North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.
Boundaries
As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire. However, it excludes the town of Swindon which is represented by North Swindon and South Swindon.
North Wiltshire constituency was formed for the 1983 general election, with boundaries identical to the former Chippenham constituency (1885–1983). [1] The constituency sits between the Cotswold hills and Swindon. Its main towns are Chippenham, Wootton Bassett, Corsham, and Malmesbury, and it also contains a large number of villages, both small and large, spread over a large area of farming countryside, including the well-known picturesque village of Castle Combe.
An outline of Wiltshire shows the expected boundaries (
4) for the next general election, 2009/2010
From the next general election, the North Wiltshire constituency changes radically, as a result of boundary change recommendations. The name will be retained by the northernmost part of the current constituency, focussed on the town of Malmesbury and Cricklade, while the largest town of Chippenham will be given its own seat, along with the nearby market towns of Bradford on Avon, Calne and Melksham. The sitting North Wiltshire Member James Gray has indicated his intention to stand for the new North Wiltshire seat. The Liberal Democrats have announced that Duncan Hames (previously their prospective parliamentary candidate for Westbury) will stand for them in the new Chippenham constituency in the next general election, while the Conservative PPC for the Chippenham seat is Devon farmer Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones.
While North Wiltshire has a long history of returning Conservative candidates, its district council (created in 1973 and abolished in 2009) was closely contested between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The new split is expected to see the more rural North Wiltshire becoming a safer Conservative seat, whereas the more urban Chippenham seat, based on data from previous elections, will see the Lib Dems with a stronger showing.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1832-1885
1983-present
Election results
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
See also
References
- ^ "About North Wiltshire" from the website of James Gray MP. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.
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