Melksham and Devizes
| Melksham and Devizes | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Melksham and Devizes in South West England | |
| County | Wiltshire |
| Electorate | 71,823 (2023)[1] |
| Major settlements | Bradford-on-Avon, Devizes, Melksham |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2024 |
| Member of Parliament | Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrats) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Chippenham, Devizes, North Wiltshire |
Melksham and Devizes is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament.[2] Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election,[3] when it was won by Brian Mathew of the Liberal Democrats. He defeated Conservative former cabinet minister Michelle Donelan, who had been MP for Chippenham from 2015 to 2024.
Constituency profile
[edit]Melksham and Devizes is a constituency in Wiltshire. It is named after its two largest towns, Melksham and Devizes, which each have populations of around 20,000.[4][5] Other settlements in the constituency include the town of Bradford-on-Avon and the villages of Bowerhill and Box.
The constituency is mostly rural with market towns and many small villages. Melksham and Devizes are historic towns with traditional rural industries like brewing and the trade of wool and cereal grains.[6] Bradford-on-Avon contains many historic buildings and is popular with tourists due to its location close to the Cotswolds. The constituency is generally affluent with low levels of deprivation, especially so in the west around Bradford-on-Avon.[7] House prices across the constituency are generally higher than the regional and national averages.[8]
There is a large retiree population in the constituency,[9] giving it a high average age.[8] Residents have average levels of education and above-average rates of income and homeownership.[8] The child poverty rate is low and few residents are unemployed,[9] with a high proportion working in the manufacturing and agriculture sectors.[10] White people made up 96% of the population at the 2021 census.[11]
At the local unitary authority, most of the constituency is represented by Liberal Democrats, who were elected in the towns and the more affluent rural west. Some Conservative councillors were elected in the rural east. An estimated 52% of voters in the constituency supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, identical to the nationwide figure.[8]
Boundaries
[edit]
The constituency is composed of the following electoral districts of Wiltshire (as they existed on 4 May 2021):
- Bowerhill; Box & Colerne; Bradford-on-Avon North; Bradford-on-Avon South; Bromham, Rowde & Roundway; Calne South; Devizes East; Devizes North; Devizes Rural West; Devizes South; Holt; Melksham East; Melksham Forest; Melksham South; Melksham Without North & Shurnhold; Melksham Without West & Rural; The Lavingtons; Urchfont & Bishops Cannings; Winsley & Westwood.[12]
It comprises the following areas:[13]
- The towns of Melksham and Bradford-on-Avon, transferred from Chippenham
- The town of Devizes, transferred from the constituency of Devizes (the majority of which was incorporated into the new constituency of East Wiltshire)
- Rural parishes east of Trowbridge, transferred from South West Wiltshire
- The wards of Box and Colerne, and Calne South, transferred from the abolished North Wiltshire constituency
Elections
[edit]Elections in the 2020s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Brian Mathew | 20,031 | 39.1 | +11.8 | |
| Conservative | Michelle Donelan | 17,630 | 34.4 | −23.4 | |
| Reform | Malcolm Cupis | 6,726 | 13.1 | N/A | |
| Labour | Kerry Postlewhite | 4,587 | 9.0 | −3.0 | |
| Green | Catherine Read | 2,229 | 4.4 | +1.4 | |
| Majority | 2,401 | 4.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 51,203 | 71.1 | −6.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 71,999 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +17.7 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
[edit]| 2019 notional result[15] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Conservative | 32,227 | 57.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 15,199 | 27.3 | |
| Labour | 6,686 | 12.0 | |
| Green | 1,652 | 3.0 | |
| Turnout | 55,764 | 77.6 | |
| Electorate | 71,823 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "How Wiltshire constituency boundaries could change". BBC News. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Melksham". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ "Devizes". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ Crittall, Elizabeth, ed. (1975). "Victoria County History – Wiltshire – Vol 10 pp252-285 – The borough of Devizes: Trade, agriculture and local government". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Seat Details - Melksham and Devizes". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ a b "Constituency dashboard". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
- ^ "New Seat Details – Melksham and Devizes". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Melksham and Devizes". Sky News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
External links
[edit]- Melksham and Devizes UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK