THE Harwich and North Essex constituency consists of a mix of urban towns and rural villages.

And when the 71,000 voters head to the polls next month, the main issues look set to surround controversial plans for 12,000 homes in Tendring, calls for streetlights to be switched back on and local concerns surrounding the NHS.

Other matters likely to be brought up include capitalising on tourism in Harwich and the state of employment and poverty in some of the areas of the constituency.

Joe Twyman, YouGov’s head of political and social research, has predicted Tory Bernard Jenkin will be safe in his Harwich and North Essex seat.

Mr Twyman said: “You don’t get anymore established than Mr Jenkin.

“The country has seen a huge rise in anti-establishment parties. And yet what impact will they have on Mr Jenkin?

“It is the same up and down the country that because of the voting system and the demographics of the area, he has very little chance of losing his seat.

“He will hold on, despite the growing Ukip support. They will challenge for third or second. But they won’t challenge for the seat.

“And that is what we are going to see across the country.”

The constituency covers Harwich, West Mersea, Brightlingsea, Wivenhoe, Manningtree, Aldham and Chappel.

  • Parliamentary candidates for the Harwich and North Essex seat are Mark Hughes for Ukip, Edward Carlsson Browne for Labour, Dominic Graham for Liberal Democrats, and Bernard Jenkin for Conservatives.