. Maidstone has average levels of wealth and deprivation whilst the villages to its west, including the newly-developed Kings Hill, are more affluent.[3] House prices in the constituency are higher than the national average but lower than the rest of South East England.[4]
In general, residents of Maidstone and Malling have average levels of education and homeownership. Household income rates are higher than the rest of the country and similar to the regional average,[4] and the child poverty rate is low.[5] A high percentage of residents work in healthcare and the public sector.[6] White people made up 87% of the population at the 2021 census.[7] At the district council level, most of Maidstone is represented by Liberal Democrat councillors whilst the villages in the west primarily elected Conservatives. At the county council, which held an election in 2025, there was some Reform UK support in Maidstone. An estimated 56% of voters in the constituency supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the nationwide figure of 52%.[4]
Boundaries
editUnder the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was defined as comprising the following, as they existed on 1 December 2020:
- The Borough of Maidstone wards of Allington, Barming and Teston, Bridge, East, Fant, Heath, High Street, North and South – approximately 67% of the abolished Maidstone and The Weald seat,[8] mainly comprising the town of Maidstone itself.
- The Tonbridge and Malling Borough wards of Aylesford South and Ditton from Chatham and Aylesford.
- The Tonbridge and Malling Borough wards of East Malling, Kings Hill, and West Malling and Leybourne from Tonbridge and Malling (renamed Tonbridge).[9]
Following local government boundary reviews in Tonbridge and Malling[10] and Maidstone[11] which came into effect in May 2023 and May 2024 respectively, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
- The Borough of Maidstone wards or part wards of: Allington & Bridge; Barming Heath and Teston; Fant & Oakwood; Grove Green & Vinters Park (part); High Street; Loose & Linton (part); Palace Wood; Penenden Heath; Ringlestone; Tovil.
- The Borough of Tonbridge and Malling wards or part wards of: Aylesford North & North Downs (small part); Aylesford South & Ditton; Birling, Leybourne & Ryarsh (majority); East Malling, West Malling & Offham (most); Kings Hill.[12]
Members of Parliament
editMaidstone and The Weald prior to 2024
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Helen Grant | Conservative | |
Elections
editElections in the 2020s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Helen Grant | 14,146 | 30.5 | −27.9 | |
| Labour | Maureen Cleator | 12,472 | 26.9 | +8.5 | |
| Reform | Paul Thomas | 9,316 | 20.1 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | David Naghi | 6,375 | 13.7 | −4.9 | |
| Green | Stuart Jeffery | 3,727 | 8.0 | +4.2 | |
| Independent | Yolande Kenward | 197 | 0.4 | −0.3 | |
| British Democrats | Gary Butler | 156 | 0.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,674 | 3.6 | −36.2 | ||
| Turnout | 46,389 | 60.7 | −6.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 76,449 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −18.2 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
edit| 2019 notional result[14] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Conservative | 28,562 | 58.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 9,114 | 18.6 | |
| Labour | 8,993 | 18.4 | |
| Green | 1,880 | 3.8 | |
| Others | 358 | 0.7 | |
| Turnout | 48,907 | 66.9 | |
| Electorate | 73,084 | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ↑ "South East | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ↑ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Seat Details - Maidstone and Malling". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Constituency dashboard". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Boundary review 2023: Which seats will change in the UK?".
- ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
- ↑ LGBCE. "Medway | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
- ↑ LGBCE. "Maidstone | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ↑ "Seat Details - Maidstone and Malling". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ↑ "Maidstone and Malling". BBC News. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
External links
edit- Maidstone and Malling UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK