The placeConstituency · South East · Electorate 76,449 · 2023 boundaries

Maidstone and Malling.

Conservative and Unionist Party MP Helen Grant holds the seat on 30.5% of the vote — a split-council geography across 2 councils.

Member of ParliamentHelen Grant · Conservative and Unionist Party
CouncilsMaidstone · Tonbridge and Malling
Boundary set2023
ONS codeE14001349
Electorate · 2024
76.4k
Registered to vote
2024 GE — winner
30.5%
Conservative and Unionist Party · +3.6pp over Lab
Settlements
5
Largest: Maidstone
Crime · per 1k pop · 3mo
20.3
data.police.uk · 12mo rolling
Dispatch
1 Jun 2026

Grant's most distinctive recent move is backing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill -- twice, at Second and Third Reading in November 2024 and March 2025 -- against her party's majority. Both rebel votes put her on the same side as the Labour government in support of creating a "smokefree generation." Beyond that, she votes with Conservative colleagues almost universally: a 99.3% party-line record, opposing Labour on pension fund investment powers, devolution legislation, and the privilege motion over Keir Starmer's conduct on the Mandelson appointment.

Grant participates in roughly half of all Commons votes -- below the average for most MPs -- but has been consistently active in debate, contributing to 34 debates in recent months across crime, social care, health, and the economy. Her stance profile marks her as strongly opposed to tax increases and in favour of business, parliamentary scrutiny, and tougher sentencing, with almost no alignment on workers' rights or progressive taxation. She deviates most sharply from Conservative colleagues on assisted dying, voting against access where over half her party backed it.

Locally, she has been visible on constituency casework: engaging police over antisocial behaviour at Kings Hill, lobbying planning inspectors against large housing developments her constituents oppose, calling for the removal of a water company CEO over service failures, and pressing Kent County Council on road closures causing gridlock. Coverage across 79 articles over 90 days is largely neutral in tone. She holds no committee seats, so scrutiny of legislation outside the chamber is not a feature of her current role. Speech data runs to March 2026; vote data extends to May 2026.

30.5%
Con vote · 2024 GE
2
Councils overlapping the seat
11
Wards · 27 councillors
§ 01The local picture — wards.11 wards · 27 councillors · 2 councils

Ward-level direction-of-travel: who controls what, who flipped recently, who holds the line. Each ward links to the council that runs it.

WardLatest winnerVotesCouncilLast cycle
Allington Bridge(2 seats)Rodwell · Jeffery1,736Maidstone ConMay 2024
Aylesford North North Downs(3 seats)McDermott · Davis · Dalton2,599Tonbridge and Malling ConMay 2023
Aylesford South Ditton(3 seats)Williams · Cannon · Hammond3,082Tonbridge and Malling ConMay 2023
Barming Heath Teston(2 seats)Sweetman · Gooch1,477Maidstone ConMay 2024
Fant Oakwood(3 seats)Milham · Coates · Harper3,343Maidstone ConMay 2024
Grove Green Vinters Park(3 seats)Naghi · Field · Burke2,670Maidstone ConMay 2024
Kings Hill(3 seats)Brown · Harman · Tanner3,180Tonbridge and Malling ConMay 2023
Palace Wood(2 seats)Forecast · Cannon1,882Maidstone ConMay 2024
Penenden Heath(3 seats)Naghi · Conyard · Harwood3,275Maidstone ConMay 2024
Ringlestone Mike Thompson325Maidstone ConMay 2024
Tovil(2 seats)Higson · Wilby770Maidstone ConMay 2024

Source · Democracy Club · DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

§ 02Settlements.5 named places

The seat’s population is concentrated in Maidstone (76,276), with Larkfield (19,885) as the second pole. Total population across named built-up areas: 110,184.

city 76,276large-town 19,885town 9,515village 4,508

Source · ONS Built-Up Areas · Census 2021

SettlementPop.Class
Maidstone76,276city
Larkfield19,885large town
Kings Hill9,515town
West Malling3,034village
Rural & dispersed1,474village
§ 03Demographics.Census 2021 · vs national avg

Headline indicators.

IndicatorLocalNationalΔ
Employment rate62.5%57.1%+9%
Owner-occupied66.0%63.1%+5%
Private rented20.5%20.0%+3%
Social rented13.5%16.8%-20%

Ethnicity.

White87.8%
Asian5.9%
Black2.3%
Mixed2.6%
Other1.4%

Source · Census 2021

Population by age & sexCensus 2021 · 18 bands · click to expand
Male 49.8% Female 50.2% Median seat
MaleAgeFemale
85+
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
16-19
10-15
5-9
0-4

Source · Census 2021 (ONS) · % of usual residents; tick marks the median seat per band

§ 04Local economy.Income · tax · businesses · schools
Median income
£31,100
HMRC SPI · 2024
Mean income
£40,500
HMRC SPI · 2024
Businesses
4,850
VAT/PAYE-registered
Schools
44
27 primary · 10 secondary
GCSE pass
70.9%
Attainment 8: 50.1

Income tax contribution.

Total income tax£400m
Taxpayers59,000
Median per taxpayer£3,290
Mean per taxpayer£6,790

Source · HMRC SPI · ±8% confidence

Where the money flows back in.

For council finance & suppliers

This constituency is served by Maidstone and Tonbridge and Malling. Each council’s service spend, peer rank and supplier list lives on its own page — open from the meta block above or the compass strip below.

For household tax breakdown

Move the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings — the household lens.

§ 05Recorded crime.data.police.uk · 12-month rolling

Headline rate.

Per 1k pop · 3mo
20.3
-2% vs national
Monthly avg / 1k
6.8
12-month rolling
Top category
Violence & sexual offences
40% of recorded crime

By category.

Violence & sexual offences8.0
Anti-social behaviour3.4
Criminal damage & arson1.9
Other theft1.5
Shoplifting1.5
Vehicle crime0.9
Drugs0.9

Source · data.police.uk · 3-month rate per 1,000 pop

Showing 7 of 15·All 15 categories — full monthly trend & settlement breakdown
§ 06Election history.1 contest · created on 2023 boundaries

2024 — full result.

CandidateVotes%
Helen GrantWONCon14,14630.5
Maureen CleatorLab12,47226.9
Paul ThomasRef9,31620.1
David NaghiLD6,37513.7
Stuart JefferyGrn3,7278.0
Yolande KenwardInd1970.4
Gary ButlerInd1560.3

Turnout 46,389

Prior contests.

Created on the 2023 boundary review. 2024 General Election was the first contest on these boundaries.

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
BoundariesONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundary review
Wards & councilsLGBCE · Democracy Club
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
SettlementsONS Built-Up Areas
Census 2021
DemographicsONS · Nomis · Census 2021
National avg over 575 seats
Income & taxHMRC SPI
±8% confidence
SchoolsDfE · attainment data
Crimedata.police.uk
LSOA-aggregated · rolling 12mo
ElectionsElectoral Commission