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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Kingswood (UK Parliament Constituency)

Kingswood was a borough constituency for the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years by the first-past-the-post electoral system.

The seat was abolished for the 2024 general election.

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.

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 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed three ways:

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
Feb 1974 Terry Walker Labour
1979 Jack Aspinwall Conservative
1983 Robert Hayward Conservative
1992 Roger Berry Labour
2010 Chris Skidmore Conservative
2024 Independent
2024 by-election Damien Egan Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

2024 Kingswood by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Damien Egan 11,176 44.9 +11.5
Conservative Sam Bromiley 8,675 34.9 –21.3
Reform UK Rupert Lowe 2,578 10.4 New
Green Lorraine Francis 1,459 5.8 +3.4
Liberal Democrats Andrew Brown 861 3.5 –3.4
UKIP Nicholas Wood 129 0.5 New
Majority 2,501 10.0 N/A
Turnout 24,905 37.1 –21.8
Registered electors
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +17.5

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Skidmore 27,712 56.2 +1.3
Labour Nicola Bowden-Jones 16,492 33.4 –6.1
Liberal Democrats Dine Romero 3,421 6.9 +3.3
Green Joseph Evans 1,200 2.4 +0.4
Animal Welfare Angelika Cowell 489 1.0 New
Majority 11,220 22.8 +7.4
Turnout 49,314 71.5 +1.3
Registered electors 68,972
Conservative hold Swing +3.7
General election 2017: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Skidmore 26,754 54.9 +6.6
Labour Mhairi Threlfall 19,254 39.5 +9.9
Liberal Democrats Karen Wilkinson 1,749 3.6 –0.2
Green Matt Furey-King 984 2.0 –0.8
Majority 7,500 15.4 –3.3
Turnout 48,741 70.2 –0.6
Registered electors 69,426 +2.1
Conservative hold Swing –1.7
General election 2015: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Skidmore 23,252 48.3 +7.9
Labour Jo McCarron 14,246 29.6 –5.7
UKIP Duncan Odgers 7,133 14.8 +11.6
Liberal Democrats Adam Boyden 1,827 3.8 –13.0
Green Cezara Nanu 1,370 2.8 +2.0
BNP Julie Lake 164 0.3 –2.4
TUSC Richard Worth 84 0.2 New
Vapers in Power Liam Bryan 49 0.1 New
Majority 9,006 18.7 +13.6
Turnout 48,125 70.8 –1.4
Registered electors 67,992 +2.5
Conservative hold Swing +6.8
General election 2010: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Skidmore 19,362 40.4 +8.3
Labour Roger Berry 16,917 35.3 –10.6
Liberal Democrats Sally Fitzharris 8,072 16.8 –1.2
UKIP Neil Dowdney 1,528 3.2 +0.8
BNP Michael Carey 1,311 2.7 New
Green Nick Foster 383 0.8 New
English Democrat Michael Blundell 333 0.7 New
Majority 2,445 5.1 N/A
Turnout 47,906 72.2 +4.5
Registered electors 66,361 +0.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +9.4

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Berry 26,491 47.0 –7.9
Conservative Owen Inskip 18,618 33.1 +4.7
Liberal Democrats Geoff Brewer 9,089 16.1 +1.4
UKIP John Knight 1,444 2.6 +0.5
Independent David Burnside 669 1.2 New
Majority 7,873 13.9 –12.6
Turnout 56,311 66.7 +1.3
Registered electors 88,400 +4.8
Labour hold Swing –6.3
General election 2001: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Berry 28,903 54.9 +1.2
Conservative Robert Marven 14,941 28.4 –1.5
Liberal Democrats Christopher Greenfield 7,747 14.7 +1.8
UKIP David Smith 1,085 2.1 New
Majority 13,962 26.5 +2.7
Turnout 52,676 65.4 –12.3
Registered electors 80,531 +4.6
Labour hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Berry 32,181 53.7 +13.1
Conservative Jon Howard 17,928 29.9 –15.9
Liberal Democrats Jeanne B. Pinkerton 7,672 12.9 –0.8
Referendum Alexandra Reather 1,463 2.4 New
BNP Peter Hart 290 0.5 New
Natural Law Andrew Harding 238 0.4 New
Independent Andrew Nicolson 115 0.2 New
Majority 14,253 23.8 +18.6
Turnout 59,884 77.7 –6.8
Registered electors 77,026 +0.9
Labour win
General election 1992: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Berry 26,774 44.5 +7.1
Conservative Robert Hayward 24,404 40.6 –4.3
Liberal Democrats Jeanne B. Pinkerton 8,967 14.9 –2.8
Majority 2,370 3.9 N/A
Turnout 60,145 83.8 +3.6
Registered electors 71,727 –1.9
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +5.7

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Hayward 26,300 44.9 +4.5
Labour Roger Berry 21,907 37.4 +0.3
SDP Pamela Whittle 10,382 17.7 –4.8
Majority 4,393 7.5 +4.2
Turnout 58,589 80.2 +2.7
Registered electors 73,089 +1.3
Conservative hold Swing +2.1
General election 1983: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Hayward 22,573 40.4 –0.8
Labour Terry Walker 20,776 37.1 –10.8
SDP Martyn Gilbert 12,591 22.5 +12.6
Majority 1,797 3.3 –3.5
Turnout 55,940 77.5 –3.5
Registered electors 72,159 +1.6
Conservative hold Swing +5.0

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jack Aspinwall 23,553 45.4 +6.8
Labour Terry Walker 23,250 44.8 +0.8
Liberal A Wilson 4,852 9.3 –8.1
National Front R Bale 258 0.5 New
Majority 303 0.6 N/A
Turnout 51,913 86.2 +2.0
Registered electors 60,229 +7.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.0
General election October 1974: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terry Walker 20,703 44.0 +5.3
Conservative David Hunt 18,137 38.6 +3.3
Liberal Jack Aspinwall 8,216 17.4 –8.5
Majority 2,566 5.4 +2.0
Turnout 47,092 84.2 –2.5
Registered electors 55,952 +0.9
Labour hold Swing +1.0
General election February 1974: Kingswood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terry Walker 18,616 38.7 –8.4
Conservative Charles Irving 16,975 35.3 –17.5
Liberal Jack Aspinwall 12,471 25.9 New
Majority 1,641 3.4 –2.3
Turnout 48,062 86.7 +12.7
Registered electors 55,462 +1.2
Labour win (new seat)

See also