North East Hertfordshire
Constituency Labour Party                new Labour for Britain



The Tories are a minority

In 1997 and in 2001, Labour came close to winning the constituency. The Tory majorities were 3,088 and 3,444 respectively.  In common with most constituencies, we lost voter share in 2005. The majority of this lost share went to the Liberal Democrats - temporarily, we believe. Nevertheless, the Liberal Democrats remained in third place.

In all three elections, the  Tory voters were a minority. The number of voters for the Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates exceed the number voting for the Conservative candidate, as can be seen in the histogram below.

Election result 2005.

In both 1997 and 2001, our candidate was Ivan Gibbons, an experienced Labour councillor.  In 2005 we had a young, enthusiastic and hard-working candidate, Andrew Harrop. In the circumstances of 2005 he did well to keep the Conservative majority down to 9,138.

The Constituency

The constituency extends from Letchworth Garden City and Baldock in the west to the Pelhams in the east, and from Royston in the north to Tewin and Letty Green in the south. It includes Ashwell, Buntingford, Puckeridge, Standon, Thundridge and Watton-at-Stone (see map below).

Ordnance survey map showing constituency boundary 

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Election-Map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland. On the Election-Map website you can zoom in to different parts of the constituency and you can overlay ward boundaries.

Boundary Changes at next general election

In anticipation of the boundary changes that will apply at the next general election, the Constituency Labour Party's area now also includes Walkern and Benington (previously in the Stevenage constituency) and Bayford and Little Berkhampsted (previously in the Hertford and Stortford constituency). Graveley and Great Ashby move into the Hitchin and Harpenden constituency. These changes are not shown on the map above, nor on the Ordnance Survey website.

Labour's red roseHosted by Telivo Ltd., 10-16 Tiller Road, Docklands, London E14 8PX. Promoted by David Bell, on behalf of the North East Hertfordshire Constituency Labour Party, both of Town Farm House, Mill End, Standon, Ware, Herts. SG11 1LP.