North Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)

North Thanet
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of North Thanet in Kent.

Outline map

Location of Kent within England.
County Kent
Electorate 67,110 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements (Margate, Birchington-on-Sea, Herne Bay and Westgate-on-Sea
Current constituency
Created 1983
Member of parliament Sir Roger Gale (Conservative)
Number of members One
Created from Thanet West, Thanet East
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency South East England

North Thanet (Contemp. and Cons. RP) /ˈnɔːθ θænɪt/, (Est. Eng.) /ˈnɔːf fanɪʔ/ (also known as Thanet North) is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1983 creation by Sir Roger Gale, a Conservative.[n 2]

History

North Thanet and South Thanet were created by a rearrangement of the former Thanet West and Thanet East constituencies in 1983, which in turn had been created in 1974 by the splitting of the single Isle of Thanet seat. Apart from 1997 when it was marginal, the seat has to date been a safe seat for the Conservative Party.

The third-placed opponent in the 1983 election, for Labour, was Cherie Blair whose husband Tony Blair, was Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007.

Constituency profile

Tourism forms an important economic activity with sandy beaches, particularly at Margate among the main attractions, the seat has a small amount of fishing relative to the 19th century or major ports of North East and Scotland, with a slightly higher proportion of retired people than the national average[2] and incomes tending to be clustered towards the national mean.[3] Economic developments have included close-by the Thanet Offshore Wind Project, commercial, recreational and tourism activities. Manston Airport is now closed but is subject to competing development plans including reopening the airport for freight terminal or alternatively as a mixed development business park. In unemployment terms the claimant count was third highest of the South East's 84 constituencies at the end of 2010.[n 3][4]

Boundaries

1983-2010: The District of Thanet wards of Birchington East, Birchington West, Cecil, Cliftonville, Dane Park, Ethelbert, Margate West, Marine, Northdown Park, Pier, Salmestone, Thanet Parishes, and Westgate-on-Sea, and the City of Canterbury wards of Herne, Heron, Reculver, and West Bay.

2010-present: The District of Thanet wards of Birchington North, Birchington South, Dane Valley, Garlinge, Margate Central, Salmestone, Thanet Villages, Westbrook, and Westgate-on-Sea, and the City of Canterbury wards of Greenhill and Eddington, Herne and Broomfield, Heron, Marshside, Reculver, and West Bay.

North Thanet consists of the northern and western parts of Thanet district (most of Margate (apart from the Cliftonville area, Westgate-on-Sea, Birchington-on-Sea, and several villages including Acol, St Nicholas-at-Wade, Minster, Monkton and Sarre) as well as the town of Herne Bay in the City of Canterbury district.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[5] Party
1983 Sir Roger Gale Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: North Thanet[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Roger Gale 23,045 49.0 -3.7
UKIP Piers Andrew Wauchope[8] 12,097 25.7 +19.2
Labour Frances Rehal 8,411 17.9 -3.6
Green Edward John Targett 1,719 3.7 +3.7
Liberal Democrat George Francis John Cunningham 1,645 3.5 -15.9
Majority 10,948 23.3%
Turnout 47,053 70.1% +6.9%
Conservative hold Swing -3.7%
General Election 2010: North Thanet[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Gale[11] 22,826 52.7 +4.7
Labour Michael Britton 9,298 21.5 −11.1
Liberal Democrat Laura Murphy 8,400 19.4 +3.8
UKIP Rosamund Parker 2,819 6.5 +2.6
Majority 13,528 31.2
Turnout 43,343 63.2 +4.0
Conservative hold Swing +7.9

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: North Thanet[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Gale 21,699 49.6 −0.7
Labour Iris Johnston 14,065 32.2 −2.2
Liberal Democrat Mark Barnard 6,279 14.4 +3.4
UKIP Timothy Stocks 1,689 3.9 +1.6
Majority 7,634 17.5
Turnout 43,732 60.1 +1.1
Conservative hold Swing +0.8
General Election 2001: North Thanet[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Gale 21,050 50.3 +6.2
Labour James Stewart Laing 14,400 34.4 −4.0
Liberal Democrat Seth Proctor 4,603 11.0 −0.4
UKIP John Moore 980 2.3 +1.4
Independent David Shortt 440 1.1 N/A
National Front Thomas Holmes 395 0.9 N/A
Majority 6,650 15.9
Turnout 41,868 59.0 −9.9
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: North Thanet[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Gale 21,586 44.1 −13.1
Labour Iris Johnston 18,820 38.4 +14.9
Liberal Democrat Paul Kendrick 5,576 11.4 −6.3
Referendum Marcus Chambers 2,535 5.2 N/A
UKIP J. E. Haines 438 1.1 N/A
Majority 2,766 5.7 -28
Turnout 48,955 68.8 +7.2
Conservative hold Swing −14.0
General Election 1992: North Thanet[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Gale 30,867 57.2 −0.8
Labour Alan Michael Bretman 12,657 23.5 +6.8
Liberal Democrat Ms. Joanna L. Phillips 9,563 17.7 −5.6
Green Mrs Hazel F. Dawe 873 1.6 −0.4
Majority 18,210 33.7 −1.0
Turnout 53,960 76.0 +3.9
Conservative hold Swing −3.8

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: North Thanet[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Gale 29,225 58.0 −0.4
Social Democratic Nicholas Richard Maurice Cranston 11,745 23.3 −3.4
Labour Alan Michael Bretman 8,395 16.7 +2.6
Green David Reynolds Condor 996 2.0 N/A
Majority 17,480 34.7
Turnout 50,361 72.2
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: North Thanet[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Gale 26,801 58.4 N/A
Social Democratic W. MacMillan 12,256 26.7 N/A
Labour Cherie Booth 6,482 14.1 N/A
BNP B. Dobing 324 0.7 N/A
Majority 14,051 32.37 N/A
Turnout 45,863 70.02 N/A
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
  3. ↑ Above this were South Thanet and Hastings and Rye
References
  1. ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ↑ 2011 census interactive maps
  3. ↑ 2001 Census
  4. ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  5. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 1)
  6. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000852#general_election_data-constituency_profile_en
  8. ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/thanetnorth/
  9. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. ↑ North Thanet, Guardian
  11. ↑ Gale reselected for Thanet North, This is Kent
  12. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  17. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Coordinates: 51°22.5′N 1°16′E / 51.3750°N 1.267°E / 51.3750; 1.267

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