BBC Profile:
The legendary and posthumously notorious Tom Driberg, the original 'William Hickey' gossip columnist of the Daily Express, sat as MP for Maldon as an Independent during the Second World War and for Labour from 1945 to 1955.

He was to be the last Labour MP to date for the Maldon seat. In 1983 it became South Colchester and Maldon, and Conservative John Wakeham continued to enjoy five-figure majorities until he stood down to become Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords in 1992. The new MP John Whittingdale experienced a further change to the boundaries in 1995.

The strength of the Conservative position here was highlighted in 1997 when, despite a swing to Labour of 15.6%, Whittingdale was still returned with a majority of 10,000. In 2005 his majority was more than 12,500.

At the election, boundary changes in this new constituency have seen the more urban parts of Chelmsford borough transferred back to the new Chelmsford constituency, and areas north of the Blackwater estuary lost to the new Witham constituency. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.

This Essex constituency is mostly rural or coastal, combining the estuary towns of Maldon and Burnham-on-Crouch with much more sparsely-populated rural areas. It also includes the town of South Woodham Ferrers, previously in the Rayleigh constituency.

Traditional businesses such as agricult

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BBC Profile:
The legendary and posthumously notorious Tom Driberg, the original 'William Hickey' gossip columnist of the Daily Express, sat as MP for Maldon as an Independent during the Second World War and for Labour from 1945 to 1955.

He was to be the last Labour MP to date for the Maldon seat. In 1983 it became South Colchester and Maldon, and Conservative John Wakeham continued to enjoy five-figure majorities until he stood down to become Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords in 1992. The new MP John Whittingdale experienced a further change to the boundaries in 1995.

The strength of the Conservative position here was highlighted in 1997 when, despite a swing to Labour of 15.6%, Whittingdale was still returned with a majority of 10,000. In 2005 his majority was more than 12,500.

At the election, boundary changes in this new constituency have seen the more urban parts of Chelmsford borough transferred back to the new Chelmsford constituency, and areas north of the Blackwater estuary lost to the new Witham constituency. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.

This Essex constituency is mostly rural or coastal, combining the estuary towns of Maldon and Burnham-on-Crouch with much more sparsely-populated rural areas. It also includes the town of South Woodham Ferrers, previously in the Rayleigh constituency.

Traditional businesses such as agriculture, salt-making, barge repairing and oyster-fishing continue along the estuary but tourism plays an important role and the area has begun to attract high-tech industries.

Maldon and Burnham-on-Crouch are major yachting centres.

There are three large secondary schools based in the towns of Maldon, Burnham-on-Crouch and South Woodham Ferrers.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
C 23,889 (56.31%)
Lab 10,258 (24.18%)
LD 6,360 (14.99%)
UKIP 1,917 (4.52%)

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