Editing Sheerness (section)

== Governance ==
Sheerness is in the [[parliamentary constituency]] of [[Sittingbourne and Sheppey (UK Parliament constituency)|Sittingbourne and Sheppey]]. Since the constituency's creation in 1997 until 2010 the [[Member of Parliament]] was [[Derek Wyatt]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Derek Wyatt | publisher = Guardian.co.uk | url = https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/5704/derek-wyatt | access-date = 29 April 2007 | location = London | archive-date = 9 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131209083809/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/5704/derek-wyatt | url-status = live }}</ref> At the 2010 general election, [[Gordon Henderson (politician)|Gordon Henderson]] of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] won the seat. Before 1997, Sheppey and Sittingbourne were part of the constituency of [[Faversham (UK Parliament constituency)|Faversham]]. Sheerness is in the [[Districts of England|local government district]] of [[Borough of Swale|Swale]]. The town is covered by the local government [[Ward (politics)|wards]] of Sheerness, which has three of the forty-seven seats on the Swale Borough Council. At the 2015 local elections, two of those seats were held by the Labour Party and one by UKIP.<ref>{{cite web | title = List Councillors By Ward | publisher = Swale Borough Council | url = http://www.swale.gov.uk/dso/CouncillorsBy.asp?SortOrder=Ward | access-date = 29 March 2007 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927064121/http://www.swale.gov.uk/dso/CouncillorsBy.asp?SortOrder=Ward | archive-date = 27 September 2007 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

Swale Borough Council is responsible for running local services, such as recreation, refuse collection and [[council house|council housing]];<ref name="Swale Borough Council">{{cite web  | title = Swale Borough Council's Expenditure   | publisher = Swale Borough Council | url = http://www.swale.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1551  | access-date = 29 March 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927063908/http://www.swale.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1551 |archive-date = 27 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Kent County Council]] is responsible for education, social services and trading standards.<ref name="Swale Borough Council"/> Both councils are involved in town planning and road maintenance. From 1894 to 1968, Sheerness formed its own local government district, Sheerness Urban District, and lay within the [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of Kent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10135515|title=A vision of Sheerness UD|access-date=17 August 2007|author=A vision of Britain through time|publisher=visionofbritain.org.uk|archive-date=30 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235411/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10135515|url-status=live}}</ref> Over much of the past century, the Labour Party has received the most support in Sheerness, mainly due to the town's industrial nature. As early as 1919, the town had four Labour councillors; Faversham elected its first only in 1948.<ref>{{cite web | title = Faversham Labour Party 1918–1994 | author = Laurence Black | publisher = London Guildhall University | url = http://www.microform.co.uk/guides/R97563.pdf | access-date = 29 March 2007 | archive-date = 26 September 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070926133637/http://www.microform.co.uk/guides/R97563.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clcshe.eclipse.co.uk/|title=Sheppey Access - The Isle of Sheppey Website - Serving Locals and Visitors|author=Wayne Abela|work=eclipse.co.uk|access-date=5 August 2006|archive-date=27 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727090340/http://www.clcshe.eclipse.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>