Torridge and West Devon (UK Parliament constituency)

Torridge and West Devon is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Geoffrey Cox, a Conservative.[n 2]

Torridge and West Devon
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Torridge and West Devon in Devon
Location of Devon within England
CountyDevon
Electorate77,417 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsBideford, Great Torrington, Holsworthy and Tavistock
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentGeoffrey Cox (Conservative)
Number of membersOne
Created fromDevon West and Devon North[2]

Boundaries

1983–1997: The District of Torridge, and the Borough of West Devon.

1997–2010: The District of Torridge, and the Borough of West Devon except the ward of Buckland Monachorum.

2010–present: The District of Torridge, and the Borough of West Devon wards of Bere Ferrers, Bridestowe, Buckland Monachorum, Burrator, Lydford, Mary Tavy, Milton Ford, Tamarside, Tavistock North, Tavistock South, Tavistock South West, Thrushel, and Walkham.

Before the 2010 general election, the constituency comprised Torridge District and almost all of West Devon District. However, in the redistribution of that year, when the number of seats in the county rose from 11 to 12, the town of Okehampton and scattered small settlements surrounding it transferred to the new Central Devon seat.[3]

The constituency area contains the former borough constituencies of Bere Alston (abolished 1832, settlement part of Bere Ferrers) and Tavistock (abolished 1885).

History

The constituency was created in 1983, largely from the abolished West Devon seat, but with additions then and later from North Devon which was formed in 1950.

Political history

The seat unusually saw its second member, who attained the second absolute majority in its history, a Conservative, defect or "cross the floor" in 1995 to the Liberal Democrats (Emma Nicholson) — she was appointed after the subsequent election to the Lords.

The seat was then won by that party's candidate for the next Parliament John Burnett (LD). He also was elevated to a peerage, and in losing incumbency, the seat yielded to Geoffrey Cox who attained a majority of 3,236 votes in 2005. In 2010 he won with a majority of 2,957, boundary changes making the reduced majority notionally a 0.2% swing from the Liberal Democrats - compared with a 2.3% swing between the two parties nationally.

In 2015 the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed and they came third behind UKIP and the Conservatives. Geoffrey Cox was elected with an absolute majority.

In 2017 the absence of UKIP saw Labour come second behind the Conservatives. Geoffrey Cox further increased the size of his absolute majority, which became the largest in Devon and Cornwall.

In 2019, Geoffrey Cox was re-elected with 60.1% of the vote and a majority of 24,992 (41.8%), the highest vote share ever recorded in the seat and, once again, the largest majority in Devon and Cornwall.

Constituency profile

The economy of the area is dominated by sectors such as agriculture, food processing, defence, hospitality, construction, maintenance and engineering and from Bideford and Northam a small amount of fishing; it also includes tourism, such as the island of Lundy, and sandy resort of Westward Ho!, to the small, centrally pedestrianised, cobbled, museum-dotted village of Clovelly. Great Torrington and Buckland Monachorum are among the archetypal rural villages, in an area with tranquil retreats, relatively close to the edge of Dartmoor.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[4]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[5] Party
1983Peter MillsConservative
1987Emma NicholsonConservative
1995Liberal Democrat
1997John BurnettLiberal Democrat
2005Geoffrey CoxConservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Torridge and West Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Geoffrey Cox 35,904 60.1 +3.6
Liberal Democrats David Chalmers 10,912 18.3 +0.6
Labour Siobhan Strode 10,290 17.2 -4.5
Green Chris Jordan 2,077 3.5 +0.8
Independent Bob Wootton 547 0.9 N/A
Majority 24,992 41.8 +7.0
Turnout 59,730 74.8 +0.8
Conservative hold Swing
General election 2017: Torridge and West Devon[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Geoffrey Cox 33,612 56.5 +5.6
Labour Co-op Vince Barry 12,926 21.7 +11.1
Liberal Democrats David Chalmers 10,526 17.7 +4.5
Green Chris Jordan 1,622 2.7 -4.3
Independent Robin Julian 794 1.3 N/A
Majority 20,686 34.8 +2.3
Turnout 59,616 74.0 +1.8
Conservative hold Swing -2.4
General election 2015: Torridge and West Devon[8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Geoffrey Cox 28,774 50.9 +5.2
UKIP Derek Sargent 10,371 18.3 +12.8
Liberal Democrats Paula Dolphin 7,483 13.2 −27.1
Labour Mike Sparling 6,015 10.6 +5.2
Green Cathrine Simmons 3,941 7.0 +5.1
Majority 18,403 32.5 +28.1
Turnout 56,786 72.2 +0.8
Conservative hold Swing
General election 2010: Torridge and West Devon[10][11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Geoffrey Cox 25,230 45.7 +3.4
Liberal Democrats Adam Symons 22,273 40.3 +3.4
UKIP Robin Julian 3,021 5.5 −0.9
Labour Darren Jones 2,917 5.3 −5.3
Green Cathrine Simmons 1,050 1.9 −2.0
BNP Nick Baker 766 1.4 N/A
Majority 2,957 5.4 -0.1
Turnout 55,257 71.4 +0.2
Conservative hold Swing 0.0

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: Torridge and West Devon[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Geoffrey Cox 25,013 42.7 +2.7
Liberal Democrats David Walter 21,777 37.2 −5.0
Labour Rebecca Richards 6,001 10.2 −0.5
UKIP Matthew Jackson 3,790 6.5 +1.7
Green Peter Christie 2,003 3.4 +1.1
Majority 3,236 5.5 N/A
Turnout 58,584 70.2 −0.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +3.9
General election 2001: Torridge and West Devon[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats John Burnett 23,474 42.2 +0.3
Conservative Geoffrey Cox 22,280 40.0 +1.5
Labour David Brenton 5,959 10.7 −1.7
UKIP Bob Edwards 2,674 4.8 +1.7
Green Martin Quinn 1,297 2.3 N/A
Majority 1,194 2.2 -1.1
Turnout 55,684 70.5 −7.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s
General election 1997: Torridge and West Devon[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats John Burnett 24,744 41.8 +0.3
Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger 22,787 38.5 -8.8
Labour David Brenton 7,319 12.4 +2.8
Referendum Roger Lea 1,946 3.3 N/A
UKIP Matthew Jackson 1,841 3.1 N/A
Liberal Michael Pithouse 508 0.9 N/A
Majority 1,957 3.3 N/A
Turnout 59,148 77.9 -1.6
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
General election 1992: Torridge and West Devon[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Emma Nicholson 29,627 47.3 −3.0
Liberal Democrats David McBride 26,013 41.5 +2.3
Labour David Brenton 5,997 9.6 +1.1
Green Frank Williamson 898 1.4 −0.6
Natural Law David Collins 141 0.2 N/A
Majority 3,614 5.8 −5.3
Turnout 62,676 81.5 +2.8
Conservative hold Swing −2.6

Elections in the 1980s
General election 1987: Torridge and West Devon[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Emma Nicholson 29,484 50.3 −7.7
Liberal John Burnett 23,016 39.2 +4.2
Labour David Brenton 4,990 8.5 +1.9
Green Frank Williamson 1,168 2.0 N/A
Majority 6,468 11.1 -11.9
Turnout 58,658 78.7 +2.7
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Torridge and West Devon[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Peter Mills 31,156 58.0 N/A
Liberal Victor Howell 18,805 35.0 N/A
Labour William Tupman 3,531 6.6 N/A
Independent Michael Beale 116 0.2 N/A
Wessex Regionalist Henrietta Rous 113 0.2 N/A
Majority 12,351 23.0 N/A
Turnout 53,721 76.0 N/A
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references
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. "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. "'Devon West and Torridge', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  3. "2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England" (PDF).
  4. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  5. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
  6. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
  7. "Devon West & Torridge parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. "Devon West & Torridge constituency – Election 2015". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  10. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll: Torridge and West Devon" (PDF). West Devon Borough Council. 2010-04-20. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  12. "BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Devon West & Torridge". BBC News.
  13. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/constit/317.htm
  17. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  19. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
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