Tiverton and Honiton (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 50°49′37″N 3°20′56″W / 50.827°N 3.349°W

Tiverton and Honiton
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Tiverton and Honiton in Devon.

Outline map

Location of Devon within England.
County Devon
Electorate 75,839 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Tiverton, Honiton, Axminster, Seaton and Cullompton
Current constituency
Created 1997
Member of parliament Neil Parish (Conservative)
Number of members One
Created from Tiverton, Honiton
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency South West England

Tiverton and Honiton is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Neil Parish, a Conservative.[n 2]

Boundaries

1997-2010: The District of Mid Devon except the wards of Taw, Taw Vale, and West Creedy; and the District of East Devon wards of Broadclyst, Clystbeare, Clyst Valley, Exe Valley, Honiton St Michael's, Honiton St Paul's, Otterhead, Ottery St Mary Rural, Ottery St Mary Town, Patteson, and Tale Vale.

2010-present: The District of Mid Devon wards of Canonsleigh, Castle, Clare and Shuttern, Cranmore, Cullompton North, Cullompton Outer, Cullompton South, Halberton, Lower Culm, Lowman, Upper Culm, and Westexe; and the District of East Devon wards of Axminster Rural, Axminster Town, Beer and Branscombe, Coly Valley, Dunkeswell, Feniton and Buckerell, Honiton St Michael’s, Honiton St Paul’s, Newbridges, Otterhead, Seaton, Tale Vale, Trinity, and Yarty.

The constituency is in east Devon, covering the towns of Tiverton and Honiton and their surrounding villages (which include extensive farmland, rivers popular with kayakers and part of the Blackdown Hills) These settlements are in the Mid Devon and East Devon districts.

Boundary changes for 2010

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered this constituency for the 2010 general election, and gave Devon 12 seats instead of 11. Some wards in Mid Devon District transferred to the new Central Devon constituency; parts of the East Devon constituency, including the towns of Axminster and Seaton were however gained.

History

The seat came about from the merger of the constituencies of Honiton and Tiverton in 1997. Both were long-established seats, with the former having existed from 1640 and the latter from 1615. Both elected two Members of Parliament until the 1884 Reform Act reduced the number for both to one and their area was widened to cover two divisions of the county under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

Political history

In the early 19th century the seats, respectively, featured prominent Whig politicians Joseph Locke, a railway pioneer and Viscount (i.e. Lord) Palmerston, the Prime Minister who served in government for almost 58 years and was twice in that role, termed by historians, a Liberal interventionist.

The seat can be regarded as a safe Conservative seat, if including either of its predecessors, the area served by the constituency has not been represented by another party in Westminster since 1923.

Constituency profile

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[2]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[3]Party
1997 Angela Browning Conservative
2010 Neil Parish Conservative

Elections

General Election 2015: Tiverton and Honiton[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Paul Edwards
Liberal Democrat Stephen Kearney
Labour Caroline Kolek
Conservative Neil Parish
UKIP Graham Smith
General Election 2010: Tiverton and Honiton[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Neil Parish 27,614 50.3 +3.6
Liberal Democrat Jon Underwood 18,294 33.3 +4.2
Labour Vernon Whitlock 4,907 8.9 -4.4
UKIP Daryl Stanbury 3,277 6.0 +1.2
Green Cathy Connor 802 1.5 -1.3
Majority 9,320 17.0
Turnout 54,894 71.5 +1.0
Conservative hold Swing -0.3
General Election 2005: Tiverton and Honiton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Browning 27,838 47.9 +0.8
Liberal Democrat David Nation 16,787 28.9 -6.9
Labour Fiona Bentley 7,944 13.7 +1.8
UKIP Bob Edwards 2,499 4.3 +2.0
Liberal Roy Collins 1,701 2.9 +1.8
Green Colin Matthews 1,399 2.4 +0.6
Majority 11,051 19.0
Turnout 58,168 69.8 0.6
Conservative hold Swing +3.8
General Election 2001: Tiverton and Honiton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Browning 26,258 47.1 +5.7
Liberal Democrat Jim Barnard 19,974 35.8 -2.7
Labour Isabel Owen 6,647 11.9 -0.9
UKIP Alan Langmaid 1,281 2.3 N/A
Green Matthew Burgess 1,030 1.8 +1.0
Liberal Jenny Roach 594 1.1 N/A
Majority 6,284 11.3
Turnout 55,784 69.2 -8.5
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1997: Tiverton and Honiton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Browning 24,438 41.33
Liberal Democrat Jim Barnard 22,785 38.53
Labour J King 7,598 12.85
Referendum Party S Lowings 2,952 4.99
Liberal Jenny Roach 635 1.07
Green E McIvor 485 0.82
National Democrat Del Charles 236 0.40
Majority 1,653 2.80
Turnout 77.64
Conservative hold Swing

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
References
  1. ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  3. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)
  4. ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/tivertonandhoniton/
  5. ↑ Finan, Kevin (20 April 2010). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Tiverton & Honiton" (MS WORD). Acting Returning Officer, Mid Devon District Council. Retrieved 21 April 2010.

Sources