Weald of Kent

2025 parliamentary constituency

Date elected

4th Jul 2024

Place

Constituency history

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

Faversham and Mid Kent

Covered approximately 12% of this new constituency’s population, and 22% of this new constituency’s area.

Maidstone and The Weald

Covered approximately 32% of this new constituency’s population, and 89% of this new constituency’s area.

Ashford

Covered approximately 33% of this new constituency’s population, and 87% of this new constituency’s area.

Folkestone and Hythe

Covered approximately 2% of this new constituency’s population, and 10% of this new constituency’s area.

Constituency age distribution

This area National average
Ages 0 - 15 17.5% 18.3%
Ages 16 - 24 8.3% 10.5%
Ages 25 - 34 9.4% 13.2%
Ages 35 - 49 16.8% 19.1%
Ages 50 - 64 22.7% 19.8%
Ages 65 and over 25.2% 19.1%

Current Industry

This area National average
Agriculture, energy and water 2.1% 1.1%
Construction 5.8% 4.1%
Distribution, hotels and restaurants 7.9% 9.2%
Financial, real estate, professional and administrative activities 9.4% 7.9%
Manufacturing 2.6% 3.5%
Does not apply 53.9% 53.4%
Other 2.2% 2.1%
Public administration, education and health 12.4% 14.3%
Transport and communication 3.7% 4.4%

Current Occupation

This area National average
Administrative and secretarial occupations 4.5% 4.3%
Associate professional and technical occupations 6.2% 6.1%
Caring, leisure and other service occupations 3.4% 4.4%
Elementary occupations 3.4% 4.8%
Managers, directors and senior officials 8.9% 6.0%
Does not apply 53.9% 53.4%
Process, plant and machine operatives 2.3% 3.2%
Professional occupations 8.9% 9.4%
Sales and customer service occupations 2.7% 3.5%
Skilled trades occupations 5.8% 4.8%

Disabled under the Equality Act

16.9%

17.7% national average

Ethnicity

This area National average
Asian / Asian British 1.4% 8.1%
Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups 1.7% 2.8%
Other ethnic groups 0.4% 1.8%
Other White 4.8% 6.3%
White British 91.0% 77.5%

General Health

This area National average
Bad or very bad health 4.5% 5.3%
Fair health 12.6% 12.8%
Very good or good health 83.0% 81.9%

Have missed a bill payment in the last six months

29.4%

31.5% national average

Have missed a credit payment in the last six months

20.8%

23.6% national average

Have missed a rent payment in the last six months

16.9%

19.0% national average

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

37.0%

37.5% national average

Main Language

This area National average
African languages 0.0% 0.3%
Asian languages 0.4% 3.0%
English or Welsh 95.2% 88.9%
European languages (EU) 1.3% 3.8%
Does not apply 2.8% 3.1%
North or South American languages 0% 0.0%
Oceanic or Australian languages 0% 0.0%
Any other languages 0.2% 0.6%
Other European languages (non-EU) 0.1% 0.1%
Any other UK languages 0.0% 0.0%
Sign and supported languages 0.0% 0.0%

Travel to work method

This area National average
Bicycle 0.3% 0.9%
Bus, minibus or coach 0.3% 1.8%
Driving a car or van 23.1% 21.3%
On foot 2.0% 3.5%
Work mainly at or from home 17.4% 14.5%
Underground, metro, light rail, tram 0.0% 0.7%
Motorcycle, scooter or moped 0.1% 0.2%
Not in employment or aged 15 years and under 53.9% 53.4%
Other method of travel to work 0.4% 0.5%
Passenger in a car or van 1.3% 1.8%
Taxi 0.1% 0.3%
Train 1.0% 0.8%

Worried about having to use a foodbank in the next year

26.6%

28.7% national average

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

37.7%

40.0% national average

Country of the UK

England

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

3

2.8 national average

Public opinion

Do you think immigration has generally enriched or undermined society?

This area National average
Enriched 30.2% 37.2%
Neither 13.1% 12.5%
Undermined 56.7% 47.3%

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

This area National average
Expanded 24.6% 34.1%
Neither 11.0% 11.5%
Reduced 64.4% 51.5%

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 42.0% 44.3%
Neither 6.1% 6.0%
Uncomfortable 51.9% 46.8%

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 47.5% 52.5%
Neither 7.1% 7.6%
Uncomfortable 45.4% 37.0%

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

This area National average
Neither 24.5% 21.1%
Oppose 31.9% 17.8%
Support 43.7% 58.2%

Second placed party at most recent election

Labour Party

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 73.0% 72.6%
Net disagree 9% 8.7%
Strongly agree 34% 33.8%
Partly agree 39.1% 38.8%
Neither agree nor disagree 18.3% 18.7%
Partly disagree 6.0% 5.9%
Strongly disagree 2.5% 2.7%

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 59.9% 58.9%
Net disagree 17.8% 17.6%
Strongly agree 23.1% 24.2%
Somewhat agree 37.2% 34.7%
Neither agree nor disagree 22.1% 23.4%
Somewhat disagree 11.2% 10.5%
Strongly disagree 6.2% 7.1%

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

This area National average
Should be a priority 59.2% 57.5%
Should not be a priority 40.8% 42.5%

Neither support nor oppose Net Zero

26%

26.2% national average

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

25.8%

24.3% national average

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

88.7%

84.3% national average

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

59.9%

52.0% national average

Movement

Churches that have declared a climate emergency

0

0.2 national average

Number of RSPB Reserves

1

  • Hibbets Wood

Number of Save the Children shops

0

0.2 national average

Number of Wildlife Trusts Reserves

7

  • Broadham Down
  • Hothfield Heathlands
  • Marden Meadow
  • Quarry Wood
  • Stone Wood
  • Turners Field
  • Wattle Wood