Hertsmere

MP

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Oliver Dowden

Conservative Party

Data from TheyWorkForYou.

MP contact details

Data from UK Parliament, TheyWorkForYou, and Wikipedia.

Positions and memberships

Stances

Topic	Position
MP stance on greater regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract shale gas	Consistently voted against
MP stance on the preservation of environmental protections after withdrawal from the EU	Almost always voted against
MP stance on improving environmental water quality	Consistently voted against
MP stance on improving air quality	Consistently voted against
MP stance on increasing windfall tax on oil and gas companies	No position
MP stance on higher taxes on plane tickets	No position
MP stance on financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods	Consistently voted against
MP stance on measures to prevent climate change	Generally voted against
MP stance on lower taxes on fuel for motor vehicles	No position
MP stance on improving biodiversity	Consistently voted against

Data from TheyWorkForYou Votes. See this MP’s full voting record on TheyWorkForYou.

Votes and EDMs

Vote	Position
MP vote on Environment Bill	Aye
MP vote on Ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill	No
MP support for Cumbria coal mine court appeal	Did not support
MP support for Accelerating construction work and lower carbon construction vehicles	Did not support
MP support for Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty	Did not support
MP support for Zero carbon homes	Did not support

Data from UK Parliament and TheyWorkForYou. Votes and EDMs selected for indicating support for climate/nature movement. See this MP’s full voting record on TheyWorkForYou.

Written Answers

Department	Topic	Date
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Biofuels: Timber	2025-06-18
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Drax Power Station	2025-06-18
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Biofuels: Subsidies	2025-06-18

Data from TheyWorkForYou. Recent Written Answers to questions submitted by the MP to departments relevant to climate and nature. See this MP’s full record on TheyWorkForYou.

2024 majority

7,992

Data from UK Parliament. This information is provided because in the UK electoral system, political parties and the media will be paying more attention to marginal seats and therefore the voices of the people within them can have greater national impact.

Date elected

7th May 2015

Data from UK Parliament.

2025 Mass Lobby attendance

MP did not attend

More MP data

Place

Constituency history

This constituency was introduced at the July 2024 general election, and replaced the previous three new constituencies:

Broxbourne

Covered approximately 5% of this new constituency’s population, and 23% of this new constituency’s area.

Hertsmere

Covered approximately 93% of this new constituency’s population, and 97% of this new constituency’s area.

Welwyn Hatfield

Covered approximately 0% of this new constituency’s population, and 5% of this new constituency’s area.

Estimated households in fuel poverty

17.4%

17.9% national average

Data from End Fuel Poverty Coalition. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Percentage of households in fuel poverty, including adjustment for Energy Price Guarantee, using National Energy Action base number of households in fuel poverty. Updated July 2023.

Act Now Change Forever constituency briefing

Find out what matters in Hertsmere Download PDF

Prepared by Friends of the Earth, for The Climate Coalition’s 2025 Act Now Change Forever campaign. Updated June 2025.

Housing Tenure

	This area	National average
Owned with a mortgage	33.1%	28.9%
Other tenure	1.1%	1.2%
Owned outright	32.1%	33.3%
Private rented	16.8%	19.9%
Social rented	16.8%	16.8%

Data from ONS (England and Wales) and NISRA (Northern Ireland), collated by House of Commons Library. Updated May 2024.

Mental health has been impacted by the cost of living crisis

33.6%

41.5% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Estimated child poverty

17.6%

29.3% national average

Data from End Child Poverty, based on data from DWP/HMRC. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Percentage of children living in households with a net income (after housing costs) below 60% of the national median. Updated June 2024.

Worried about not being able to pay their energy bills in the next year

55.4%

53.5% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Friends of the Earth ‘State of the Environment’ report

The state of the environment in Hertsmere

From Friends of the Earth. These reports highlight key environmental issues impacting people in this constituency, as well as proposed solutions. Updated August 2023.

Constituency age distribution

	This area	National average
Ages 0 - 15	19.8%	18.3%
Ages 16 - 24	9.4%	10.5%
Ages 25 - 34	11.6%	13.2%
Ages 35 - 49	21.0%	19.1%
Ages 50 - 64	19.7%	19.8%
Ages 65 and over	18.5%	19.1%

Data from ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland), and NISRA (Northern Ireland), collated by House of Commons Library. Updated May 2024.

Constituency Population

106,000

102,977.2 national average

Data from ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland), and NISRA (Northern Ireland), collated by House of Commons Library. Updated May 2024.

Number of onshore windfarms

0.7 national average

Data from Wikipedia. Updated 2024-04-24.

Current Industry

	This area	National average
Agriculture, energy and water	0.6%	1.1%
Construction	4.9%	4.1%
Distribution, hotels and restaurants	8.5%	9.2%
Financial, real estate, professional and administrative activities	11.7%	7.9%
Manufacturing	1.8%	3.5%
Does not apply	51.4%	53.4%
Other	2.5%	2.1%
Public administration, education and health	13.5%	14.3%
Transport and communication	5.1%	4.4%

Data from ONS. Updated May 2024.

Current Occupation

	This area	National average
Administrative and secretarial occupations	5.3%	4.3%
Associate professional and technical occupations	6.8%	6.1%
Caring, leisure and other service occupations	3.9%	4.4%
Elementary occupations	3.4%	4.8%
Managers, directors and senior officials	8.7%	6.0%
Does not apply	51.4%	53.4%
Process, plant and machine operatives	2.4%	3.2%
Professional occupations	11.2%	9.4%
Sales and customer service occupations	2.8%	3.5%
Skilled trades occupations	4.3%	4.8%

Data from ONS. Updated May 2024.

Disabled under the Equality Act

14.1%

17.7% national average

Data from ONS. Updated May 2024.

Ethnicity

	This area	National average
Asian / Asian British	9.6%	8.1%
Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups	3.7%	2.8%
Other ethnic groups	3.9%	1.8%
Other White	14.0%	6.3%
White British	64.0%	77.5%

Data from ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland), and NISRA (Northern Ireland), collated by House of Commons Library. Updated May 2024.

General Health

	This area	National average
Bad or very bad health	3.9%	5.3%
Fair health	10.9%	12.8%
Very good or good health	85.2%	81.9%

Data from ONS. Updated May 2024.

Have missed a bill payment in the last six months

31.2%

31.5% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Have missed a credit payment in the last six months

21.2%

23.6% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Have missed a rent payment in the last six months

17.3%

19.0% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Have not been able to afford to turn the heating on at home when they have felt cold in the past month

35.5%

37.5% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Main Language

	This area	National average
African languages	0.3%	0.3%
Asian languages	2.6%	3.0%
English or Welsh	87.1%	88.9%
European languages (EU)	5.6%	3.8%
Does not apply	3.4%	3.1%
North or South American languages	0%	0.0%
Oceanic or Australian languages	0.0%	0.0%
Any other languages	0.6%	0.6%
Other European languages (non-EU)	0.4%	0.1%
Any other UK languages	0.0%	0.0%
Sign and supported languages	0.0%	0.0%

Data from ONS. Updated May 2024.

Travel to work method

	This area	National average
Bicycle	0.3%	0.9%
Bus, minibus or coach	1.4%	1.8%
Driving a car or van	19.5%	21.3%
On foot	2.6%	3.5%
Work mainly at or from home	19.6%	14.5%
Underground, metro, light rail, tram	1.2%	0.7%
Motorcycle, scooter or moped	0.2%	0.2%
Not in employment or aged 15 years and under	51.4%	53.4%
Other method of travel to work	0.5%	0.5%
Passenger in a car or van	1.2%	1.8%
Taxi	0.2%	0.3%
Train	1.9%	0.8%

Data from ONS. Updated May 2024.

Worried about having to use a foodbank in the next year

26.3%

28.7% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Worried about not being able to afford their mortgage or rent in the next year

38.4%

40.0% national average

Survation 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by 38Degrees. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated March 2023.

Country of the UK

England

Data from mySociety. Updated 2024-04-24.

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

2.8 national average

Data from ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland), and NISRA (Northern Ireland), collated and standardised by mySociety. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Deciles of deprivation, from 1 (most deprived) to 10 (least deprived). This uses a composite measure of deprivation (including income, employment, education, skills, health, crime, and housing) standardised across the countries of the UK.

Coastal constituency

Calculated with coastline data from the University of Exeter, based on the ONS / UK Census Mean High Water boundary. Constituencies touching the sea, or a river estuary more than 1km wide. Updated May 2024.

More place data

Public opinion

Should government policy on climate change be going faster or slower?

	This area	National average
Go faster	52.8%	54.1%
Neither	13.4%	12.0%
Go slower	33.9%	30.9%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Results of last election

Party	Votes
Conservative Party	21451
Labour Party	13459
Reform UK	6584
Liberal Democrats	3710
Green Party	2267
Other	536

Data from UK Parliament. The results of the last parliamentary election held in this constituency Updated 2024-07-29.

EU (Brexit) leave vote percentage

51%

50.5% national average

Data from UK Parliament. Percentage of constituents who voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum Updated February 2017.

Likelihood to take action such as voting for a particular candidate or lobbying an MP to tackle climate change and protect nature

	This area	National average
Net likely	36.9%	39.7%
Net unlikely	29.1%	27.8%
Very likely	11.0%	12.2%
Quite likely	25.9%	27.5%
Neither likely nor unlikely	34.0%	32.5%
Quite unlikely	14.0%	12.6%
Very unlikely	15.1%	15.3%

Focaldata 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by HOPE not hate. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated April 2023.

Should the UK have closer economic ties with the EU, even if that means giving up some sovereignty?

	This area	National average
Closer ties with the EU	50.7%	51.5%
Neither	5.8%	6.1%
No closer with the EU	43.5%	39.5%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Would you support or oppose the building of onshore wind farms in your area?

	This area	National average
Neither	18.4%	18.6%
Oppose	14.0%	12.2%
Support	67.6%	66.3%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Do you think immigration has generally enriched or undermined society?

	This area	National average
Enriched	37.5%	37.2%
Neither	14.0%	12.5%
Undermined	48.5%	47.3%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Should the welfare system be expanded to help more people, or reduced to make benefits harder to get?

	This area	National average
Expanded	29.4%	34.1%
Neither	12.3%	11.5%
Reduced	58.2%	51.5%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Would you be comfortable paying more tax, if it meant more money were invested in public services like the NHS and education?

	This area	National average
Comfortable	43.8%	44.3%
Neither	6.0%	6.0%
Uncomfortable	50.2%	46.8%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Would you be comfortable with government debt going up, provided that money were invested in the economy and local services?

	This area	National average
Comfortable	49.3%	52.5%
Neither	7.6%	7.6%
Uncomfortable	43.2%	37.0%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Would you support or oppose the building of new housing in your area?

	This area	National average
Neither	23.7%	21.1%
Oppose	24.6%	17.8%
Support	51.7%	58.2%

FocalData MRP polling for Persuasion UK. Updated July 2024.

Consider climate change a high priority

53.6 national average

Public First MRP Polling, commissioned by Onward UK, adjusted for the demographics of the local area by mySociety. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Estimated percentage of constituents who consider climate change a high priority. Updated July 2022.

Second placed party at most recent election

Labour Party

Data from UK Parliament. The parliamentary party who came second in this constituency’s most recent election or by-election Updated 2024-07-29.

Loss of nature and destruction of the environment should be one of the most important concerns for the country

	This area	National average
Net agree	72.9%	72.6%
Net disagree	9%	8.7%
Strongly agree	33.9%	33.8%
Partly agree	39.1%	38.8%
Neither agree nor disagree	18.1%	18.7%
Partly disagree	6.9%	5.9%
Strongly disagree	3%	2.7%

Focaldata 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by HOPE not hate. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated April 2023.

Policies for tackling the cost of living crisis should go hand in hand with policies to tackle the climate crisis

	This area	National average
Net agree	58.8%	58.9%
Net disagree	18.1%	17.6%
Strongly agree	24.8%	24.2%
Somewhat agree	34.9%	34.7%
Neither agree nor disagree	22.2%	23.4%
Somewhat disagree	11.0%	10.5%
Strongly disagree	7.1%	7.1%

Focaldata 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by HOPE not hate. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated April 2023.

Tackling climate change should / should not be one of the Government’s biggest priorities right now

	This area	National average
Should be a priority	55.9%	57.5%
Should not be a priority	44.1%	42.5%

Focaldata 2023 MRP polling, commissioned by HOPE not hate. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated April 2023.

Neither support nor oppose Net Zero

26.2 national average

Public First MRP Polling, commissioned by Onward UK, adjusted for the demographics of the local area by mySociety. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Estimated percentage of constituents who neither support nor oppose net zero. Updated July 2022.

Oppose Net Zero

12.4 national average

Support Net Zero

60.4 national average

Support nuclear energy

60.1%

57.4% national average

Survation MRP polling, commissioned by RenewableUK, adjusted for the demographics of the local area by mySociety. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated September 2022.

Support offshore wind

87.1%

85.3% national average

Support renewable energy projects in their local area

87.2%

85.1% national average

Support solar power

90.1%

87.6% national average

Support tidal energy

90.0%

86.0% national average

Support wave energy

89.9%

86.7% national average

Believe that the government should continue the block on onshore wind development

28.7%

24.3% national average

Survation MRP polling, commissioned by RenewableUK. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated September 2022.

Believe that the government should use wind and solar farms to reduce energy bills

88.1%

84.3% national average

Survation MRP polling, commissioned by RenewableUK. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated September 2022.

Believe the government has increased investment in renewables over the past 5 years

58.0%

52.0% national average

Survation MRP polling, commissioned by RenewableUK. This dataset has been automatically converted from 2010 parliamentary constituencies. Updated September 2022.

Predicted winning party at next general election

Conservative Party

	This area	National average
Labour	17%	22.5%
Conservative	34%	20.4%
Liberal Democrat	7%	14.7%
Reform	33%	28.2%
Green	8%	8.1%
Other	1%	4.6%

MRP polling from More in Common. Updated July 2025.

More public opinion data

Movement

Churches that have declared a climate emergency

0.2 national average

Data from Tearfund. Updated July 2023.

Constituents attending 2025 Act Now Change Forever Mass Lobby

7.8 national average

Data collected by The Climate Coalition. Updated July 2025.

Constituents pledged to meet MP as part of Common Grounds 2024

0.7 national average

Data from The Climate Coalition. Updated October 2024.

Friends of the Earth activists

233

302.3 national average

Data from Friends of the Earth. Activists have taken at least one online action for Friends of the Earth in the last 12 months. Updated January 2024.

Friends of the Earth financial supporters

112

122.2 national average

Data from Friends of the Earth. Financial supporters have donated to Friends of the Earth in the last 12 months. Updated January 2024.

Number of Great Big Green Week 2022 events

1.8 national average

Data from The Climate Coalition. Number of Great Big Green Week 2022 events Updated October 2022.

Number of Great Big Green Week 2023 events

2.2 national average

Data from The Climate Coalition. Number of Great Big Green Week 2023 events Updated July 2023.

Number of Great Big Green Week 2024 events

1.9 national average

Data from The Climate Coalition. Number of public Great Big Green week 2024 events held in the area. This exludes any private events that were held. Updated September 2024.