Cheltenham (UK Parliament constituency)


Cheltenham is a constituency in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1832. As with all constituencies, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election at least every five years. Since 2024, its MP has been Max Wilkinson of the Liberal Democrats.

Constituency profile

The constituency is located in Gloucestershire and covers most of the large town of Cheltenham. Cheltenham is a historic spa town and popular tourist location; it is known for its Regency architecture, its location at the edge of the Cotswolds and its regular cultural events including the literature, jazz and horse racing festivals. GCHQ, the United Kingdom's intelligence agency, is headquartered in the town, and GE Aerospace is also a large employer, meaning the town has a high proportion of skilled professionals. The town contains some deprivation and council housing in Whaddon and Hesters Way, however large parts of the town fall within the 10% least-deprived areas in England.
Compared to national averages, residents are wealthy and well-educated. White people make up 91% of the population. At the local council level, almost all of the town's seats are represented by Liberal Democrats. Voters in Cheltenham showed strong support for remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, an estimated 58% voted to remain compared to 48% nationally.

Boundaries and boundary changes

The constituency is based on the town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, covering a different, slightly smaller area than the borough of the same name. It is bordered by the Tewkesbury and North Cotswolds seats.
1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the parish of Charlton Kings as lay to the north of the railway from Cheltenham to Banbury.
1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Cheltenham and the Urban District of Charlton Kings.
1950–1983: As 1918 but with redrawn boundaries.
1983–1997: The Borough of Cheltenham, and the Borough of Tewkesbury wards of Leckhampton with Up Hatherley, Prestbury St Mary's, and Prestbury St Nicolas.
1997–2010: The Borough of Cheltenham wards of All Saints, Charlton Kings, College, Hatherley and The Reddings, Hesters Way, Lansdown, Park, Pittville, St Mark's, St Paul's, and St Peter's.
2010–2024: The Borough of Cheltenham wards of All Saints, Battledown, Benhall and The Reddings1, Charlton Kings, Charlton Park, College, Hesters Way, Lansdown, Leckhampton, Oakley, Park, Pittville, St Mark's, St Paul's, St Peter's, Springbank, Up Hatherley, and Warden Hill.
2024–present: As above minus Springbank ward.
1 Renamed Benhall, The Reddings & Fiddler's Green by a local government boundary review which became effective in May 2024.

History

Cheltenham borough constituency was created in the Great Reform Act 1832 and has returned ten Liberals and ten Conservatives to Parliament since that time, along with one independent.
A Conservative served the constituency from 1950 until 1992. The Conservatives' campaign in the 1992 general election following the Poll Tax riots saw a local party member make racist remarks about their own candidate, John Taylor, who was of Afro-Caribbean descent. Taylor lost the election to Nigel Jones of the Liberal Democrats.
In 2000, Jones was nearly murdered in a horrific incident at one of his MP's surgeries; a man attacked him and an assistant with a samurai sword. His colleague Andrew Pennington was killed in the attack. Jones was made a life peer in 2005.
The Liberal Democrats held Cheltenham in the 2005 election when Martin Horwood won the election, and again in 2010, but lost when Conservative Alex Chalk retook the seat in 2015. Chalk held on to the seat in 2017 and 2019, albeit with small majorities, but lost to Max Wilkinson when the Liberal Democrats regained the seat at the 2024 general election.

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

In 2019, Cheltenham was one of five English constituencies, the others being Esher and Walton, Westmorland and Lonsdale, Winchester and East Devon, where Labour failed to obtain over 5% of the vote and lost their deposit.

Election in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1914–15:
A general election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election.
Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place.

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1840s

  • Election declared void on petition due to "acts of corruption"
  • Election declared void on petition due to bribery