Witney is a county constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is currently represented by the Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron.
Boundaries
From 1885 to 1974, much of the seat now known as Witney was classed as part of the Banbury Constituency which also included Banbury, Chipping Norton and Woodstock. From 1974 to 1983, the area was included in the Mid Oxfordshire seat along with parts of Bullingdon and Ploughley. Since 1983, Witney has been a full parliamentary seat in its own right and comprises the whole of the District of West Oxfordshire plus two villages close to Oxford which are in the Cherwell District Council Area.
It is typically made up of market towns of which Witney is the largest with a population of 23,000 and others include Chipping Norton with 6,000 and Woodstock with 4,000. Carterton is the second largest populated town with 14,000 and is situated alongside RAF Brize Norton which is vital to the local economy being one of the largest and busiest RAF bases in the country. The balance is very rural and is the largest area in all of the Districts in the County of Oxfordshire. The industrial profile has changed radically over the past few decades from predominantly agricultural and blanket based to the present day with many smaller hi-tech businesses such as those involved in high performance Formula 1 racing cars, computer technology and associated services. At the same time there has been a rapid expansion in the entire tourism industry in this area, with visitors coming from all over the world.
For the next general election, the Witney Parliamentary Constituency boundaries will change and become co-terminous with the boundaries of West Oxfordshire District Council. Begbroke and Yarnton, part of Cherwell District Council will transfer to the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency following a Boundary Commission review.
History
The constituency is a safe seat for the Conservative Party. Its first MP was Douglas Hurd, who served as a cabinet minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and stood down in 1997.
Hurd was succeeded by Shaun Woodward at the 1997 general election. However, Woodward defected to the Labour Party in 1999, and Witney unexpectedly had a Labour MP. Woodward was deemed unlikely to be re-elected in Witney as a Labour candidate, and moved to contest the Labour safe seat of St Helens South instead. At the 2001 general election, David Cameron was elected as MP for Witney and has held the seat since then. He has been the leader of the Conservative Party since December 2005.
Members of Parliament
Elections
See also
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The District of West Oxfordshire |
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| Oxfordshire • County Council elections • District Council elections • Witney County Constituency |
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| Towns |
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| Large Villages |
Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney ( Aston, Cote, Shifford, Chimney) • Bampton (Lower Haddon, Weald) • Brize Norton • Chadlington • Ducklington • Enstone ( Church Enstone, Neat Enstone, Chalford, Cleveley, Fulwell, Gagingwell, Lidstone, Radford) • Eynsham ( Barnard Gate) • Freeland • Hailey (New Yatt) • Hanborough ( Church Hanborough, Long Hanborough) • Milton-under-Wychwood • Minster Lovell • North Leigh (East End) • Shipton-under-Wychwood • Standlake ( Brighthampton) • Steeple Barton • Stonesfield
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Other Civil
Parishes
(Component
Villages
and Hamlets) |
Alvescot • Ascott-under-Wychwood ( Ascott d'Oyley, Ascott Earl) • Asthall ( Worsham) • Black Bourton • Bladon • Blenheim • Broadwell • Bruern • Cassington ( Worton) • Chastleton • Chilson ( Shorthampton) • Churchill • Clanfield • Combe Longa • Cornbury and Wychwood (Cornbury, Wychwood) • Cornwell • Crawley • Curbridge • Fawler • Fifield • Filkins and Broughton Poggs ( Filkins, Broughton Poggs) • Finstock • Fulbrook • Glympton • Grafton and Radcot ( Grafton, Radcot) • Great Tew • Hardwick-with-Yelford (Hardwick, Yelford) • Heythrop (Dunthrop) • Holwell • Idbury ( Bould, Foscot) • Kelmscott • Kencot • Kiddington with Asterleigh ( Kiddington, Over Kiddington) • Kingham • Langford • Leafield • Lew • Little Faringdon • Little Tew • Lyneham • Northmoor • Over Norton • Ramsden (Mount Skippett) • Rollright ( Great Rollright, Little Rollright) • Rousham • Salford • Sandford St. Martin • Sarsden • Shilton • South Leigh • Spelsbury ( Dean, Taston) • Stanton Harcourt • Swerford • Swinbrook and Widford ( Swinbrook, Widford) • Tackley • Taynton • Westcot Barton • Westwell • Wootton
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Former Districts
and Boroughs |
Chipping Norton Rural District • Municipal Borough of Chipping Norton • Witney Urban District • Witney Rural District • Municipal Borough of Woodstock • Woodstock Rural District
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Former
Constituencies |
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| List of Parliamentary constituencies in Oxfordshire • List of places in Oxfordshire • List of civil parishes in Oxfordshire |
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The District of Cherwell |
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Oxfordshire • County Council elections • District Council elections
Banbury County Constituency • Oxford West and Abingdon County Constituency • Witney County Constituency |
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| Towns |
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| Large Villages |
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Other Civil
Parishes
(Component
Villages
and Hamlets) |
Ardley with Fewcott ( Ardley, Fewcott) • Barford St. John and St. Michael ( Barford St. Michael, Barford St. John) • Begbroke • Blackthorn • Bletchingdon ( Enslow) • Bourton ( Great Bourton, Little Bourton) • Broughton • Bucknell • Charlton-on-Otmoor • Chesterton (Little Chesterton) • Claydon with Clattercot ( Claydon, Clattercote) • Cottisford • Cropredy • Drayton • Duns Tew • Epwell • Fencott and Murcott ( Fencott, Murcott) • Finmere • Fringford • Fritwell • Godington • Gosford and Water Eaton ( Gosford, Water Eaton) • Hampton Gay and Poyle ( Hampton Gay, Hampton Poyle) • Hanwell • Hardwick with Tusmore ( Hardwick, Tusmore) • Hethe (Willaston) • Horley • Hornton • Horton-cum-Studley • Islip • Kirtlington (Northbrook) • Lower Heyford (Caulcott) • Merton • Middle Aston • Middleton Stoney • Milcombe • Milton • Mixbury • Mollington • Newton Purcell with Shelswell ( Newton Purcell, Shelswell) • Noke • North Aston • North Newington • Oddington • Piddington • Prescote • Shenington with Alkerton ( Shenington, Alkerton)• Shipton-on-Cherwell and Thrupp ( Shipton-on-Cherwell, Thrupp) • Shutford • Sibford Ferris • Sibford Gower ( Burdrop) • Somerton • Souldern • South Newington • Steeple Aston • Stoke Lyne ( Bainton) • Stratton Audley • Swalcliffe • Tadmarton • Wardington ( Lower Wardington, Upper Wardington) • Wendlebury • Weston-on-the-Green • Wigginton • Wroxton ( Balscote)
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Former Districts
and Boroughs |
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Former
Constituencies |
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| List of Parliamentary constituencies in Oxfordshire • List of places in Oxfordshire • List of civil parishes in Oxfordshire |
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References
- ^ Witney, UKPollingReport
Coordinates: 51°48′N 1°30′W / 51.80°N 1.50°W / 51.80; -1.50
