List of parliamentary constituencies in Avon

Avon was abolished in 1996 both as a county council and a ceremonial county, but the name Avon continues to be used unofficially in subsequent boundary reviews as presented by the Boundary Commission for England to describe the area covered by the former county for the purpose of the rules which strongly deter cross-council constituencies (spanning more than one local authority within its area).

The Boundary Commission for England reviewed Avon in 2000 and devised a constituencies scheme in which no constituency spanned the four unitary authority boundaries within the abolished county. This entailed four seats to Bristol, three to South Gloucestershire and two each to Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset and accordingly a net increase of one seat. Constituency names were aligned with the new local council names.[1][2] These changes were implemented at the 2010 general election. Bath was restored as a borough constituency (to which a different election expenses quota and returning officer applies compared to county constituencies). Thus Avon has 6 borough constituencies and 5 county constituencies.

Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Avon underwent further boundary changes, although the total number of seats was retained at 11.

Constituencies

edit

  † Conservative   ‡ Labour   ¤ Liberal Democrat   ♣ Green

Constituency[nb 1] Electorate[3] Majority[4] Member of Parliament[4] Nearest opposition[4] Electoral wards[3] Map
Bath CC 73,241 11,218   Wera Hobhouse¤   Dan Bewley‡ Bath and North East Somerset Council: Bathavon North, Bathwick, Combe Down, Kingsmead, Lambridge, Lansdown, Moorlands, Newbridge, Odd Down, Oldfield Park, Southdown, Twerton, Walcot, Westmoreland, Weston, Widcombe & Lyncombe.
 
Bristol Central BC 70,227 10,407 Carla Denyer Thangam Debbonaire Bristol City Council: Ashley, Central, Clifton, Clifton Down, Cotham, Hotwells & Harbourside, Redland.
 
Bristol East BC 75,936 6,606 Kerry McCarthy Ani Stafford-Townsend♣ Bristol City Council: Brislington East, Brislington West, Easton, Knowle, Lawrence Hill, St. George Central, St. George Troopers Hill, St. George West, Stockwood.
 
Bristol North East BC 69,793 11,167 Damien Egan Lorraine Francis♣ Bristol City Council: Eastville, Frome Vale, Hillfields, Lockleaze. South Gloucestershire Council: Kingswood, New Cheltenham, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield, Woodstock.
 
Bristol North West BC 76,783 15,669 Darren Jones Mary Page♣ Bristol City Council: Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston, Bishopston & Ashley Down, Henbury & Brentry, Horfield, Southmead, Stoke Bishop, Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze.
 
Bristol South BC 74,696 7,666 Karin Smyth Jai Breitnauer♣ Bristol City Council: Bedminster, Bishopsworth, Filwood, Hartcliffe & Withywood, Hengrove & Whitchurch Park, Southville, Windmill Hill.
 
Filton and Bradley Stoke BC 73,598 10,000 Claire Hazelgrove Jack Lopresti South Gloucestershire Council: Bradley Stoke North, Bradley Stoke South, Charlton & Cribbs, Emersons Green, Filton, Frenchay & Downend, Patchway Coniston, Stoke Gifford, Stoke Park & Cheswick, Winterbourne.
 
North East Somerset and Hanham CC 73,113 5,319 Dan Norris Jacob Rees-Mogg Bath and North East Somerset Council: Chew Valley, Clutton & Farmborough, High Littleton, Keynsham East, Keynsham North, Keynsham South, Mendip, Paulton, Publow & Whitchurch, Saltford, Timsbury. South Gloucestershire Council: Bitton & Oldland Common, Hanham, Longwell Green, Parkwall & Warmley.
 
North Somerset CC 73,963 639 Sadik Al-Hassan Liam Fox North Somerset Council: Backwell, Clevedon East, Clevedon South, Clevedon Walton, Clevedon West, Clevedon Yeo, Gordano Valley, Long Ashton, Nailsea Golden Valley, Nailsea West End, Nailsea Yeo, Nailsea Youngwood, Pill, Portishead East, Portishead North, Portishead South, Portishead West, Winford, Wrington.
 
Thornbury and Yate CC 74,935 3,014 Claire Young¤ Luke Hall South Gloucestershire Council: Boyd Valley, Charfield, Chipping Sodbury & Cotswold Edge, Dodington, Frampton Cotterell, Pilning & Severn Beach, Severn Vale, Thornbury, Yate Central, Yate North.
 
Weston-super-Mare CC 70,722 4,409 Dan Aldridge John Penrose North Somerset Council: Hutton & Locking, Weston-super-Mare Central, Weston-super-Mare Hillside, Weston-super-Mare Kewstoke, Weston-super-Mare Mid Worle, Weston-super-Mare Milton, Weston-super-Mare North Worle, Weston-super-Mare South, Weston-super-Mare South Worle, Weston-super-Mare Uphill, Weston-super-Mare Winterstoke, Wick St. Lawrence & St. Georges.
 

Boundary changes

edit

2024

edit

See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.

Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commission for England formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021.[5] Initial proposals were published on 8 June 2021 and, following two periods of public consultation, revised proposals were published on 8 November 2022. The final proposals were published on 28 June 2023.

The commission proposed that "Avon" (covering the Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire council areas) be combined with Devon and Somerset as a sub-region of the South West Region, resulting in significant change to the existing pattern of constituencies. In Avon, Bristol West, Kingswood and North East Somerset were abolished, being replaced by Bristol Central, Bristol North East, and North East Somerset and Hanham. In addition, Frome and East Somerset, and Wells and Mendip Hills will be established as cross-authority boundary seats.[6][7] These changes came into effect for the 2024 general election.

The following seats were proposed:

Containing electoral wards from Bath and North East Somerset

Containing electoral wards in Bristol

Containing electoral wards in North Somerset

Containing electoral wards in South Gloucestershire

Former name Boundaries 2010–2024 Current name Boundaries 2024–present
  1. Bath BC
  2. Bristol East BC
  3. Bristol North West BC
  4. Bristol South BC
  5. Bristol West BC
  6. Filton and Bradley Stoke CC
  7. Kingswood BC
  8. North East Somerset CC
  9. North Somerset CC
  10. Thornbury and Yate CC
  11. Weston-super-Mare CC
 
Former constituencies in Avon
  1. Bath CC
  2. Bristol Central BC
  3. Bristol East BC
  4. Bristol North East BC
  5. Bristol North West BC
  6. Bristol South BC
  7. Filton and Bradley Stoke CC
  8. Frome and East Somerset CC
  9. North East Somerset and Hanham CC
  10. North Somerset CC
  11. Thornbury and Yate CC
  12. Wells and Mendip Hills CC
  13. Weston-super-Mare CC
 
Current constituencies in Avon

2010

edit

Under the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England decided to increase the number of seats which covered "Avon" from 10 to 11, with the creation of Filton and Bradley Stoke. This resulted in major changes to Kingswood and three of the four Bristol constituencies. A further three constituencies were renamed.

Former name Boundaries 1997–2010 Former name Boundaries 2010–2024
  1. Bath CC
  2. Bristol East BC
  3. Bristol North West BC
  4. Bristol South BC
  5. Bristol West BC
  6. Kingswood BC
  7. Northavon CC
  8. Wansdyke CC
  9. Weston-super-Mare CC
  10. Woodspring CC
 
Parliamentary constituencies in Avon
  1. Bath BC
  2. Bristol East BC
  3. Bristol North West BC
  4. Bristol South BC
  5. Bristol West BC
  6. Filton and Bradley Stoke CC
  7. Kingswood BC
  8. North East Somerset CC
  9. North Somerset CC
  10. Thornbury and Yate CC
  11. Weston-super-Mare CC
 
Proposed Revised constituencies in Avon

(The maps on this page do not show the nominal extensions of several constituencies over the waters of the Bristol Channel.)

Other former constituencies in the area were:

Results history

edit

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing – General election results from 1918 to 2019[8]

2024

edit

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Avon in the 2024 general election were as follows:[4]

Party Votes % Change from 2019 Seats Change from 2019
Labour 189,007 36.2%  0.5% 8  4
Conservative 110,554 21.2%  20.5% 0  6
Green 87,204 16.7%  11.1% 1  1
Liberal Democrat 71,768 13.7%  2.1% 2  1
Reform 56,721 10.9%  10.0 0 0
Others 6,951 1.3%  1.0% 0 0
Total 522,205 100.0 11

2019

edit

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Avon in the 2019 general election were as follows:

Party Votes % Change from 2017 Seats Change from 2017
Conservative 258,867 41.7%  0.9% 6 0
Labour 221,714 35.7%  5.0% 4 0
Liberal Democrats 97,767 15.8%  4.0% 1 0
Greens 34,563 5.6%  2.1% 0 0
Brexit 5,717 0.9% new 0 0
Others 1,559 0.3%  1.1% 0 0
Total 620,187 100.0 11

Percentage votes

edit
Election year 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Labour 24.3 24.0 27.5 36.5 36.8 31.8 23.2 25.7 40.7 35.7 36.2
Conservative 47.3 47.9 44.5 32.7 31.6 31.9 35.8 39.6 42.6 41.7 21.2
Green Party * * * * * 1.3 8.7 3.5 5.6 16.7
Liberal Democrat1 27.6 27.0 26.5 26.3 27.9 30.9 34.8 13.6 11.8 15.8 13.7
Reform2 0.9 10.9
UKIP * * * 2.8 12.0 0.6 *
Other 0.8 1.1 1.5 4.5 3.7 5.4 2.1 0.4 0.8 0.3 1.3

11983 & 1987 – Alliance of Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party

2As the Brexit Party in 2019

* Included in Other

Seats

edit
Election year 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Labour 1 1 3 6 6 5 2 3 4 4 8
Liberal Democrat1 0 0 1 3 3 3 3 0 1 1 2
Green 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Conservative 9 9 6 1 1 2 6 8 6 6 0
Total 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 12

11983 & 1987 – Alliance of Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party

Maps

edit

1983 to 2019

edit

2024 to present (including cross-boundary constituency with Somerset)

edit

Historical representation by party

edit

  Conservative   Labour   Liberal Democrats   Green

Constituency 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 24 2024
Bath Patten Foster Howlett Hobhouse
Bristol East Sayeed Corston McCarthy
Bristol North West Stern Naysmith Leslie Jones
Bristol South Cocks Primarolo Smyth
Bristol West / Bristol Central (2024) Waldegrave Davey Williams Debbonaire Denyer
Filton and Bradley Stoke Lopresti Hazelgrove
Kingswood / Bristol North East (2024) Hayward Berry Skidmore Egan
Northavon / Thornbury & Yate (2010) Cope Webb Hall Young
Wansdyke / NE Somerset (2010) / NE Somerset & Hanham (2024) Aspinwall Norris Rees-Mogg Norris
Weston-super-Mare Wiggin Cotter Penrose Aldridge
Woodspring / North Somerset (2010) Dean Fox Al-Hassan

See also

edit

Notes and references

edit
References
  1. ^ "Final Recommendations for Parliamentary Constituencies in Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. 20 June 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Final Recommendations for Parliamentary Constituencies in the Unitary Authority of North Somerset" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. 8 November 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  3. ^ a b "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Constituencies A-Z – Election 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. ^ "2023 Review". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ Farell Roig, Estel (14 June 2021). "Bristol region constituency boundaries could soon look very different". Bristol Post. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report". Boundary Commission for England. paras 1127–1178. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  8. ^ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019".
Notes
  1. ^ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.