| Hitchin and Harpenden County constituency |
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| 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.
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Boundaries
As well as the towns of Hitchin and Harpenden themselves, the constituency also includes Wheathampstead and a number of villages.
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, Chesfield (previously known as Graveley and Wymondley), Hitchin Bearton, Hitchin Highbury, Hitchin Oughton, Hitchin Priory, Hitchin Walsworth, Kimpton, and Hitchwood, Hoo & Offa.
- From St Albans: Harpenden East, Harpenden North, Harpenden South, Harpenden West, Redbourn, Sandridge and Wheathampstead.
History
The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of several former Hertfordshire seats. Prior to 1997 Hitchin was included in the North Hertfordshire constituency and Harpenden in the St Albans constituency, while the village of Wheathampstead was part of the Welwyn Hatfield constituency.
The seat's first, and so far only, MP is the former Cabinet minister Peter Lilley of the Conservative Party, who had previously represented St Albans from 1983.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Peter Lilley | Conservative | |
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 | |||
See also
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