Election 97

Welwyn Hatfield

Current MP David Evans
Conservative 97 19,341
Labour 97 24,936
LibDem 97 7,161
Nationalist 97 0
Other 97 1,530
Elected party
Welwyn Hatfield

Robert Waller wrote
Old constituency Welwyn Hatfield
Conservative 92 27,139
Labour 92 20,556
LibDem 92 9,147
Nationalist 92 0
Other 92 247
Elected party Conservative

The county of Hertfordshire is in many ways the epitome of modern England. Its population has shown the highest percentage increase over the past 50 years. Alone of all counties, it boasts two garden cities and four New Towns, all examples of the 20th century's ideas of planned urban units. In a sense the constituency of Welwyn Hatfield contains two New Towns and one garden city, for Hatfield is a Reith Committee New Town and Welwyn Garden City also became a government-sponsored New Town after the war, although it began life as Ebenezer Howard's second privately financed garden city, following Letchworth, in 1920.

Both Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield are politically marginal between Labour and Conservative, but the balance is tipped in the Welwyn-Hatfield seat by the extremely affluent surrounding territory, including Old Welwyn and Brookmans Park. Wheathampstead has been transferred to the new Hitchin and Harpenden seat, but Tory MP David Evans retains an effective lead of around 6,500 votes, requiring a 6 per cent swing to Labour for the seat to fall. they may possibly do it; but it would imply a national landslide.


Super Profiles

3,904 10.12 9.03 112
4,601 11.93 11.17 107
4,277 11.09 11.25 99
10,558 27.38 14.70 186
1,620 4.20 10.45 40
270 0.70 2.81 25
2,546 6.60 8.01 82
8,657 22.45 15.25 147
992 2.57 7.13 36
967 2.51 10.17 25