North East Hertfordshire
UK Parliament constituency (since 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North East Hertfordshire is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Chris Hinchliff of the Labour Party.[n 2] On 16 July 2025, Hinchliff was suspended by Labour for "persistent breaches of party discipline". He sat as an Independent,[2] until November 2025 when he had the whip restored.[3][4]
| North East Hertfordshire | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Interactive map of boundaries since 2024 | |
Location within the East of England | |
| County | Hertfordshire |
| Electorate | 76,849 (March 2020)[1] |
| Major settlements | Letchworth, Baldock and Royston |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1997 |
| Member of Parliament | Chris Hinchliff (Labour) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Hertfordshire North, Hertford and Stortford, Stevenage |
Constituency profile
North East Hertfordshire is a constituency in Hertfordshire in the East of England. Its largest town is Letchworth, which has a population of around 35,000.[5] Other settlements include the towns of Baldock, Royston and Buntingford and the village of Puckeridge.
This is a mostly rural constituency with many small villages. Letchworth, officially Letchworth Garden City, was designed and built in the early 20th century as part of the garden city movement. Baldock, Royston and Buntingford are small, historic market towns. The A1(M) motorway and the Cambridge line connect the area to London, which is located around 32 miles (51 km) to the south. Letchworth has an average level of wealth whilst the other towns and villages are generally affluent, giving the constituency a below-average rate of deprivation overall.[6] House prices here are higher than the regional and national averages.[7]
North East Hertfordshire has high proportion of older working-age adults and retirees and a low proportion of young adults.[8] In general, residents are well-educated and have above-average rates of homeownership. Household income is high and the child poverty rate is around half the UK-wide figure.[7][9]> A high proportion of residents work in professional occupations, particularly in the retail and manufacturing sectors,[10] and a low percentage claim unemployment benefits.[9] White people made up 91% of the population at the 2021 census.[11]
Local politics are diverse. At the local council level, Baldock and most of Letchworth are represented by the Labour Party, Royston and the southern suburbs of Letchworth by Liberal Democrats, Buntingford by Greens and the rural villages by Conservatives. North East Hertfordshire is estimated to have been 50/50 split on the question of remaining in or leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, compared to the UK-wide result of 52% in favour of Brexit.[7]
History
The constituency was created for the 1997 general election largely from parts of the abolished constituency of North Hertfordshire, including Letchworth, Baldock and Royston. It also included rural areas of the District of East Hertfordshire transferred from Hertford and Stortford and Stevenage.
The seat had been held since its creation for the Conservative Party with comfortable majorities by Sir Oliver Heald, who was previously MP for North Hertfordshire.
Heald did not contest the 2024 general election,[12] the seat was won by Labour candidate Chris Hinchliff, a councillor on North Herts District Council for Royston Palace.[13]
Boundaries and boundary changes
Historic
1997–2010
- The District of North Hertfordshire wards of Arbury, Baldock, Grange, Letchworth East, Letchworth South East, Letchworth South West, Newsells, Royston East, Royston West, Sandon, Weston, and Wilbury; and
- The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Braughing, Buntingford, Cottered, Little Hadham, Munden, Standon St Mary, Stapleford, Tewin, Thundridge, and Watton-at-Stone.[14]
2010–2024
- The District of North Hertfordshire wards of Arbury, Baldock East, Baldock Town, Ermine, Letchworth East, Letchworth Grange, Letchworth South East, Letchworth South West, Letchworth Wilbury, Royston Heath, Royston Meridian, Royston Palace, and Weston and Sandon; and
- The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Braughing, Buntingford, Hertford Rural North, Hertford Rural South, Little Hadham, Mundens and Cottered, Puckeridge, Thundridge and Standon, Walkern, and Watton-at-Stone.[15]
Minor changes due to revision of local authority wards.
Current
The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structures in place on 1 December 2020, left the boundaries virtually unchanged.[16] However, following local government boundary reviews in East Hertfordshire[17] and North Hertfordshire[18] which came into effect in May 2023 and May 2024 respectively, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
- The District of East Hertfordshire wards or part wards of: Aston, Datchworth & Walkern (Bennington and Walkern parishes); Braughing & Standon; Buntingford; Hertford Rural; Little Hadham & The Pelhams; The Mundens; Ware Rural (Thundridge parish); Watton-at-Stone.
- The District of North Hertfordshire wards of: Arbury; Baldock East; Baldock West; Ermine; Letchworth Grange; Letchworth Norton; Letchworth South East; Letchworth South West; Letchworth Wilbury; Royston Heath, Royston Meridian, Royston Palace; Weston & Sandon.[19]
Members of Parliament
Hertfordshire North, Hertford & Stortford and Stevenage prior to 1997
| Election | Member[20] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Sir Oliver Heald | Conservative | |
| 2024 | Chris Hinchliff | Labour | |
| July 2025 | Independent | ||
| November 2025 | Labour | ||
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Chris Hinchliff | 18,358 | 35.0 | +11.3 | |
| Conservative | Nikki da Costa | 16,435 | 31.3 | −25.3 | |
| Reform | Steven Adelantado | 8,462 | 16.1 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Ruth Brown | 5,463 | 10.4 | −5.1 | |
| Green | Vicky Burt | 3,802 | 7.2 | +2.9 | |
| Majority | 1,923 | 3.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 52,520 | 67.6 | −5.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 77,090 | ||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +18.3 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Heald | 31,293 | 56.6 | −2.0 | |
| Labour | Kelley Green | 13,104 | 23.7 | −4.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Amy Finch | 8,563 | 15.5 | +7.8 | |
| Green | Tim Lee | 2,367 | 4.3 | −1.0 | |
| Majority | 18,189 | 32.9 | +2.6 | ||
| Turnout | 55,327 | 72.7 | −0.7 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Heald | 32,587 | 58.6 | +3.2 | |
| Labour | Doug Swanney | 15,752 | 28.3 | +9.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Nicky Shepard | 4,276 | 7.7 | +0.1 | |
| Green | Tim Lee | 2,965 | 5.3 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 16,835 | 30.3 | −6.2 | ||
| Turnout | 55,764 | 73.4 | +2.7 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −3.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Heald | 28,949 | 55.4 | +1.9 | |
| Labour | Chris York[30] | 9,869 | 18.9 | +2.5 | |
| UKIP | William Compton[31] | 6,728 | 12.9 | +8.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Joe Jordan[32] | 3,952 | 7.6 | −15.8 | |
| Green | Mario May[33][34] | 2,789 | 5.2 | +3.5 | |
| Majority | 19,080 | 36.5 | +6.4 | ||
| Turnout | 52,500 | 70.7 | +0.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Heald | 26,995 | 53.5 | +6.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Hugh Annand | 11,801 | 23.4 | +2.0 | |
| Labour | David Kirkman | 8,291 | 16.4 | −11.6 | |
| UKIP | Adrianne Smyth | 2,075 | 4.1 | +0.8 | |
| Green | Rosemary Bland | 875 | 1.7 | New | |
| Independent | Richard Campbell | 209 | 0.4 | New | |
| Your Right To Democracy Party Limited | David Ralph | 143 | 0.3 | New | |
| Independent | Philip Reichardt | 36 | 0.1 | New | |
| Majority | 15,194 | 30.1 | +10.8 | ||
| Turnout | 50,425 | 69.8 | +3.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Heald | 22,402 | 47.3 | +3.2 | |
| Labour | Andy Harrop | 13,264 | 28.0 | −8.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Iain Coleman | 10,147 | 21.4 | +4.2 | |
| UKIP | David Hitchman | 1,561 | 3.3 | +1.0 | |
| Majority | 9,138 | 19.3 | +11.6 | ||
| Turnout | 47,374 | 65.6 | +0.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Heald | 19,695 | 44.1 | +2.4 | |
| Labour | Ivan Gibbons | 16,251 | 36.4 | +0.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Alison Kingman | 7,686 | 17.2 | −1.0 | |
| UKIP | Malcolm Virgo | 1,013 | 2.3 | New | |
| Majority | 3,444 | 7.7 | +1.8 | ||
| Turnout | 44,645 | 65.0 | −12.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Heald | 21,712 | 41.7 | ||
| Labour | Ivan Gibbons | 18,624 | 35.8 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Jarvis | 9,493 | 18.2 | ||
| Referendum | Jonathan Grose | 2,166 | 4.2 | ||
| Majority | 3,088 | 5.9 | |||
| Turnout | 51,995 | 77.1 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Note: Although a Conservative win due to the seat being newly created, the winning candidate was the previous MP for North Hertfordshire, which was abolished and largely reformed as North East Hertfordshire.
See also
Notes
- A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- 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.