Hitchin: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Hitchin is represented in the House of Commons by Alistair Strathern (Labour). Alistair Strathern took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 23,067 votes (43.9%), ahead of Bim Afolami (Conservative) on 14,958. 52,510 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 75,877, 69.2% of those registered. The majority was 8,109.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set Hitchin apart: the 39th highest employment rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (84.2%), and the 59th highest median full-time pay for jobs based here of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£43,419 a year).
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 84.2% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 6.3 points. 14.5% were economically inactive.
3,126 children in Hitchin were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 14.7% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 8.7% in 2021/22 to 9.1% in 2024/25.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £43,419 for jobs in Hitchin and £45,551 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £46,104. The residents' figure ranks 90th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The median price paid for a home was £415,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £298,127. The highest March-year median in the series was £430,000, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 123rd highest of 575 constituencies. 1,348 sales were registered in the period, against 1,931 in the year to March 2025.
At the 2021 Census there were 40,758 households and 434.7 residents per square kilometre; 42.2% of workers mainly worked from home and 20.7% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
The ONS estimates 105,041 people lived in Hitchin in mid-2024, up 12.3% on 2014. There were more children under 16 (21,199) than residents aged 65 and over (18,577).
Workplaces in Hitchin accounted for 32,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 4,905 local units for March 2026.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 1,425, or 2.2% of the working-age population. September 2025 had 1,350.
MP
Alistair Strathern, Labour
- MP for Hitchin since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 19 October 2023
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Alistair Strathern on this site
In Parliament
What Alistair Strathern said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 15 October 2026 to 26 October 2026). Hansard search returns 218 spoken contributions by Alistair Strathern since 4 July 2024.
We inherited a situation in which gangs were profiting from our out-of-control borders and hotel operators were ripping us off, making the most of a backlog that had built up far too high. We have taken some welcome steps, but it is clear that more needs to be done.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I echo the hon. Gentleman’s praise for the former Prime Minister’s tireless campaigning on this issue.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank my hon. Friend for being such a powerful champion for kinship carers across the country.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I think most of us or our friends and family will be familiar with the really personal, emotional, financial and, frankly, human cost of our broken system.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the much-loved Next Page Books in Hitchin to learn more about its “Ask Me What I’m Reading” campaign, which is getting people right across the town talking about the joy of a good book.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 27 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alistair Strathern | Labour | 23,067 | 43.9% | +17.7 |
| Bim Afolami | Conservative | 14,958 | 28.5% | −18.5 |
| Charles Bunker | Reform UK | 6,760 | 12.9% | |
| Chris Lucas | Liberal Democrat | 4,913 | 9.4% | −14.3 |
| Will Lavin | Green Party | 2,631 | 5.0% | +3.5 |
| Sid Cordle | Christian Peoples Alliance | 181 | 0.3% | −0.2 |
Result summary as published: Lab gain from Con. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 43.9% | Conservative 28.5% | 8,109 | 69.2% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 47.0% | Labour 26.2% | 11,264 | 75.0% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Hitchin covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- North Hertfordshire E07000099
- Central Bedfordshire E06000056
Who has power over Hitchin
Every body that makes decisions for Hitchin, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Hertfordshire County Council county council
- Hertfordshire Constabulary police force
- Bedfordshire Police police force
- NHS Central East Integrated Care Board NHS
- East of England in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Hitchin this page: Alistair Strathern (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Hitchin?
Alistair Strathern (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Hitchin?
The House of Commons Library records 23,067 votes for Alistair Strathern of Labour and a majority of 8,109; 69.2% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Hitchin?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 1,425, 2.2% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Hitchin?
£415,000: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Hitchin?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £45,551 (April 2025).
How many children in Hitchin live in low income families?
3,126 children under 16, 14.7%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Hitchin?
105,041 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.