The Cotswolds (UK Parliament constituency)

The Cotswolds was a constituency^{[n 1]} in Gloucestershire in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a Conservative, since its 1997 creation.^{[n 2]}

The Cotswolds
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of The Cotswolds in Gloucestershire for the 2010 general election
Location of Gloucestershire within England
County	Gloucestershire
Electorate	78,439 (December 2010)[1]
1997–2024
Seats	One
Created from	Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Replaced by	North Cotswolds, South Cotswolds

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. It was split into two smaller constituencies: North Cotswolds and South Cotswolds, to even up voter numbers relative to other constituencies.^[2][3]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[4]	Party
	1997	Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	Conservative	1992–1997: represented Cirencester and Tewkesbury.

Constituency profile

The Cotswolds was a safe Conservative seat.^[5][6]

The largest town in the constituency was Cirencester, a compact traditional town. Other settlements included Andoversford, Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Campden, Fairford, Lechlade, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury (and the neighbouring village of Doughton, location of Highgrove, the Prince of Wales's estate), and Wotton-under-Edge.

The seat had the highest number of listed buildings of any constituency in Britain.^{[citation needed]} It also contained eight of the 20 most popular attractions in Gloucestershire, including Westonbirt Arboretum, Hidcote Manor, and Chedworth Roman Villa.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 1.6% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.^[7]

This was also the constituency that, when declared during the 2015 UK general election, saw the Conservatives win a surprise majority, in which David Cameron was re-elected as prime minister; a hung parliament had been widely expected.

Boundaries

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

The constituency was created in 1997 as Cotswold, mostly from the former seat of Cirencester and Tewkesbury. In 2010 the name was changed to The Cotswolds to reflect the commonly used name of the area.

1997–2010: The District of Cotswold, and the District of Stroud ward of Wotton and Kingswood.

2010–2024: The District of Cotswold, and the District of Stroud wards of Kingswood, Minchinhampton, and Wotton-under-Edge.

Abolition

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished prior to the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed to two new constituencies:^[2][3]

• The towns of Chipping Campden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water and Minchinhampton to North Cotswolds
• The towns of Cirencester and Tetbury to South Cotswolds

Wotton-under-Edge will be transferred to Stroud.

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

2019 general election: The Cotswolds^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	35,484	58.0	−2.1
	Liberal Democrats	Liz Webster	15,270	25.0	+8.7
	Labour	Alan MacKenzie	7,110	11.6	−6.3
	Green	Sabrina Poole	3,312	5.4	+2.5
Majority			20,214	33.0	−9.3
Turnout			61,176	74.7	+0.4
Registered electors			81,939
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.4

2017 general election: The Cotswolds^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	36,201	60.1	+4.1
	Labour	Mark Huband	10,702	17.9	+8.7
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Gant	9,748	16.3	−2.3
	Green	Sabrina Poole	1,747	2.9	−1.7
	UKIP	Chris Harlow	1,197	2.0	−8.9
	Independent	Sandy Steel	107	0.2	N/A
Majority			25,499	42.3	+4.8
Turnout			59,702	74.2	+1.8
Registered electors			80,449
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.3

2015 general election: The Cotswolds^[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	32,045	56.5	+3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Hodgkinson[13]	10,568	18.6	−10.9
	UKIP	Chris Harlow	6,188	10.9	+6.7
	Labour	Manjinder Kang	5,240	9.2	−1.5
	Green	Penny Burgess	2,626	4.6	+2.9
Majority			21,477	37.9	+14.4
Turnout			56,667	72.4	+0.9
Registered electors			78,292		+2.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+7.2

2010 general election: The Cotswolds^{[14][15] [16]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	29,075	53.0	+3.7
	Liberal Democrats	Mike Collins	16,211	29.6	+1.5
	Labour	Mark Dempsey	5,886	10.7	−7.9
	UKIP	Adrian Blake	2,292	4.2	+1.0
	Green	Kevin Lister	940	1.7	N/A
	Independent	Alex Steel	428	0.8	N/A
Majority			12,864	23.5	+2.2
Turnout			54,832	71.5	+4.2
Registered electors			76,728		+2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.1

Elections in the 2000s

2005 general election: Cotswold^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	23,326	49.3	−1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Beckerlegge	13,638	28.8	+4.6
	Labour	Mark Dempsey	8,457	17.9	−4.7
	UKIP	Richard Buckley	1,538	3.2	+0.3
	Independent	James Derieg	392	0.8	N/A
Majority			9,688	20.5	−5.6
Turnout			47,351	66.7	−0.8
Registered electors			71,039		+4.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.8

2001 general election: Cotswold^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	23,133	50.3	+4.0
	Liberal Democrats	Angela Lawrence	11,150	24.2	+1.3
	Labour	Richard Wilkins	10,383	22.6	−0.1
	UKIP	Jill Stopps	1,315	2.9	N/A
Majority			11,983	26.1	+2.7
Turnout			45,981	67.5	−8.5
Registered electors			68,157		+1.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.3

Elections in the 1990s

1997 general election: Cotswold^[19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	23,698	46.4	−8.0
	Liberal Democrats	David Gayler	11,733	22.9	−10.4
	Labour	David Elwell	11,608	22.7	+11.8
	Referendum	Rupert Lowe	3,393	6.6	−
	Green	Valerie Michael	560	1.1	−
	Natural Law	Henry Brighouse	129	0.3	−
Majority			11,965	23.4	+2.4
Turnout			51,121	75.9	−6.5
Registered electors			67,333		+5.9
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Gloucestershire

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. 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.