Wantage (UK Parliament constituency)
Wantage 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 covers most of the Vale of White Horse and a small part of South Oxfordshire.
The largest town in the constituency is Didcot, which grew up around the Great Western Railway when IK Brunel built its main line between London and Bristol via Didcot instead of Abingdon.
There are three market towns in the constituency: Faringdon, Wallingford and Wantage. Wantage is famous as the birthplace of King Alfred the Great, while Wallingford has had a Royal Charter since 1155. Faringdon still bears scars of the English Civil War, when its church lost the top of its steeple.
The constituency is mostly rural in character, with more than 400 farms in operation. It is marked by the famous Uffington White Horse and The Ridgeway, a prehistoric road, runs along its southern border. The area is very affluent and contains many commuters with fast transport links to London. The constituency is famous for its race horses and there are numerous racing stables in the surrounding villages.
Boundary Review
Following its review of parliamentary representation in Oxfordshire, the Boundary Commission for England made changes to the boundaries as a consequence of population changes. The modified constituency took effect at the 2010 general election, comprising the following wards:
- From the district of South Oxfordshire - Brightwell, Cholsey and Wallingford South, Didcot All Saints, Didcot Ladygrove, Didcot Northbourne, Didcot Park, Hagbourne, Moulsford, South Moreton, North Moreton, Shillingford, Little Wittenham, Long Wittenham, Aston Tirrold, Aston Upthorpe and Wallingford North
- From the district of Vale of White Horse - Blewbury and Upton, Craven, Drayton, Faringdon and The Coxwells, Greendown, Grove, Hanneys, Harwell, Hendreds, Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor, Longworth, Buscot, Duxford, Hinton Waldrist, Marcham and Shippon, Shrivenham, Stanford in the Vale, Sutton Courtenay and Appleford, Wantage Charlton, and Wantage Segsbury.
History
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seat of Abingdon. It is a safe seat for the Conservative Party. Its first MP was Robert Jackson, who served as a junior minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
However, Jackson defected to the Labour Party in 2005, and so Wantage unexpectedly had a Labour MP. Jackson was deemed unlikely to be re-elected in Wantage as a Labour MP, so he did not stand at the 2005 general election. At that election, Ed Vaizey was elected as MP for Wantage and now holds the post of Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries.
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
See also
Notes and references
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Blewbury • Cumnor ( Chilswell, Cumnor Hill, Dean Court, Farmoor, Swinford) • Drayton • East Challow • East Hendred • Grove • Harwell • Kennington • Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor ( Kingston Bagpuize, Southmoor) • Marcham (Cothill) • Milton • North Hinksey ( Botley, Harcourt Hill) • Radley • St. Helen Without ( Dry Sandford, Shippon) • Shrivenham • Stanford in the Vale ( Bow) • Steventon • Sunningwell ( Bayworth, Boars Hill, Foxcombe Hill) • Sutton Courtenay • Watchfield • Wootton ( Boars Hill, Henwood, Lamborough Hill)
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Other civil
parishes
(component
villages
and hamlets) |
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Former districts
and boroughs |
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Former
constituencies |
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Other Civil
Parishes
(Component
Villages
and Hamlets) |
Adwell • Aston Rowant • Aston Tirrold • Aston Upthorpe • Beckley and Stowood ( Beckley, Stowood) • Berrick Salome ( Berrick Prior, Roke, Rokemarsh) • Binfield Heath • Bix and Assendon ( Bix, Bix Bottom, Lower Assendon, Middle Assendon) • Brightwell Baldwin • Britwell Salome • Checkendon • Clifton Hampden ( Burcot) • Crowell • Cuddesdon and Denton ( Cuddesdon, Denton) • Culham • Cuxham with Easington ( Cuxham, Easington) • Dorchester • Drayton St. Leonard • East Hagbourne ( Coscote) • Elsfield • Eye and Dunsden ( Sonning Eye, Dunsden Green, Playhatch) • Forest Hill with Shotover ( Forest Hill, Shotover) • Goring Heath ( Whitchurch Hill, Cray's Pond) • Great Haseley (Latchford, Little Haseley, North Weston, Rycote) • Harpsden • Highmoor (Satwell) • Holton • Ipsden • Kidmore End ( Gallowstree Common) • Lewknor ( Postcombe, South Weston) • Little Milton • Little Wittenham • Long Wittenham • Mapledurham ( Trench Green, Chazey Heath) • Marsh Baldon ( Baldon Row) • Moulsford • Nettlebed • Newington ( Great Holcombe) • North Moreton • Nuffield • Nuneham Courtenay • Pishill with Stonor ( Pishill, Stonor, Maidensgrove, Russell's Water) • Pyrton (Clare, Standhill) • Rotherfield Greys • Rotherfield Peppard • Shirburn • South Moreton ( Fulscot) • South Stoke ( Littlestoke) • Stadhampton ( Chiselhampton, Brookhampton, Ascott) • Stanton St. John (Woodperry) • Stoke Row • Stoke Talmage • Swyncombe • Sydenham (Kingston Stert) • Tetsworth • Tiddington-with-Albury ( Tiddington, Albury) • Toot Baldon • Towersey • Warborough ( Shillingford) • Waterstock • West Hagbourne • Whitchurch-on-Thames • Woodeaton • Waterperry with Thomley ( Waterperry, Thomley) • Wheatfield • Wilcote
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Former Districts
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Former
Constituencies |
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