The Cotswolds | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Gloucestershire |
Electorate | 78,439 (December 2010) [1] |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1997 |
Member of Parliament | Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Cirencester and Tewkesbury |
The Cotswolds is a constituency [n 1] in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a Conservative, since its 1997 creation. [n 2]
For the next general election, the seat will be abolished and split into two smaller constituencies: North Cotswolds and South Cotswolds, in order to even up voter numbers relative to other constituencies [2] [3]
Election | Member [4] | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | Conservative | 1992–1997: represented Cirencester and Tewkesbury. |
The Cotswolds is a safe Conservative seat. [5] [6]
The largest town in the constituency is Cirencester, a compact traditional town. Other settlements include Andoversford, Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Campden, Fairford, Lechlade, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury (and the neighbouring village of Doughton, location of Highgrove, the Prince of Wales's estate), and Wotton-under-Edge.
The seat has the highest number of listed buildings of any constituency in Britain. It also contains eight of the 20 most popular attractions in Gloucestershire, including Westonbirt Arboretum, Hidcote Manor, and Chedworth Roman Villa.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 1.6% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . [7]
This was also the constituency that, when declared during the 2015 UK general election, saw the Conservatives win a surprise majority, in which David Cameron was re-elected as prime minister; a hung parliament had been widely expected.
The constituency was created in 1997 as Cotswold, mostly from the former seat of Cirencester and Tewkesbury. In 2010 the name was changed to The Cotswolds to reflect the commonly used name of the area.
2010–present: The District of Cotswold, and the District of Stroud wards of Kingswood, Minchinhampton, and Wotton-under-Edge.
1997–2010: The District of Cotswold, and the District of Stroud ward of Wotton and Kingswood.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be abolished for the next general election, with its contents distributed to two new constituencies: [2] [3]
Wotton-under-Edge will be transferred to Stroud.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | 35,484 | 58.0 | -2.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Liz Webster | 15,270 | 25.0 | +8.7 | |
Labour | Alan MacKenzie | 7,110 | 11.6 | -6.3 | |
Green | Sabrina Poole | 3,312 | 5.4 | +2.5 | |
Majority | 20,214 | 33.0 | -9.3 | ||
Turnout | 61,176 | 74.7 | +0.4 | ||
Registered electors | 81,939 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −5.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | 36,201 | 60.1 | +4.1 | |
Labour | Mark Huband | 10,702 | 17.9 | +8.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Andrew Gant | 9,748 | 16.3 | −2.3 | |
Green | Sabrina Poole | 1,747 | 2.9 | −1.7 | |
UKIP | Chris Harlow | 1,197 | 2.0 | −8.9 | |
Independent | Sandy Steel | 107 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 25,499 | 42.3 | +4.8 | ||
Turnout | 59,702 | 74.2 | +1.8 | ||
Registered electors | 80,449 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | 32,045 | 56.5 | +3.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Paul Hodgkinson [13] | 10,568 | 18.6 | −10.9 | |
UKIP | Chris Harlow | 6,188 | 10.9 | +6.7 | |
Labour | Manjinder Kang | 5,240 | 9.2 | −1.5 | |
Green | Penny Burgess | 2,626 | 4.6 | +2.9 | |
Majority | 21,477 | 37.9 | +14.4 | ||
Turnout | 56,667 | 72.4 | +0.9 | ||
Registered electors | 78,292 | +2.0 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | +7.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | 29,075 | 53.0 | +3.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mike Collins | 16,211 | 29.6 | +1.5 | |
Labour | Mark Dempsey | 5,886 | 10.7 | −7.9 | |
UKIP | Adrian Blake | 2,292 | 4.2 | +1.0 | |
Green | Kevin Lister | 940 | 1.7 | N/A | |
Independent | Alex Steel | 428 | 0.8 | N/A | |
Majority | 12,864 | 23.5 | +2.2 | ||
Turnout | 54,832 | 71.5 | +4.2 | ||
Registered electors | 76,728 | +2.3 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | 23,326 | 49.3 | −1.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Philip Beckerlegge | 13,638 | 28.8 | +4.6 | |
Labour | Mark Dempsey | 8,457 | 17.9 | −4.7 | |
UKIP | Richard Buckley | 1,538 | 3.2 | +0.3 | |
Independent | James Derieg | 392 | 0.8 | N/A | |
Majority | 9,688 | 20.5 | −5.6 | ||
Turnout | 47,351 | 66.7 | −0.8 | ||
Registered electors | 71,039 | +4.2 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | 23,133 | 50.3 | +4.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Angela Lawrence | 11,150 | 24.2 | +1.3 | |
Labour | Richard Wilkins | 10,383 | 22.6 | −0.1 | |
UKIP | Jill Stopps | 1,315 | 2.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 11,983 | 26.1 | +2.7 | ||
Turnout | 45,981 | 67.5 | −8.5 | ||
Registered electors | 68,157 | +1.2 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | 23,698 | 46.4 | −8.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Gayler | 11,733 | 22.9 | −10.4 | |
Labour | David Elwell | 11,608 | 22.7 | +11.8 | |
Referendum | Rupert Lowe | 3,393 | 6.6 | - | |
Green | Valerie Michael | 560 | 1.1 | - | |
Natural Law | Henry Brighouse | 129 | 0.3 | - | |
Majority | 11,965 | 23.4 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 51,121 | 75.9 | −6.5 | ||
Registered electors | 67,333 | +5.9 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
The Cotswolds is a region in central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley, Bath and Evesham Vale.
Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region and range of hills. The council is based in the district's largest town of Cirencester. The district also includes the towns of Chipping Campden, Fairford, Lechlade, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold and Tetbury, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
Sir Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for The Cotswolds since the 1992 general election.
Southampton, Itchen is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Royston Smith, a Conservative member of parliament. Discounting the Speaker returned in the early 1970s in two elections, local voters have elected the MP from only two parties alternately for various periods, with one party reaffiliation (defection) between elections when the Labour Party split in the 1980s.
Rutland and Melton is a county constituency spanning Leicestershire and Rutland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2019 by Alicia Kearns, a Conservative. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.
Plymouth, Sutton was, from 1918 until 2010, a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Cheltenham is a constituency in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1832. As with all constituencies, it elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years. Since 2015, its MP has been Alex Chalk, who was appointed Secretary of State for Justice in 2023.
Forest of Dean is a constituency in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Mark Harper, a Conservative who has served as Secretary of State for Transport since 2022.
Gloucester is a constituency centred on the cathedral city and county town of the same name, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Richard Graham of the Conservative Party.
Kingswood is a constituency in South Gloucestershire. It is currently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Damien Egan of the Labour Party since 2024.
Stroud is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It is held by Siobhan Baillie of the Conservative Party. Formerly a safe Conservative seat, Stroud has been a marginal seat since 1997, changing hands four times in seven elections since then.
Tewkesbury is a constituency in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1997 recreation by Laurence Robertson, a Conservative.
Thornbury and Yate is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2015 election by Luke Hall, a member of the Conservative Party. Encompassing an area to the north-east of Bristol, it is one of three constituencies that make up the South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority Area, along with Filton and Bradley Stoke and Kingswood.
Cirencester and Tewkesbury was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1997 general election when it was partly replaced by the new constituencies of Cotswold and Tewkesbury.
Cirencester was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire. From 1571 until 1885, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Member of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and one member between 1868 and 1885. In 1885 the borough was abolished but the name was transferred to the county constituency in which it stood; this constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election.
North Cotswolds is a newly created constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it will first be contested at the next general election.