The constituency of Leyton and Wanstead is located in North East London, bordered by the River Lea to the West and the River Roding to the East. It takes in Leyton, Leytonstone, Snaresbrook, Wanstead and the southern tip of Epping Forest.
The Parliamentary seat was created from the former constituencies of Leyton and part of Wanstead and Woodford in 1997. It has an interesting electoral history which you can read about elsewhere on this site.
The constituency straddles the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Redbridge. The Conservatives won control of the London Borough of Redbridge in the 2002 council elections and all six of the seats in the two Redbridge council wards are held by Conservative councillors. Although the Conservatives are the second largest group on Waltham Forest Council, there are currently no Conservative-held council seats in Leyton or Leytonstone. Waltham Forest Council is run by Labour.
The constituency consists of a mixture of rented and owner-occupied properties: neat rows of Victorian terraces and flats in Leyton and Leytonstone; tree-lined streets in Snaresbrook and Wanstead substantially redeveloped after the First World War. This is a London constituency which is notable for its open spaces: from the Hackney marshes to Epping Forest. Other landmarks include Spitalfields Fruit and Vegetable Market; Leyton Orient Football Ground; Whipps Cross Hospital; Christchurch Green; Snaresbrook Crown Court; St Mary’s Church; the Eagle Pub; the Eagle Lake and Wanstead Park.
Famous former residents of Leyton and Leytonstone include Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the film producer, Graham Gooch, the former England Captain; and Sir Derek Jacobi, the actor; notable Wanstead residents include William Penn, the Quaker; Richard Sheridan, the dramatist; and Thomas Hood, the poet.
Throughout this constituency, people are fed up with anti-social behaviour, vandalism and high taxes. We will be working hard to promote Conservative ideas in Waltham Forest, controlled by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, and to show how, in Redbridge, life is better under the Conservatives.
