South Swindon (UK Parliament constituency)
South Swindon is a county constituency 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.
Boundaries
The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the seats of Swindon and Devizes. This seat with a population of around 93,000 incorporates the southern half of the town as well as the rural areas and villages to the south and east of Swindon. It used slightly amended boundaries for the 2010 election, which saw it lose South Marston to North Swindon. The border now runs from Dorcan across to Bishopstone and then down to Russley Park before running west to Barbury Castle. From there it runs north to the Roughmoor area and loops back down to incorporate West Swindon, before following the railway line east through the town and back to Dorcan. In addition to Swindon it includes several other population centres such as Wroughton, Chiseldon, Wanborough and Liddington.
Constituency history
Swindon is a railway town historically and until the latter part of the 20th century the railway works were a major employer in the town. These days Swindon is the home of a number of major companies who provide employment for the residents. Some major employers located in South Swindon include Intel's European headquarters, Nationwide's headquarters and Zurich Financial Services' UK headquarters. Created in 1997, the South Swindon constituency was originally a fairly safe Labour seat. They originally had a lead of more than 5,000 which was extended in 2001 to more than 7,000 but then dropped dramatically to just 1,353 in 2005, making it a highly marginal seat. In 2010, the Conservatives gained South Swindon from Labour at the general election.
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
See also
Notes and references