Sittingbourne and Sheppey: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Sittingbourne and Sheppey is represented in the House of Commons by Kevin McKenna (Labour). On 4 July 2024 Kevin McKenna (Labour) won 11,919 votes, 29.1% of the valid vote; Aisha Cuthbert (Conservative) came second with 11,564. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 51.9% (40,998 of 79,067); the winning margin was 355 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
About 116,600 people live in Sittingbourne and Sheppey: the ONS figure for mid-2024 is 116,581. There were more children under 16 (23,510) than residents aged 65 and over (21,206).
In 2024/25, 28.5% of children under 16 in Sittingbourne and Sheppey (6,710) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. Before housing costs the share was 18.5% in 2024/25, from 18.3% in 2021/22.
Sittingbourne and Sheppey counted 44,242 households on Census day 2021; 21.5% of adults were retired and 23.3% of those in work were mostly working from home.
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 75.0% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 8.3 points. The economically inactive share was 23.4%.
4,210 business sites were registered in Sittingbourne and Sheppey in March 2026 (4,110 a year before), and employed 39,000 people in 2024.
Residents of Sittingbourne and Sheppey earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £34,862 for workplace jobs and £38,688 for residents. A year before, the residents' median was £37,056. The residents' figure ranks 296th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Half of the homes sold in the year to March 2026 went for more than £295,000 and half for less. That is up 51% on £194,950 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £300,000, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 271st highest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,384 recorded sales.
In September 2026, 3.8% of 16 to 64 year olds in Sittingbourne and Sheppey were claimants (2,750 people). A year earlier the count was 2,710.
MP
Kevin McKenna, Labour
- MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Kevin McKenna on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Kevin McKenna in Hansard, from 7 September 2026 to 10 September 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 81 spoken contributions by Kevin McKenna since 4 July 2024.
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. Massive congratulations to my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) on securing this very timely debate on a topic that lights up the attention of many Members of this House.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I strongly welcome the statement from the Secretary of State. It is long overdue and builds on great work by her predecessors.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
This summer, along with other Members of this House and the other place, I got to escape the heatwave here and enjoy some blessed relief in the cold weather of the Falklands, where we enjoyed the incredibly warm welcome of the Falkland Islanders.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I commend the Minister for managing to handle two really difficult challenges that are facing the country at the moment. First, the small boats crossings are obviously very concerning to people in Sittingbourne and Sheppey, as they are to many people in Kent.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I very much welcome what the Secretary of State has said from the Dispatch Box today for two reasons.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin McKenna | Labour | 11,919 | 29.1% | +8.2 |
| Aisha Cuthbert | Conservative | 11,564 | 28.2% | −38.3 |
| William Fotheringham-Bray | Reform UK | 10,512 | 25.6% | |
| Mike Baldock | Swale Independents | 3,238 | 7.9% | |
| Sam Banks | Green Party | 1,692 | 4.1% | +1.9 |
| Frances Kneller | Liberal Democrat | 1,321 | 3.2% | −3.1 |
| Matt Brown | Independent | 529 | 1.3% | |
| Mad Mike Young | Official Monster Raving Loony Party | 223 | 0.5% | −0.3 |
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 29.1% | Conservative 28.2% | 355 | 51.9% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 66.5% | Labour 20.9% | 21,337 | 60.9% |
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
Sittingbourne and Sheppey lies within Swale.
- Swale E07000113
Who has power over Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Every body that makes decisions for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, 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 3: Local councils
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Kent County Council county council
- Kent Police police force
- NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board NHS
- South East 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
- Sittingbourne and Sheppey this page: Kevin McKenna (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 Sittingbourne and Sheppey?
UK Parliament lists Kevin McKenna, Labour, as the Member of Parliament for Sittingbourne and Sheppey since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Sittingbourne and Sheppey?
Kevin McKenna (Labour) won with 11,919 votes, a majority of 355, on a turnout of 51.9% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Sittingbourne and Sheppey?
3.8% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 2,750 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Sittingbourne and Sheppey?
The median price paid was £295,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Sittingbourne and Sheppey?
Median full-time pay of residents was £38,688 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Sittingbourne and Sheppey live in low income families?
DWP counts 6,710 (28.5% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Sittingbourne and Sheppey?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 116,581 residents.
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.