Kingswood (UK Parliament constituency)

History

The constituency existed from the February 1974 general election. It had been held by the Conservative and Labour parties. Before the 2010 election, when the seat was held by Labour, it was 135th on the Conservative Party target seats list and in the 2015 election it was 41st on the Labour Party's target seats.

On 26 November 2022, the previous MP, Conservative Chris Skidmore, announced that he would not seek re-election at the next election. On 5 January 2024, Skidmore announced he would resign from parliament "as soon as possible" in protest at the introduction of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill. On 8 January 2024, he formally resigned as an MP which triggered a by-election. Labour's Damien Egan won the by-election, and would sit for it for the last four months of the constituency's existence before its abolition at the 2024 general election.

Boundaries

1974–1983: The Urban Districts of Kingswood and Mangotsfield, alongside the Rural District of Warmley.

1983–1997: The District of Kingswood wards of Chase, Chiphouse, Downend, Forest, Hanham, Mangotsfield, New Cheltenham, Soundwell, Staple Hill, Woodstock, alongside the City of Bristol wards of Frome Vale, Hillfields, St George East, 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, Woodstock, alongside the City of Bristol wards of Frome Vale and Hillfields.

2010–2019: The District of South Gloucestershire wards of Bitton, Hanham, Kings Chase, Longwell Green, Oldland Common, Parkwall, Rodway, Siston, Woodstock.

2019 to 2024: The District of South Gloucestershire wards of Bitton and Oldland Common, Hanham, Kingswood, New Cheltenham, Woodstock, Longwell Green, Parkwall and Warmley.

The constituency covered 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 corresponded 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. In particular, all wards in the constituency were 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 were transferred to Bristol East. Within South Gloucestershire, the Kingswood seat 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.

Abolition

Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed three ways:

• Southern areas, comprising the District of South Gloucestershire wards of Bitton and Oldland Common, Hanham, Longwell Green, and Parkwall and Warmley, included with the majority of North East Somerset to form the new constituency of North East Somerset and Hanham
• The town of Kingswood, comprising the Kingswood, New Cheltenham and Woodstock wards of South Gloucestershire, included in the re-established seat of Bristol North East
• Emersons Green transferred to Filton and Bradley Stoke

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

|reg. electors = 67,103

Elections in the 2010s

|reg. electors = 68,972

|reg. electors =69,426 |reg. electors =67,992 | reg. electors = 66,361

Elections in the 2000s

| reg. electors = 88,400 | reg. electors = 80,531

Elections in the 1990s

| reg. electors = 77,026

| reg. electors = 71,727

Elections in the 1980s

| reg. electors = 73,089 | reg. electors = 72,159

Elections in the 1970s

| reg. electors = 60,229 | reg. electors = 55,952 | reg. electors = 55,462

Notes

References

References

1. "England Parliamentary electorates 2010–2023". Boundary Commission for England.
2. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West {{!}} Boundary Commission for England".
3. "ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog: Hits and misses on the Tory target list at the 2010 general election".
4. (8 January 2013). "Labour's 106 battleground target seats for 2015 – LabourList".
5. "Tory MP Chris Skidmore to step down at next general election". Sky News.
6. PA. (2022-11-26). "Chris Skidmore ninth Tory MP to set exit plan as party hit with dire opinion polls".
7. "A Statement...".
8. Horton, Helena. (5 January 2024). "Chris Skidmore resigns Conservative whip over Sunak's oil and gas licence plan". The Guardian.
9. (8 January 2024). "Conservative MP Chris Skidmore formally resigns triggering by-election in Kingswood". ITV.
10. (14 November 2001). "Final Recommendations for Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in the Unitary Authority of South Gloucesterhire". [[Boundary Commission for England]].
11. "Members 1979–2010". House of Commons Library.
12. "Kingswood Parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
13. "Election 2017: Kingswood parliamentary constituency".
14. (29 January 2019). "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis". [[House of Commons Library]].
15. "Election Data 2015". [[Electoral Calculus]].
16. "Kingswood Labour".
17. "Kingswood – 2015 Election Results". General Elections Online.
18. "General Election 2015 Candidates – Liberal Democrats".
19. (4 February 2015). "A Green MP for Kingswood, Bristol".
20. "Bristol and Exeter Raise Appeal | Regional News | British National Party".
21. (4 February 2015). "TUSC parliamentary candidates in May 2015".
22. "Election Data 2010". [[Electoral Calculus]].
23. "Press Association Elections". [[Press Association]].
24. "2005 (Implied) Election Result". Electoral Calculus.
25. "Election Data 2005". [[Electoral Calculus]].
26. "Election Data 2001". [[Electoral Calculus]].
27. "Election Data 1997". [[Electoral Calculus]].
28. (1 May 1997). "Politics Resources". Politics Resources.
29. C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.106 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
30. The 1997 swings are calculated relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.
31. 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.
32. "1992 (Implied) Election Result". Electoral Calculus.
33. "Election Data 1992". [[Electoral Calculus]].
34. (9 April 1992). "Politics Resources". Politics Resources.
35. "Election Data 1987". [[Electoral Calculus]].
36. "Election Data 1983". [[Electoral Calculus]].
37. 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)
38. "BBC/ITN NOTIONAL ELECTION 1979". BBC/ITN.
39. "LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CANDIDATES in the SOUTHWEST REGION 1945-2019". Liberal Democrat History Group.
40. "Constituency data for 1974–83 including 1970 notionals".
41. "1970 notional general election & February 1974 general election". BBC.