Harwich and North Essex covers the north-eastern corner of Essex and is centred on Harwich, Manningtree and a wide area of villages and countryside. Harwich is an important port town on the estuaries of the Stour and Orwell, while Manningtree provides a smaller market and rail centre farther inland. The constituency extends west and south across rural communities near the Suffolk border and toward the Colchester area. Much of the landscape consists of farmland, estuary marshes, woodland and villages. Rail and road routes connect the principal settlements with Colchester, Ipswich and London. The seat therefore combines a working port, commuter towns and an extensive rural and estuarine hinterland.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Harwich and North Essex, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population102,303
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationEast of England
Age profile
0 to 1718.8% · 19,219 people
18 to 247.5% · 7,675 people
25 to 3410.7% · 10,908 people
35 to 4917.1% · 17,521 people
50 to 6421.0% · 21,513 people
65 and over24.9% · 25,467 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
41,996 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners72.3% · 30,362 households
Private renters17.2% · 7,212 households
Social renters10.0% · 4,195 households
Other tenure0.5% · 227 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
41,994 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households30.2% · 12,689 households
Families with dependent children25.5% · 10,689 households
Other single-family households41.0% · 17,206 households
Other household types3.4% · 1,410 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
98,104 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: England & Wales
Day-to-day activities limited a lot7.7% · 7,533 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little11.4% · 11,153 people
Not disabled under the Equality Act81.0% · 79,418 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 1 October 2026
Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership
Signatures in this constituency393
Signatures nationally196,369
Government response published · Debate scheduled for 14 September 2026
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded67
Total awarded£4,828,501
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 25 June 2026
Pedal Foward
The Harwich Festival
£9,114
Sport England · Sport
About this award
This project will continue and expand an inclusive chair-based exercise programme for 100 people in Essex with disabilities, long-term health conditions and people who cannot participate in conventional walking, cycling or aerobics classes. One-hour chair-based exercise sessions will be delivered twice weekly for 12 months, with one session based at a heritage centre and the other session rotating between other local community venues and care homes for people unable to travel. Funding will support instructor, staff, promotion, equipment, refreshment, training and transport costs.
National Lottery grantAwarded 25 June 2026
Essex Central Venue League
Essex Rebels Junior Basketball Club
£9,375
Sport England · Sport
About this award
This project will create two new basketball leagues targeting U16 girls and U11 mixed teams. Funding will specifically support promotion, officials training, facility hire and staff costs.
National Lottery grantAwarded 25 June 2026
Teen Time & SEND Tennis Club – Inclusive Sport Programme
Family Activities Community Engagement Support UK (Facesuk) CIC
£8,060
Sport England · Sport
About this award
This project will deliver tennis to children and young people aged 8 to 25 years, including individuals with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. One teen tennis session and one Special Education Needs and Disabilities Tennis Club session will be delivered weekly, over 12 months. Funds will cover additional project management costs, equipment costs and additional sessional staff and coaching costs.
National Lottery grantAwarded 16 June 2026
Stride in Motion
Elmhope CIC
£11,547
Sport England · Sport
About this award
The project will provide regular activity for young women aged 16-25, predominantly from culturally diverse communities and living in deprived areas of Colchester. Using a combination of dance, low-impact fitness, mindful movement and guided walks, participants will progress from 30-minute sessions to 150+ minutes of weekly physical activity. Sessions will be led by qualified coaches, supported by volunteers. Delivery will also include monthly swimming sessions to build water confidence. Funding will pay for coaching fees, coordination, transport, promotion and venue hire.
National Lottery grantAwarded 20 May 2026
Sundream - R&D
Wise Ram Theatre CIC
£27,158
Arts Council England · Arts
About this award
Sundream - R&D - Theatre - National Lottery Project Grants
62 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
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