| Stevenage | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Type: | County |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
| Electorate: | 70,370 (2023)[1] |
| Region: | England |
| Towns: | Knebworth, Stevenage |
Stevenage is a constituency in Hertfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Kevin Bonavia, a member of the Labour Party.
The main town is known for its fast rail links to London and proximity to Luton Airport which accompanies a few headquarters of global businesses based in the seat. Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 higher than the national average of 3.8%, and eastern regional average of 3.2%, at 4.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[2]
The constituency was created in 1983 primarily from the abolished seat of Hertford and Stevenage. A Southern England new town seat with volatile voting patterns, like its main predecessor, it was a bellwether of the national result; it was Conservative held between 1983 and 1997 until Labour easily gained it, but their winning margin in 2005 was small and the Conservatives gained the seat at the 2010 election, it being their 72nd target. It remained Conservative until 2024 when it was regained by Labour amidst their national landslide victory.
The seat was held for Labour by Barbara Follett who achieved two ministerial roles from 2007 until 2010.
| Dates | Local authority | Maps | Wards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–1997 | Borough of Stevenage District of North Hertfordshire District of East Hertfordshire | Borough of Stevenage; District of North Hertfordshire wards of Codicote and Knebworth; District of East Hertfordshire wards of Cottered, Datchworth, Mundern, Walkern, and Watton-at-Stone.[3] | |
| 1997–2010 | Borough of Stevenage; District of North Hertfordshire wards of Codicote and Knebworth; District of East Hertfordshire wards of Datchworth and Walkern.[4] | ||
| 2010–2024 | Borough of Stevenage; District of North Hertfordshire wards of Codicote and Knebworth; District of East Hertfordshire ward of Datchworth and Aston.[5] | ||
| 2024–present | Borough of Stevenage; District of North Hertfordshire ward of Knebworth and part of the Codicote & Kimpton ward (comprising the parishes of Knebworth and Codicote); Part of the ward of Aston, Datchworth & Walkern in the District of East Hertfordshire, (comprising the parishes of Aston and Datchworth) |
The constituency was formed primarily from the majority of the abolished constituency of Hertford and Stevenage. The wards of Codicote and Knebworth were transferred from the abolished constituency of Hitchin, and the wards of Cottered and Mundern from the abolished constituency of East Hertfordshire.
The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Cottered, Mundern and Watton-at-Stone were transferred to the new constituency of North East Hertfordshire.
Walkern ward transferred to North East Hertfordshire.
The 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structures in place on 1 December 2020, left the boundaries virtually unchanged.[6] However, following local government boundary reviews in East Hertfordshire[7] and North Hertfordshire[8] which came into effect in May 2023 and May 2024 respectively, the constituency now comprises the Borough of Stevenage, as well as the villages of Codicote and Knebworth to the south and Aston and Datchworth to the east.[9]
Hertford & Stevenage prior to 1983
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Tim Wood | Conservative | ||
| 1997 | Barbara Follett | Labour | ||
| 2010 | Stephen McPartland | Conservative | ||
| 2024 | Kevin Bonavia | Labour | ||
| 2005 notional result | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| 17,650 | 43.2 | ||
| 14,161 | 34.6 | ||
| 7,611 | 18.6 | ||
| Others | 1,457 | 3.6 | |
| Turnout | 40,879 | 62.7 | |
| Electorate | 65,206 | ||
| 1992 notional result | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| 24,078 | 43.9 | ||
| 21,159 | 38.6 | ||
| 9,379 | 17.1 | ||
| Others | 220 | 0.4 | |
| Turnout | 54,836 | 81.8 | |
| Electorate | 67,015 | ||
| 1979 notional result[10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| 22,574 | 44.3 | ||
| 21,586 | 42.4 | ||
| 6,228 | 12.2 | ||
| Others | 531 | 1.0 | |
| Turnout | 50,919 | ||
| Electorate | |||
