Battleground Anglia: Basildon and Billericay
The Conservatives won the Basildon and Billericay constituency in Essex at the 2010 Election with a majority of more than 12,000 votes.
Formed from parts of the previously separate Basildon and Billericay seats in Essex, this is very much a constituency of two halves, covering the majority of Billericay in the north and Basildon in the south.
Basildon was designated as a new town in 1949 and grew rapidly with a great deal of investment. It is the commercial centre of south Essex and home to a variety of industries, including engineering, avionics, automotive, distribution and electronics. Ford's Dunton Technical Centre is the largest automotive design and engineering facility in the UK and home to over 5,000 engineers, designers and support staff.
Conservative majority in 2010: 12,338
Labour would need a swing of 15% to win in 2015 and the Lib Dems would need a 18% swing
John Baron has been the Conservative MP for Billericay since 2001. Boundary alterations for the 2010 Election changed the name of the constituency to Basildon and Billericay.
Apart from four years from 1966 until 1970 when Labour won the seat, the Billericay area has been represented by the Conservatives at every election since the Second World War.
The constituency contains eight wards from the Basildon council area. In the most recent council elections in May 2014, UKIP gained the largest share of the vote in Basildon with a 39% share.
Candidates in 2014
John Baron - Conservative
Gavin Callaghan - Labour
George Konstantinidis - UKIP
Martin Thompson - Liberal Democrat