North Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

North Somerset is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Liam Fox, a Conservative who served as Secretary of State for International Trade, a new position in the Cabinet, from 2016 to 2019.[n 2]

North Somerset
County constituency
for the House of Commons
North Somerset in Somerset
Outline map
Location of Somerset within England
CountySomerset
Electorate78,469 (2018)[1]
Major settlementsClevedon, Nailsea and Portishead
Current constituency
Created2010
Member of ParliamentLiam Fox (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromWoodspring
1950–1983
Created fromFrome and Weston-super-Mare
Replaced byWoodspring, Wansdyke and Wells[2]
1885–1918
Created fromEast Somerset
Replaced byFrome and Weston-super-Mare

History

Earlier versions of the seat existed in 1885–1918 and 1950–1983.

First creation

Parliament passed the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 creating the larger constituency of North Somerset from the 1885 general election, which was later abolished for the 1918 general election.

Second creation

North Somerset was re-established for the 1950 general election, and abolished again for the 1983 general election.

Third creation

Following the review of parliamentary representation in the North Somerset district by the Boundary Commission for England, the former Woodspring constituency was renamed as North Somerset without substantial boundary changes.[3]

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Keynsham, Long Ashton, and Temple Cloud, and the civil parishes of Binegar, Chilcompton, and Midsomer Norton.

1950–1983: The Urban Districts of Keynsham, Norton Radstock, and Portishead, the Rural Districts of Bathavon and Clutton, and part of the Rural District of Long Ashton.

2010–present: The District of North Somerset wards of Backwell, Clevedon Central, Clevedon East, Clevedon North, Clevedon South, Clevedon Walton, Clevedon West, Clevedon Yeo, Easton-in-Gordano, Gordano, Nailsea East, Nailsea North and West, Pill, Portishead Central, Portishead Coast, Portishead East, Portishead Redcliffe Bay, Portishead South and North Weston, Portishead West, Winford, Wraxall and Long Ashton, Wrington, and Yatton.

Constituency profile

This is essentially the former Woodspring seat with a new name. A coastal strip between the Severn Estuary and the M5 motorway includes the towns of Clevedon and Portishead, while inland from the motorway is the town of Nailsea and a predominantly rural area dotted with villages. This is a fairly affluent constituency with average incomes and low proportion of unemployment claimants[4] – about a third of the population commute to work, mostly in Bristol and Bath.[5]

The Woodspring seat returned Conservative MPs, and had been held by Fox since 1992. Fox won the new constituency by nearly 14 percentage points over the Liberal Democrats in 2010, while Labour took second place in 2015 and 2017.

Members of Parliament
Year Member Party
1885Evan Henry Llewellyn Conservative
1892Courtenay Warner Liberal
1895Evan Henry Llewellyn Conservative
1906William Henry Bateman Hope Liberal
1910Joseph King Liberal
1918 constituency abolished
1950Sir Ted Leather Conservative
1964Paul Dean Conservative
1983 constituency abolished: see Woodspring
2010Liam Fox Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: North Somerset[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Liam Fox 32,801 52.9 –1.3
Labour Hannah Young 15,265 24.6 –2.0
Liberal Democrats Ashley Cartman 11,051 17.8 +8.2
Green Phil Neve 2,938 4.7 +1.5
Majority 17,536 28.3 +0.7
Turnout 62,055 77.4 +0.5
Conservative hold Swing +0.4
General election 2017: North Somerset[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Liam Fox 33,605 54.2 +0.7
Labour Greg Chambers 16,502 26.6 +12.3
Liberal Democrats Richard Foord 5,982 9.6 -3.1
Independent Donald Davies 3,929 6.3 New
Green Charley Pattison 1,976 3.2 -3.3
Majority 17,103 27.6 -11.6
Turnout 61,994 76.9 +3.3
Conservative hold Swing -5.8
General election 2015: North Somerset[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Liam Fox 31,540 53.5 +4.2
Labour Greg Chambers 8,441 14.3 +3.2
UKIP Ian Kealey[9] 7,669 13.0 +9.1
Liberal Democrats Marcus Kravis 7,486 12.7 −23.0
Green David Derbyshire 3,806 6.5 +6.5
Majority 23,099 39.2 +25.6
Turnout 58,942 73.6 −1.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 2010: North Somerset[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Liam Fox 28,549 49.3
Liberal Democrats Brian Mathew 20,687 35.7
Labour Steve Parry-Hearn 6,448 11.1
UKIP Sue Taylor 2,257 3.9
Majority 7,862 13.6
Turnout 57,941 75.0
Conservative win (new seat)

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1979: North Somerset
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dean 43,173 54.34 +9.4
Labour AJ Smith 22,122 27.85 -3.8
Liberal D Sanders 12,898 16.23 -6.7
Ecology R Carder 1,254 1.58 New
Majority 21,051 26.49 +13.26
Turnout 79,447 82.24 +1.81
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: North Somerset
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dean 32,146 44.88
Labour HR White 22,671 31.65
Liberal JM Bourne 16,428 22.93
United Democratic Party JK Polling 387 0.54 New
Majority 9,475 13.23
Turnout 71,632 80.43
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: North Somerset
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dean 34,576 46.09
Labour HR White 22,421 29.89
Liberal JM Bourne 18,023 24.02 New
Majority 12,155 16.20
Turnout 75,020 85.06
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1970: North Somerset
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dean 38,975 58.1 +11.7
Labour John T Mitchard 28,121 41.9 -0.8
Majority 10,854 16.2 +12.5
Turnout 67,096 79.1 -6.2
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1966: North Somerset
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dean 28,824 46.4 0.0
Labour Brian Tilley 26,526 42.7 +2.9
Liberal Mark E Willies 6,745 10.9 -2.9
Majority 2,298 3.7 -2.9
Turnout 62,095 85.3 -0.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1964: Somerset North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dean 27,814 46.4 -9.9
Labour DT White 23,896 39.8 -3.9
Liberal Mark E Willies 8,253 13.8 New
Majority 3,918 6.6 -6.0
Turnout 59,963 85.4 -0.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1959: Somerset North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ted Leather 30,432 56.3 +2.1
Labour E Fraser Wilde 23,649 43.7 -2.1
Majority 6,783 12.6 +4.2
Turnout 54,081 85.5 +0.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Somerset North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ted Leather 26,985 54.2 +1.8
Labour David Llewellyn 22,802 45.8 -1.8
Majority 4,183 8.4 +3.6
Turnout 54,081 85.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Somerset North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ted Leather 27,465 52.4 +6.8
Labour Robert J Hurst 24,917 47.6 +3.8
Majority 2,548 4.8 +3.0
Turnout 52,382
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1950: Somerset North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ted Leather 23,953 45.6
Labour Xenia Field 23,050 43.8
Liberal Albert Ernest Whitcher 5,573 10.6
Majority 903 1.8
Turnout 52,576 87.7
Conservative win (new seat)

Election results 1885–1918

Elections in the 1880s
Strachey
General election 1885: North Somerset[12][13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Evan Henry Llewellyn 4,170 54.4
Liberal Edward Strachey 3,491 45.6
Majority 679 8.8
Turnout 7,661 75.0
Registered electors 10,209
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: North Somerset[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Evan Henry Llewellyn 4,252 67.1 +12.7
Liberal James Dormer Marshall[15] 2,087 32.9 -12.7
Majority 2,165 34.2 +25.4
Turnout 6,339 62.1 -12.9
Registered electors 10,209
Conservative hold Swing +12.7

Elections in the 1890s
Warner
General election 1892: North Somerset[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Courtenay Warner 3,920 50.1 +17.2
Conservative Evan Henry Llewellyn 3,901 49.9 −17.2
Majority 19 0.2 N/A
Turnout 7,821 77.5 +15.4
Registered electors 10,086
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +17.2
General election 1895: North Somerset[12][13][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Evan Henry Llewellyn 4,652 54.0 +4.1
Liberal Courtenay Warner 3,966 46.0 -4.1
Majority 686 8.0 N/A
Turnout 8,618 84.4 +6.9
Registered electors 10,208
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +4.1

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: North Somerset[12][13][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Even Llewellyn 4,530 53.0 −1.0
Liberal William Hope 4,014 47.0 +1.0
Majority 516 6.0 −2.0
Turnout 8,544 80.0 −4.4
Registered electors 10,682
Conservative hold Swing −1.0
Hope
General election 1906: North Somerset[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Hope 6,626 60.2 +13.2
Conservative William Mason 4,380 39.8 -13.2
Majority 2,246 20.4 N/A
Turnout 11,006 88.9 +8.9
Registered electors 12,381
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +13.2

Elections in the 1910s
King
General election January 1910: North Somerset[12][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph King 6,568 53.2 -7.0
Conservative Frank Beachim Beauchamp 5,768 46.8 +7.0
Majority 800 6.4 -14.0
Turnout 12,336 91.4 +2.5
Liberal hold Swing -7.0
General election December 1910: North Somerset[12][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph King 6,299 53.9 +0.7
Conservative Frank Beachim Beauchamp 5,378 46.1 -0.7
Majority 921 7.8 +1.4
Turnout 11,677 86.5 -4.9
Liberal hold Swing +0.7

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

See also

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.

References
  1. "England Parliamentary electorates 2010-2018". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  2. "'Somerset North', Feb 1974 – May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  3. "FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES IN THE UNITARY AUTHORITY OF NORTH SOMERSET". Boundary Commission for England. 8 November 2000. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  4. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  5. "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
  6. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
  7. "Somerset North". BBC. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  8. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. "UK Polling Report".
  10. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. "Somerset North". BBC News. BBC. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  12. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 380. ISBN 9781349022984.
  13. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  14. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  15. "The Nomination". Shepton Mallet Journal. 9 July 1886. p. 7. Retrieved 11 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  17. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  18. Standard 21 June 1913
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