Battleground Anglia: Broadland

The Conservatives won the Broadland constituency in Norfolk at the 2010 General Election with a majority of more than 7,000 votes. Credit: Contains OS data © Crown copyright / ITV News Anglia

Broadland is a bit of a misnomer for this constituency as less than half of the area is in the Broads National Park. It stretches from Acle near Gt Yarmouth in the east to well beyond Fakenham in the west. It also takes in northern suburbs of Norwich.

This was a newly named seat in 2010 when Norfolk gained an extra constituency but it is very similar to the old Mid Norfolk seat.

The constituency has incorporated tourist wards such as Reepham, which sits in rural Norfolk and Brundall with its boating industry on the Norfolk Broads. In addition, the wards of Aylsham and Acle are two market towns important for their connections with food processing and food production.

  • Conservative majority in 2010: 7,292

  • Broadland is Lib Dem target number 7 of 64 seats in the Anglia region

  • The Lib Dems would need a swing of 7% to win in 2015 and Labour would need a 16% swing

Norfolk was allocated an additional seat in the boundary changes for the 2010 election and Broadland was a newly named seat. It was however very similar in nature to the old Mid Norfolk seat. The new Mid Norfolk seat was really Norfolk extra constituency.

Keith Simpson has been the Conservative MP for Broadland since 2010 and before that he was the MP for the old Mid Norfolk seat from 1997-2010. One of the region's MEPs, Stuart Agnew, is contesting the seat for UKIP.

The Broadland constituency contains most of the council area of the same name apart from the suburbs around Norwich. Broadland Council has been run by the Conservatives since 1999.

Candidates in 2015

  • Stuart Agnew - UKIP

  • Andrew Boswell - Green

  • Chris Jones - Labour

  • Steve Riley - Liberal Democrats

  • Keith Simpson - Conservative