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The Cotswolds (UK Parliament constituency)

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The Cotswolds was a constituency[n 1] in Gloucestershire in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a Conservative, since its 1997 creation.[n 2]

The Cotswolds
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of The Cotswolds in Gloucestershire for the 2010 general election
Outline map
Location of Gloucestershire within England
CountyGloucestershire
Electorate78,439 (December 2010)[1]
1997–2024
SeatsOne
Created fromCirencester and Tewkesbury
Replaced byNorth Cotswolds, South Cotswolds

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. It was split into two smaller constituencies: North Cotswolds and South Cotswolds, to even up voter numbers relative to other constituencies.[2][3]

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[4] Party
1997 Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Conservative 1992–1997: represented Cirencester and Tewkesbury.

Constituency profile

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The Cotswolds was a safe Conservative seat.[5][6]

The largest town in the constituency was Cirencester, a compact traditional town. Other settlements included 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 had the highest number of listed buildings of any constituency in Britain.[citation needed] It also contained 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.

Boundaries

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Map of boundaries 2010-2024

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.

1997–2010: The District of Cotswold, and the District of Stroud ward of Wotton and Kingswood.

2010–2024: The District of Cotswold, and the District of Stroud wards of Kingswood, Minchinhampton, and Wotton-under-Edge.

Abolition

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Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished prior to the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed to two new constituencies:[2][3]

Wotton-under-Edge will be transferred to Stroud.

Elections

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Elections in the 2010s

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2019 general election: The Cotswolds[8]
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
2017 general election: The Cotswolds[9][10]
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
2015 general election: The Cotswolds[11][12]
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
2010 general election: The Cotswolds[14][15] [16]
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

Elections in the 2000s

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2005 general election: Cotswold[17]
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
2001 general election: Cotswold[18]
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

Elections in the 1990s

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1997 general election: Cotswold[19][20]
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)

See also

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Notes

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  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

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  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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "Cotswolds constituency split will create a 'mish-mash'". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
  5. ^ Waller, Robert; Criddle, Byron (2007). The Almanac of British Politics. Taylor & Francis. pp. 320–321. ISBN 9780415378246.
  6. ^ Port, Samuel (13 December 2019). "The priorities for newly re-elected Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown". GloucestershireLive. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  7. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  8. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Cotswolds, The parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News.
  10. ^ "Declaration-of-result" (PDF). 9 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Declaration of result" (PDF). Cotswold District Council. 19 June 2015.
  13. ^ "UK ELECTION RESULTS: COTSWOLDS 2015".
  14. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. ^ "BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Cotswolds, The". news.bbc.co.uk.
  16. ^ Percentage change and swing for 2010 is calculated relative to the PA (Rallings and Thrasher) 2005 notional result, not actual 2005 result "Press Association Elections". Press Association. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. ^ Percentage change and swing for 1997 is calculated relative to the Rallings and Thrasher 1992 notional constituency result, not actual 1992 result. See C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
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