Parliamentary constituencies in South West England facts for kids

The South West of England is a large region in the UK. It has special areas called parliamentary constituencies. Think of these as local areas that each choose one person to represent them in the UK Parliament. Since the 2010 general election, there have been 55 of these areas in the South West. Some are in towns (called borough constituencies), and others are in the countryside (called county constituencies).

In 2010, the Conservative Party won the most seats, with 36. The Liberal Democrats had 15 seats, and the Labour Party had 4. By the 2015 election, the Liberal Democrats lost almost all their seats, mostly to the Conservatives. The Conservatives ended up with 51 seats, and Labour still had 4. In the 2017 election, the Conservatives were still the biggest party with 47 seats, but Labour gained a few, getting 7, and the Liberal Democrats won 1. In the 2019 election, the Conservatives increased their seats to 48, while Labour kept their 6, and the Liberal Democrats held onto their one seat in Bath.

Understanding Parliamentary Constituencies in the South West

In the South West, each constituency elects a Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the UK Parliament. These MPs work to make sure the voices of the people in their local area are heard.

How Many Constituencies Are There?

Currently, the South West has 55 parliamentary constituencies. These are split into two types:

• 15 are borough constituencies, which are usually in towns or cities.
• 40 are county constituencies, which cover more rural or mixed areas.

Who Represents the South West?

Here's a look at the constituencies in the South West, who their MP is, and which county they are in. The symbols next to the MP's name tell you which political party they belong to:       † Conservative       ‡ Labour       ¤ Liberal Democrat       ♣ Green Party       # Independent

Constituency	Electorate	Majority	Member of Parliament		Nearest opposition		County	County Location	Constituency Map
Bath BC	67,805	12,322		Wera Hobhouse¤		Annabel Tall†	Somerset (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Bath constituency
Bournemouth East BC	74,125	8,806		Tobias Ellwood†		Corrie Drew‡	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of Bournemouth East constituency
Bournemouth West BC	74,205	10,150		Conor Burns†		David Stokes‡	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of Bournemouth West constituency
Bridgwater and West Somerset CC	85,327	24,439		Ian Liddell-Grainger†		Oliver Thornton‡	Somerset	Location of Somerset	Map of Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency
Bristol East BC	73,867	10,794		Kerry McCarthy‡		Sarah Codling†	Bristol (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Bristol East constituency
Bristol North West BC	76,273	5,692		Darren Jones‡		Mark Weston†	Bristol (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Bristol North West constituency
Bristol South BC	84,079	9,859		Karin Smyth‡		Richard Morgan†	Bristol (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Bristol South constituency
Bristol West BC	99,253	28,219		Thangam Debbonaire‡		Carla Denyer♣	Bristol (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Bristol West constituency
Camborne and Redruth CC	70,250	8,700		George Eustice†		Paul Farmer‡	Cornwall	Location of Cornwall	A small constituency. It is situated in the south west of the county, although it borders another constituency located further south west.
Central Devon CC	74,926	17,721		Mel Stride†		Lisa Webb‡	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Central Devon constituency
Cheltenham BC	81,044	981		Alex Chalk†		Max Wilkinson¤	Gloucestershire	Location of Gloucestershire	Map of Cheltenham constituency
Chippenham CC	77,221	11,288		Michelle Donelan†		Helen Belcher¤	Wiltshire	Location of Wiltshire	Map of Chippenham constituency
Christchurch CC	71,520	24,617		Christopher Chope†		Mike Cox¤	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of Christchurch constituency
Devizes CC	73,372	23,983		Danny Kruger†		Jo Waltham¤	Wiltshire	Location of Wiltshire	Map of Devizes constituency
East Devon CC	87,168	6,708		Simon Jupp†		Claire Wright#	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of East Devon constituency
Exeter BC	82,054	10,403		Ben Bradshaw‡		John Gray†	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Exeter constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke CC	74,016	5,646		Jack Lopresti†		Mhairi Threlfall‡	Gloucestershire (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency
Forest of Dean CC	71,438	15,869		Mark Harper†		Di Martin‡	Gloucestershire	Location of Gloucestershire	Map of Forest of Dean constituency
Gloucester BC	81,319	10,277		Richard Graham†		Fran Boait‡	Gloucestershire	Location of Gloucestershire	Map of Gloucester constituency
Kingswood BC	68,972	2,501 (2024)		Damien Egan‡		Sam Bromiley†	Gloucestershire (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Kingswood constituency
Mid Dorset and North Poole CC	65,427	14,898		Michael Tomlinson†		Vikki Slade¤	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency
Newton Abbot CC	72,529	17,501		Anne Marie Morris†		Martin Wrigley¤	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Newton Abbot constituency
North Cornwall CC	69,935	14,752		Scott Mann†		Danny Chambers¤	Cornwall	Location of Cornwall	A large constituency in the north of the county.
North Devon CC	75,859	14,813		Selaine Saxby†		Alex White¤	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of North Devon constituency
North Dorset CC	76,765	24,301		Simon Hoare†		David Chadwick¤	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of North Dorset constituency
North East Somerset CC	73,692	14,729		Jacob Rees-Mogg†		Mark Huband‡	Somerset (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of North East Somerset constituency
North Somerset CC	80,194	17,536		Liam Fox†		Hannah Young‡	Somerset (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of North Somerset constituency
North Swindon CC	82,441	16,171		Justin Tomlinson†		Kate Linnegar‡	Wiltshire	Location of Wiltshire	Map of North Swindon constituency
North Wiltshire CC	73,280	17,626		James Gray†		Brian Matthew¤	Wiltshire	Location of Wiltshire	Map of North Wiltshire constituency
Plymouth, Moor View BC	69,430	12,897		Johnny Mercer†		Charlotte Holloway‡	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Plymouth, Moor View constituency
Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport BC	77,852	4,757		Luke Pollard‡		Rebecca Smith†	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency
Poole BC	73,989	19,116		Robert Syms†		Sue Aitkenhead‡	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of Poole constituency
Salisbury CC	74,556	19,736		John Glen†		Victoria Charleston¤	Wiltshire	Location of Wiltshire	Map of Salisbury constituency
Somerton and Frome CC	85,866	19,213		Sarah Dyke¤		Faye Purbrick†	Somerset	Location of Somerset	Map of Somerton and Frome constituency
South Dorset CC	73,809	17,153		Richard Drax†		Carralyn Parkes‡	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of South Dorset constituency
South East Cornwall CC	71,825	20,971		Sheryll Murray†		Gareth Derrick‡	Cornwall	Location of Cornwall	A medium-sized constituency found in the south east of the county.
South Swindon CC	73,118	6,625		Robert Buckland†		Sarah Church‡	Wiltshire	Location of Wiltshire	Map of South Swindon constituency
South West Devon CC	72,535	21,430		Gary Streeter†		Alex Beverley‡	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of South West Devon constituency
South West Wiltshire CC	77,969	21,630		Andrew Murrison†		Emily Pomroy-Smith‡	Wiltshire	Location of Wiltshire	Map of South West Wiltshire constituency
St Austell and Newquay CC	79,930	16,526		Steve Double†		Felicity Owen‡	Cornwall	Location of Cornwall	A medium constituency located in the center of the county.
St Ives CC	68,795	4,280		Derek Thomas†		Andrew George¤	Cornwall	Location of Cornwall	A medium constituency located in the extreme south west of the county.
Stroud CC	84,537	3,840		Siobhan Baillie†		David Drew‡	Gloucestershire	Location of Gloucestershire	Map of Stroud constituency
Taunton Deane CC	88,676	11,700		Rebecca Pow†		Gideon Amos¤	Somerset	Location of Somerset	Map of Taunton Deane constituency
Tewkesbury CC	83,958	22,410		Laurence Robertson†		Alex Hegenbarth¤	Gloucestershire	Location of Gloucestershire	Map of Tewkesbury constituency
The Cotswolds CC	81,939	20,214		Geoffrey Clifton-Brown†		Liz Webster¤	Gloucestershire	Location of Gloucestershire	Map of The Cotswolds constituency
Thornbury and Yate CC	69,492	12,369		Luke Hall†		Claire Young¤	Gloucestershire (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Thornbury and Yate constituency
Tiverton and Honiton CC	81,661	6,144		Richard Foord¤		Helen Hurford†	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Tiverton and Honiton constituency
Torbay BC	75,054	17,749		Kevin Foster†		Lee Howgate¤	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Torbay constituency
Torridge and West Devon CC	80,403	24,992		Geoffrey Cox†		David Chalmers¤	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Torridge and West Devon constituency
Totnes CC	69,863	12,724		Anthony Mangnall†		Sarah Wollaston¤	Devon	Location of Devon	Map of Totnes constituency
Truro and Falmouth CC	76,719	4,561		Cherilyn Mackrory†		Jennifer Forbes‡	Cornwall	Location of Cornwall	A medium constituency located in the centre of the county. Due to the elongated shape of the county, no constituencies border it to the north or the south despite its central location.
Wells CC	84,124	9,991		James Heappey†		Tessa Munt¤	Somerset	Location of Somerset	Map of Wells constituency
West Dorset CC	81,897	14,106		Chris Loder†		Edward Morello¤	Dorset	Location of Dorset	Map of West Dorset constituency
Weston-super-Mare CC	82,526	17,121		John Penrose†		Tim Taylor‡	Somerset (prev. Avon)	Location of Avon	Map of Weston-super-Mare constituency
Yeovil CC	82,468	16,181		Marcus Fysh†		Mick Clark¤	Somerset	Location of Somerset	Map of Yeovil constituency

Future Changes to Constituencies

The way constituencies are drawn can change over time. This is done by a group called the Boundary Commission for England. They make sure that each constituency has roughly the same number of voters.

Why Do Boundaries Change?

Boundaries change to keep things fair. As populations grow or shrink in different areas, the number of voters in each constituency can become very different. The Boundary Commission reviews these areas regularly to make sure each MP represents a similar number of people.

New Constituencies for the Next Election

The Boundary Commission has suggested some new constituencies for the South West. These changes will happen before the next general election. The number of seats in the South West will increase from 55 to 58.

Here are some of the proposed new constituencies:

Election Results in the South West

This section looks at how people in the South West have voted in recent general elections. It shows which parties got the most votes and how many seats they won.

2019 General Election Results

In the 2019 general election, here's how the votes were split among the main political parties in the South West:

Party	Votes	%	Change from 2017	Seats	Change from 2017
Conservative	1,612,090	52.8%	1.4%	48	1
Labour	713,226	23.3%	5.8%	6	1
Liberal Democrats	554,500	18.2%	3.3%	1	0
Greens	115,011	3.8%	1.5%	0	0
Brexit	11,139	0.4%	new	0	0
Others	47,411	1.5%	0.8%	0	0
Total	3,053,377	100.0		55

Historical Voting Trends: Percentage of Votes

This chart shows how the percentage of votes for different parties in the South West has changed over time.

South West votes percentage

• CON - Conservative Party (includes National Liberal Party up to 1966)
• LAB - Labour Party
• LIB - Liberal Party (up to 1979); SDP-Liberal Alliance (1983 & 1987); Liberal Democrats (from 1992)
• UKIP/Br - UK Independence Party (2010 to 2017); Brexit Party (2019)
• Green - Green Party of England and Wales

Historical Voting Trends: Number of Seats Won

This chart shows how the number of seats won by different parties in the South West has changed over time.

South West seats

• CON - Conservative Party (includes National Liberal Party up to 1966)
• LAB - Labour Party
• LIB - Liberal Party (up to 1979); SDP-Liberal Alliance (1983 & 1987); Liberal Democrats (from 1992)
• OTH - Other parties or independent politicians. For example, in 1945, this included an Independent Progressive and an Independent National MP.

Images for kids

• 

  Location of Avon

• 

  Location of Dorset

• 

  Location of Somerset

• 

  Location of Cornwall

• 

  Location of Devon

• 

  Location of Gloucestershire

• 

  Location of Wiltshire

• 

  Map of Bath constituency

• 

  Map of Bournemouth East constituency

• 

  Map of Bournemouth West constituency

• 

  Map of Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency

• 

  Map of Bristol East constituency

• 

  Map of Bristol North West constituency

• 

  Map of Bristol South constituency

• 

  Map of Bristol West constituency

• 

  A small constituency. It is situated in the south west of the county, although it borders another constituency located further south west.

• 

  Map of Central Devon constituency

• 

  Map of Cheltenham constituency

• 

  Map of Chippenham constituency

• 

  Map of Christchurch constituency

• 

  Map of Devizes constituency

• 

  Map of East Devon constituency

• 

  Map of Exeter constituency

• 

  Map of Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency

• 

  Map of Forest of Dean constituency

• 

  Map of Gloucester constituency

• 

  Map of Kingswood constituency

• 

  Map of Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency

• 

  Map of Newton Abbot constituency

• 

  A large constituency in the north of the county.

• 

  Map of North Devon constituency

• 

  Map of North Dorset constituency

• 

  Map of North East Somerset constituency

• 

  Map of North Somerset constituency

• 

  Map of North Swindon constituency

• 

  Map of North Wiltshire constituency

• 

  Map of Plymouth, Moor View constituency

• 

  Map of Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency

• 

  Map of Poole constituency

• 

  Map of Salisbury constituency

• 

  Map of Somerton and Frome constituency

• 

  Map of South Dorset constituency

• 

  A medium-sized constituency found in the south east of the county.

• 

  Map of South Swindon constituency

• 

  Map of South West Devon constituency

• 

  Map of South West Wiltshire constituency

• 

  A medium constituency located in the center of the county.

• 

  A medium constituency located in the extreme south west of the county.

• 

  Map of Stroud constituency

• 

  Map of Taunton Deane constituency

• 

  Map of Tewkesbury constituency

• 

  Map of The Cotswolds constituency

• 

  Map of Thornbury and Yate constituency

• 

  Map of Tiverton and Honiton constituency

• 

  Map of Torbay constituency

• 

  Map of Torridge and West Devon constituency

• 

  Map of Totnes constituency

• 

  A medium constituency located in the centre of the county. Due to the elongated shape of the county, no constituencies border it to the north or the south despite its central location.

• 

  Map of Wells constituency

• 

  Map of West Dorset constituency

• 

  Map of Weston-super-Mare constituency

• 

  Map of Yeovil constituency

• 

  South West votes percentage

• 

  South West seats

See also

• List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Avon
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Devon
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Gloucestershire
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Somerset
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Wiltshire