| Sevenoaks | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1885 |
| Type: | County |
| Electorate: | 73,684 (2023)[1] |
| Region: | England |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
Sevenoaks is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Laura Trott, a Conservative who has served as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury since July 2024. The seat was previously held by Michael Fallon, who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2014 to 2017.
This constituency has existed since the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
With the exception of the one-year Parliament in 1923, the constituency has to date been a Conservative stronghold.
Higher in government in this period was Hilton Young, the Health Secretary between 1931 and 1935. The health portfolio at the time included responsibility for housing, including slum clearance and rehousing. Key items of legislation to which he contributed in this period were: the Town and Country Planning Act (1932) (which applied to all 'developable' land), the Housing Act (1935) (which laid down standards of accommodation)[2] and the Restriction of Ribbon Development Act (1935) (which sought to consolidate urban development and restrict ribbon sprawl along major highways).[3]
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Sevenoaks and Wrotham, and the Rural Districts of Malling and Sevenoaks.
1950–1974: The Urban District of Sevenoaks, and the Rural Districts of Malling and Sevenoaks.
1974–1983: The Urban District of Sevenoaks, the Rural District of Sevenoaks as altered by the Greater London Kent and Surrey Order 1968, and in the Rural District of Dartford the civil parishes of Ash-cum-Ridley, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Horton Kirby, Longfield, Swanley, and West Kingsdown.
1983–1997: The District of Sevenoaks wards of Brasted, Chevening, Crockenhill and Lullingstone, Dunton Green, Eynsford, Farningham, Halstead Knockholt and Badgers Mount, Hextable and Swanley Village, Kemsing, Leigh, Otford, Penshurst and Fordcombe, Riverhead, Seal, Sevenoaks Kippington, Sevenoaks Northern, Sevenoaks Town and St John's, Sevenoaks Weald and Underriver, Sevenoaks Wildernesse, Shoreham, Somerdon, Sundridge and Ide Hill, Swanley Christchurch, Swanley St Mary's, Swanley White Oak, Westerham and Crockham, and West Kingsdown.
1997–2010: The District of Sevenoaks wards of Ash-cum-Ridley, Brasted, Chevening, Crockenhill and Lullingstone, Dunton Green, Eynsford, Farningham, Halstead Knockholt and Badgers Mount, Hextable and Swanley Village, Kemsing, Otford, Riverhead, Seal, Sevenoaks Kippington, Sevenoaks Northern, Sevenoaks Town and St John's, Sevenoaks Weald and Underriver, Sevenoaks Wildernesse, Shoreham, Sundridge and Ide Hill, Swanley Christchurch, Swanley St Mary's, Swanley White Oak, Westerham and Crockham, and West Kingsdown.
2010–2024: The District of Sevenoaks wards of Ash, Brasted, Chevening and Sundridge, Crockenhill and Well Hill, Dunton Green and Riverhead, Eynsford, Farningham, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Fawkham and West Kingsdown, Halstead, Knockholt and Badgers Mount, Hextable, Kemsing, Otford and Shoreham, Seal and Weald, Sevenoaks Eastern, Sevenoaks Kippington, Sevenoaks Northern, Sevenoaks Town and St John's, Swanley Christchurch and Swanley Village, Swanley St Mary's, Swanley White Oak, and Westerham and Crockham Hill.
2024–present: The Borough of Dartford ward of Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley, and the District of Sevenoaks wards of: Brasted, Chevening & Sundridge; Crockenhill and Well Hill; Dunton Green and Riverhead; Eynsford; Farningham, Horton Kirby and South Darenth; Fawkham and West Kingsdown; Halstead, Knockholt and Badgers Mount; Hextable; Kemsing; Otford and Shoreham; Seal & Weald; Sevenoaks Eastern; Sevenoaks Kippington; Sevenoaks Northern; Sevenoaks Town and St. John’s; Swanley Christchurch and Swanley Village; Swanley St. Mary’s; Swanley White Oak; Westerham and Crockham Hill.[4]
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the changes in constituency described as following:
Minor changes, with the addition of the Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley ward from Dartford being offset by the transfer of the Ash & New Ash Green ward to the re-established constituency of Tonbridge.
The seat is in mainstay London Commuter Belt territory, which supports a relatively high-income local economy with retail and self-employed trades principally benefiting. Sevenoaks constituency covers the towns of Sevenoaks and Swanley in Kent and some of the surrounding area. The Conservatives currently hold a majority in the District, but all the councillors for Sevenoaks Town wards are Liberal Democrats who also have a majority in the wards of Brasted, Chevening and Sundridge, and hold Leigh and Chiddingstone Causeway and Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone. There are also three independent councillors and four Green Party councillors (New Ash Green and Eynsford).[5]
Electoral Calculus categorises the seat as being part of the “Strong Right” demographic, those who have fiscally conservative views on the economy but are also fairly nationalist and socially conservative, alongside strong support for Brexit. Additionally, the gross household income is £53,612 whilst the average house price is £567,313.[9]
West Kent prior to 1885
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Charles Mills | Conservative | ||
| 1892 | Henry Forster | Conservative | ||
| 1918 | Sir Thomas Bennett | Coalition Conservative | ||
| 1923 | Ronald Williams | Liberal | ||
| 1924 | Walter Styles | Conservative | ||
| 1929 | Sir Hilton Young | Conservative | ||
| 1935 | Sir Charles Ponsonby | Conservative | ||
| 1950 | Sir John Rodgers | Conservative | ||
| 1979 | Mark Wolfson | Conservative | ||
| 1997 | Sir Michael Fallon | Conservative | ||
| 2019 | Laura Trott | Conservative | ||
| 2019 notional result[10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| 31,780 | 61.7 | ||
| 9,987 | 19.4 | ||
| 6,958 | 13.5 | ||
| 1,773 | 3.4 | ||
| Others | 990 | 1.9 | |
| Turnout | 51,488 | 69.9 | |
| Electorate | 73,684 | ||
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;