Isle of Sheppey Isle of Sheppey The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. "Sheppey" is derived from Old English "Sceapig", meaning "Sheep Island". Today's island was historically known as the "Isles of Sheppey" which were Sheppey itself, the Isle of Harty to the south east and the Isle of Elmley to the south west. Over time the channels between the islands have silted up to make one continuous island. Sheppey, like
Sittingbourne and Sheppey (UK Parliament constituency) Sheppey Central, Teynham and Lynsted, West Downs, and Woodstock. The constituency was created in 1997, mostly from the former seat of Faversham. It covers some of the district of Swale, including Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey. (On Sheppey is Queenborough which was a borough constituency until abolition as a rotten borough in 1832.) The constituency has been a bellwether of the national result since its 1997 creation. Unemployment claimant levels in November 2012 were close to the national average (3.8%) at 4.5%, in line with Cleethorpes, Thurrock, Hammersmith and Meriden. Sittingbourne and Sheppey (UK Parliament constituency) Sittingbourne and Sheppey