Lab took this seat from Con after 3 consecutive elections.
Lauren Edwards
Labour PartyLauren Edwards is the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
A vote on whether to allow a Bill to be introduced that would replace the current first-past-the-post voting system with proportional representation (specifically single transferable vote) for UK parliamentary and English local government elections. The Bill was proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, arguing the current system produces large parliamentary majorities on small vote shares.
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Sign up freeCoverage of Rochester and Strood has been mixed for Lauren across 40 recent articles.
Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Rochester, Hoo St Werburgh and Gillingham (Medway). Population 100,140.
Update to new homes plan and HMO submission among latest planning bids
Kent Online · 9 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£29,500
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£36,700
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
4,370
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
47
31 primary, 6 secondary, 10 other
Total Income Tax▼
£293m
from 55,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£3,020
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£5,370
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
53.6
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
74.5%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
2 citys, 1 large town, 1 town, 9 villages, rural areas — 103,047 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
31 councillors across 12 wards · Last elections: May 2023
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Saints | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Chris Spalding | May 2023 |
| Chatham Central Brompton | Labour Party | Damola Animashaun | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Nina Gurung | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Vince Maple | May 2023 | |
| Cuxton Halling Riverside | Conservative and Unionist Party | Matt Fearn | May 2023 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Phil Filmer | May 2023 | |
| Fort Pitt | Labour Party | Gareth Myton | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Harinder Mahil | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Smitha Campbell | May 2023 | |
| Gillingham North | Labour Party | Adam Price | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Douglas Kudakwashe Hamandishe | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Lia Mandaracas | May 2023 | |
| Hoo St Werburgh High Halstow | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | George Josiah Thomas Crozer | May 2023 |
| Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Michael Ian Pearce | May 2023 | |
| Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Ron Sands | May 2023 | |
| Rochester East Warren Wood | Labour Party | Lauren Edwards | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Teresa Margaret Murray | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Tris Osborne | May 2023 | |
| Rochester West Borstal | Labour Party | Alex Paterson | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Linda Jill Bowen | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Paula Wilhelmina Hamilton | May 2023 | |
| St Marys Island | Conservative and Unionist Party | Habib Tejan | May 2023 |
| Strood North Frindsbury | Labour Party | David Peter Field | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Stephen Hubbard | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Zoe Van Dyke | May 2023 | |
| Strood Rural | Conservative and Unionist Party | Elizabeth Turpin | May 2023 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Gary Etheridge | May 2023 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | John Williams | May 2023 | |
| Strood West | Labour Party | Mark Jones | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Satinder Singh Shokar | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Sharon Leigh Jackson | May 2023 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 15,403 | 36.2% | |
Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 12,473 | 29.3% |
| Ref | 9,966 | 23.4% | |
| Green | 2,427 | 5.7% | |
| LD | 1,894 | 4.5% | |
| WPB | 245 | 0.6% | |
| Ind | 190 | 0.5% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 31,151 | 60.0% |
| Lab | 14,079 | 27.1% | |
| LD | 3,717 | 7.2% | |
| Green | 1,312 | 2.5% | |
| Ind | 1,080 | 2.1% | |
| Ind | 587 | 1.1% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 29,232 | 54.4% |
| Lab | 19,382 | 36.0% | |
| Ind | 2,893 | 5.4% | |
| LD | 1,189 | 2.2% | |
| Green | 781 | 1.4% | |
| Ind | 163 | 0.3% | |
| Ind | 129 | 0.2% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GE | Con | 23,142 | 44.1% |
Won Rochester and Strood By-electionWon 2010 GE | Ind | 16,009 | 30.5% |
Won 2024 GE | Lab | 10,396 | 19.8% |
| Green | 1,516 | 2.9% | |
| LD | 1,251 | 2.4% | |
| Ind | 202 | 0.4% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2010 GE | Ind | 16,867 | 42.1% |
Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 13,947 | 34.8% |
Won 2024 GE | Lab | 6,713 | 16.8% |
| Green | 1,692 | 4.2% | |
| LD | 349 | 0.9% | |
| Ind | 151 | 0.4% | |
| Ind | 69 | 0.2% | |
| Ind | 69 | 0.2% | |
| Ind | 56 | 0.1% | |
| Ind | 54 | 0.1% | |
| Ind | 43 | 0.1% | |
| Ind | 33 | 0.1% | |
| Ind | 22 | 0.1% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won Rochester and Strood By-election | Con | 23,604 | 49.2% |
| Lab | 13,651 | 28.5% | |
| LD | 7,800 | 16.3% | |
| Ind | 2,182 | 4.5% | |
| Green | 734 | 1.5% |
Lauren Edwards has not appeared in national political news coverage tracked by our system. This is common for backbench MPs who focus on constituency-level work rather than national policy debates.
13 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
A roundup of recent planning applications submitted to Medway Council, including a 66-home development in Rainham with 25% affordable housing, HMO conversions, listed building repairs, and various household extensions across Rochester, Strood, Gillingham, and surrounding areas.
Drone images reveal the cleared site of a former Tesco and GoOutdoors store in Chatham town centre, where 319 new flats are planned to be built by Arpenteur Nightingale Ltd. The development, unanimously approved by Medway Council in June 2025, aims to regenerate the centre with five blocks ranging from 5-7 storeys, mixed housing types, and ground-floor commercial spaces.
The Everclear alternative rock band will perform at Rochester Opera House on July 26, with doors opening at 6 p.m. The venue has also announced several other upcoming events including tribute bands, a musical, and a comic book festival throughout spring and summer.
The Met Office has issued a weather forecast identifying Rochester as one of the UK areas expecting a 'mini heatwave' with temperatures reaching 21C on Wednesday, 8 April, before cooling to 13C by the weekend. The forecast details regional variations across the UK, with the warmest conditions concentrated in the South East and East of England.
Spembly Works, a derelict former factory in Chatham that has been empty and deteriorating for over eight years, is finally being resolved through a legal vesting order. A new investor has been found who plans to demolish the structure and replace it with 75 new apartments, ending years of legal disputes and transforming an eyesore into housing development.
A feature on Josh and Rachael Harcourt, Rochester-based social media influencers behind the 'Love Food Eat More' food blog, who have gained nearly 30,000 followers by reviewing Kent restaurants with a focus on accessibility for disabled people. The couple, who live in City Way, Rochester, have reviewed over 1,000 venues across Kent and are recognised for highlighting accessibility issues at independent businesses.
A 40-year-old Chatham woman, Michelle Sutcliffe, has been jailed for over two years after deliberately setting fire to rubbish beneath Carton House flats on New Road in December 2025, damaging vehicles and causing panic among residents. The incident highlights serious safety risks in the constituency's residential areas and the successful police response in identifying and prosecuting the offender.
A 40-year-old Chatham woman was jailed for two years and two months after deliberately starting a rubbish fire beneath a block of flats on New Road in December, causing multiple vehicles to catch fire and alarming residents. The case demonstrates successful crime prevention through CCTV identification and prosecution of a dangerous arson attack.
A campaign has been launched by the Snodland Historical Society to restore the deteriorating gravestone of Thomas Fletcher Waghorn, a Chatham-born naval officer who pioneered a postal route to India. The society has raised £500 from Waghorn's descendants in Australia and aims to raise £1,000 total to restore his monument at All Saints Church in Snodland.
Rochester Cathedral's historic choral tradition is featured in a story about English cathedral choirs seeking cultural heritage protection and funding to preserve their 500-year-old tradition of Choral Evensong. The article highlights how Rochester's music director Adrian Bawtree and others are working to keep the tradition alive amid declining church attendance and tight funding.
A Chatham resident was fined over £1,300 after being caught illegally transporting scrap metal without proper licensing in a joint operation by police and Medway Council in September 2024. The case highlights local enforcement efforts against rogue waste carriers operating in the Medway area.
A police welfare incident on the M2 between junctions 2 and 3 (near Strood/Rochester) caused temporary traffic delays in both directions around midday. The person involved was safely escorted to officers, and traffic has since been released.
A serious police incident on the M2 Medway Viaduct between Junctions 2 and 3 (near Strood/Rochester and Chatham) caused both directions to be closed, resulting in significant traffic congestion and two-mile queues. The incident occurred at midday and disrupted travel for constituents in the Rochester and Strood area.
Former Rochester schools superintendent Annia Azarloza has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the City of Rochester, which claims her social media statements and legal actions breached a settlement agreement that required her silence on school district matters. The case centers on whether Azarloza violated confidentiality terms by speaking publicly about the school department, the school board, and her departure after receiving $170,000 in severance pay.
Kent Police is appealing for public assistance in locating 16-year-old Kegan Clark-Ferrera, who went missing from Rochester in the early hours of 31 March 2026. The force has issued a description and contact details for anyone with information about his whereabouts.
A developer has submitted plans to Medway Council for a five-storey health centre in Strood, offering GP and pharmacy services on a derelict site. This comes after Strood was promised a healthy living centre in 2017, but funding was redirected to Chatham instead.
A 16-year-old boy, Kegan Clark Ferrera, has gone missing in Rochester and police are appealing for public help to locate him. The article provides a physical description and details of his last sighting to aid the search.
Two men have been charged with burglary at a post office in Goudhurst, plus two additional burglaries in Gillingham and Chatham. Both pleaded guilty at Medway Magistrates' Court and will face sentencing at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court in May.
This is an informational government webpage detailing visitor procedures, contact methods, and facilities at HMP Rochester prison located in Rochester and Strood. The article contains practical guidance for families and friends visiting prisoners.
Two men and a youth have been charged with aggravated assault following a violent incident in Chatham where a man sustained multiple stab wounds. The victim was treated at London Health Sciences Centre and remains in fair condition.
A local citizen group held an anti-war protest in Chatham, focusing on awareness of conflicts involving the United States and Israel, with participants carrying flags from Palestine, Lebanon, Cuba, and Spain.
A 35-year-old man was sentenced to 17 years for causing a fatal high-speed crash in Rochester that killed two men. The driver was speeding at 77mph in a 30mph zone while drunk and initially tried to evade responsibility, highlighting serious road safety concerns in the area.
Moses Itauma, a 21-year-old boxer from Chatham in the Rochester and Strood constituency, defeated American Jermaine Franklin with a devastating fifth-round knockout at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. Itauma's promoter Frank Warren expressed confidence that the rising heavyweight will fight for a world title later this year, positioning him as one of Britain's most exciting boxing prospects.
Medway Council has announced plans for dual licensing schemes covering 52% of the borough's private rental stock, targeting HMOs and seven specific wards with selective licensing. The council cited evidence of high hazard rates (23% of HMOs have serious hazards, double the national average) and tenant complaints as justification, with fees set at £840 for selective licensing and £1,600 for HMO additional licensing.
Mountbatten House in Chatham is nearing completion as a landmark housing development with 164 flats, including 56 shared-ownership properties. The project is part of Medway Council's broader regeneration scheme for Chatham town centre and is due to launch later this year.
Medway Council is launching two licensing schemes to regulate problem rental properties, with an additional scheme covering six wards (including Strood North & Frindsbury in Rochester and Strood) and a selective scheme covering seven wards. The council reports that 23% of HMOs have serious hazards—more than double the national average—driven by poor management and high tenant complaints.
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