Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards
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The constituency has existed since the February 1974 general election. This marginal constituency has been held by the Conservative and Labour parties to date. Before the 2010 election, when the seat was held by Labour, it was 135th on the Conservative Party target seats list[2] and in the 2015 election it was 41st on the Labour Party's target seats.[3]
Boundaries[]
Map of current boundaries
1974–1983: The Urban Districts of Kingswood and Mangotsfield, and the Rural District of Warmley.
1983–1997: The District of Kingswood wards of Chase, Chiphouse, Downend, Forest, Hanham, Mangotsfield, New Cheltenham, Soundwell, Staple Hill, and Woodstock, and the City of Bristol wards of Frome Vale, Hillfields, St George East, and St George West.
1997–2010: The Borough of Kingswood wards of Badminton, Blackhorse, Bromley Heath, Chase, Chiphouse, Downend, Forest, Hanham, Mangotsfield, New Cheltenham, Oldland Barrs Court, Oldland Cadbury Heath, Oldland Longwell Green, Siston, Soundwell, Springfield, Staple Hill, and Woodstock, and the City of Bristol wards of Frome Vale and Hillfields.
May 2019 to present: The District of South Gloucestershire wards of Bitton and Oldland Common, Hanham, Kingswood, New Cheltenham, Woodstock, Longwell Green, Parkwall & Warmley.
The constituency covers part of the South Gloucestershire unitary authority, consisting of the eastern suburbs of Bristol and commuter villages outside of the city boundary, including the town of Kingswood. It largely corresponds to the former borough of Kingswood.
The Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies prompted the boundary changes with effect from the 2010 general election.[4] In particular, all wards in the constituency are now from the South Gloucestershire authority. Prior to 2010, the Frome Vale and Hillfields wards of the City of Bristol were part of the Kingswood constituency, but have been transferred to Bristol East. Within South Gloucestershire, the Kingswood seat has gained Hanham, Bitton and Oldland Common from the former Wansdyke constituency, but lost Downend and Staple Hill to the new Filton and Bradley Stoke seat.
^A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
^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.
^Percentage change and swing for 2010 is calculated relative to the PA (Rallings and Thrasher) 2005 notional result, not actual 2005 result "Press Association Elections". Press Association. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
^"Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
^C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.106 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
^The 1997 swings are calculated relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.
^Boundary changes meant that Kingswood was notionally a Conservative seat in 1992, which is why this is described as a Labour gain despite the fact that Roger Berry was the incumbent Labour MP.
^Percentage change and swing for 1983 is calculated relative to the BBC/ITN 1979 notional constituency result, not actual 1979 result. See British Broadcasting Corporation; Independent Television News. The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
^Percentage change and swing for February 1974 is calculated relative to the BBC notional 1970 constituency result, not actual 1970 result. Notional 1970 results were rounded to the nearest hundred. Constituency data for 1974–83 including 1970 notionals, retrieved 18 July 2017