Battleground Anglia: South Holland & The Deepings

The Conservatives won the South Holland & The Deepings constituency in Lincolnshire at the 2010 Election with a majority nearly 22,000. Credit: ITV News Anglia

This flat, largely fenland constituency in south Lincolnshire is one of the most rural areas in Great Britain. It has a short coastline of the southern edge of The Wash. The main industries are agriculturally related: food-processing and road haulage.

The seat is made up of the South Holland District Council area plus the town of Market Deeping from South Kesteven. South Holland has been run by the Tories since 1999 but used to be a strongly independent council.

People in this constituency work the longest hours of any seat in the UK at an average of 40 hours per week.

  • Conservative majority in 2010: 21,880

  • South Holland & The Deepings is the safest seat in the Anglia region and 15th safest seat in the UK.

  • Labour would need a swing of 23% to win in 2015 and the Lib Dems would need a 22% swing

John Hayes has been the Conservative MP for South Holland and the Deepings since the seat was created in boundary changes for the 1997 General Election.

Candidates in 2015

  • John Hayes - Conservative

  • Matthew Mahabadi - Labour

  • David Parsons - UKIP

  • George Smid - Liberal Democrats

  • Dan Wilshire - Green