North Swindon (UK Parliament constituency)

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North Swindon
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of North Swindon in Wiltshire
Outline map
Location of Wiltshire within England
CountyWiltshire
Electorate79,488 (December 2010)[1]
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentJustin Tomlinson (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromSwindon

North Swindon is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Justin Tomlinson, a Conservative.[n 2]

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be formally renamed Swindon North, to be first contested at the next general election.[2]

History[edit]

North Swindon was created in 1997 and has been a bellwether since then. However, during the 2010s, the Conservatives won the constituency by much higher numbers than their national popular vote margin.

Boundaries[edit]

Map
Map of current boundaries

1997–2010: The Borough of Thamesdown wards of Blunsdon, Covingham, Gorse Hill, Haydon Wick, Highworth, Moredon, St Margaret, St Philip, Western, and Whitworth, and the District of North Wiltshire ward of Cricklade.

2010–present: The Borough of Swindon wards of Abbey Meads, Blunsdon and Highworth, Covingham and Nythe, Gorse Hill and Pinehurst, Haydon Wick, Moredon, Penhill, St Margaret, St Philip, and Western.

The seat's boundaries encompass an area that before its creation made up parts of the former Swindon constituency and pre-1997 versions of North Wiltshire and Devizes. In the 2010 boundary changes, the town of Cricklade became part of the North Wiltshire constituency while this seat acquired parts of the South Swindon constituency.

Proposed[edit]

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The Borough of Swindon wards of: Blunsdon and Highworth; Gorse Hill and Pinehurst; Haydon Wick; Penhill and Upper Stratton; Priory Vale; Rodbourne Cheney; St. Andrews; St. Margaret and South Marston.[3]

In order to bring the electorate within the permitted range and align with revised ward boundaries, the districts of Covingham and Nythe will be transferred to Swindon South.

Constituency profile[edit]

The constituency covers a northern part of central Swindon and its northern suburbs, and extends northward to take in Blunsdon, the market town of Highworth and the rural parishes surrounding that town.

North Swindon has an electorate of 79,488 (as of 2010), the majority of whom live in the suburbs or close to Swindon's town centre. In 2001, 52.9% of homes were into the categories of semi-detached or detached in the Swindon Local Authority area; after a 5.0% increase in flats/apartments in 2011, this figure had fallen slightly to 50.3%. In the same period, those registered unemployed rose from 2.5% to 4.2% and those self-employed rose from 6.2% to 7.8%.[4] In 2010, the unemployment rate for Swindon South was 2.6%, compared to 3.5% in Swindon North. This is one indicator of social deprivation and compares to a rate of 11.0% in 2010 in Birmingham Ladywood, the constituency with the highest rate nationally.[5]

Members of Parliament[edit]

Election Member[6] Party
1997 Michael Wills Labour
2010 Justin Tomlinson Conservative

Elections[edit]

Elections in the 2020s[edit]

Next general election: Swindon North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Andy Bentley[7]
Reform UK Yvette Maxwell-Darkes[8]
Labour Will Stone[9]
Majority
Turnout

Elections in the 2010s[edit]

General election 2019: North Swindon[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 32,584 59.1 Increase5.5
Labour Kate Linnegar 16,413 29.8 Decrease8.6
Liberal Democrats Katie Critchlow 4,408 8.0 Increase4.4
Green Andy Bentley 1,710 3.1 Increase1.5
Majority 16,171 29.3 Increase14.1
Turnout 55,115 66.9 Decrease1.6
Conservative hold Swing Increase7.1
General election 2017: North Swindon[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 29,431 53.6 Increase3.3
Labour Mark Dempsey 21,096 38.4 Increase10.6
Liberal Democrats Liz Webster 1,962 3.6 Increase0.3
UKIP Steve Halden 1,564 2.8 Decrease12.5
Green Andy Bentley 858 1.6 Decrease1.7
Majority 8,335 15.2 Decrease7.3
Turnout 54,911 68.5 Increase4.0
Conservative hold Swing Decrease3.65
General election 2015: North Swindon[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 26,295 50.3 Increase5.7
Labour Mark Dempsey [14] 14,509 27.8 Decrease2.7
UKIP James Faulkner[15] 8,011 15.3 Increase11.6
Green Poppy Hebden-Leeder 1,723 3.3 Increase2.3
Liberal Democrats Janet Ellard[16] 1,704 3.3 Decrease13.9
Majority 11,786 22.5 Increase8.4
Turnout 52,242 64.5 Increase0.3
Conservative hold Swing Increase4.3
General election 2010: North Swindon[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 22,408 44.6 Increase5.7
Labour Victor Agarwal 15,348 30.5 Decrease14.6
Liberal Democrats Jane Lock 8,668 17.2 Increase4.4
UKIP Stephen Halden 1,842 3.7 Increase1.4
BNP Reg Bates 1,542 3.1 New
Green Bill Hughes 487 1.0 New
Majority 7,060 14.1 N/A
Turnout 50,295 64.2 Increase3.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing Increase10.1

Elections in the 2000s[edit]

General election 2005: North Swindon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Wills 19,612 43.7 Decrease9.2
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 17,041 38.0 Increase4.3
Liberal Democrats Mike Evemy 6,831 15.2 Increase3.6
UKIP Robert Tingey 998 2.2 Increase0.3
Socialist Unity Andy Newman 208 0.5 New
Independent Ernest Reynolds 195 0.4 New
Majority 2,571 5.7 Decrease13.5
Turnout 44,885 61.0 Steady0.0
Labour hold Swing Decrease6.7
General election 2001: North Swindon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Wills 22,371 52.9 Increase3.1
Conservative Nick Martin 14,266 33.7 Decrease0.1
Liberal Democrats David Nation 4,891 11.6 Decrease1.3
UKIP Brian Lloyd 800 1.9 New
Majority 8,105 19.2 Increase3.2
Turnout 42,328 61.0 Decrease12.7
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s[edit]

General election 1997: North Swindon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Wills 24,029 49.8
Conservative Guy Opperman 16,341 33.8
Liberal Democrats Mike Evemy 6,237 12.9
Referendum Gillian Goldsmith 1,533 3.2
Natural Law Alexander Fisken 130 0.3
Majority 7,688 16.0
Turnout 48,270 73.66
Labour win (new seat)

Neighbouring constituencies[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  3. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
  4. ^ "2011 census interactive maps". Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Unemployment claimants by constituency", The Guardian, 17 November 2010
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
  7. ^ "Stand at the next general election". South West Green Party. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Swindon North Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Labour selections: parliamentary candidates selected so far for the general election". LabourList. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  10. ^ Council, Swindon Borough. "Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations North Swindon | Swindon Borough Council". www.swindon.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  11. ^ "ELECTION 2017: Labour choose North Swindon candidate". Swindon Advertiser.
  12. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Swindon North parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News.
  14. ^ "CLLR Mark Dempsey – PPC for North Swindon | North Swindon Labour". Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  15. ^ "Swindon UKIP Branch".
  16. ^ "General Election 2015 Candidates - Liberal Democrats". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Election 2010 - Constituency - Swindon North". BBC News.