The county of Somerset is currently divided into 5 parliamentary constituencies, which are all county constituencies.

Constituencies

  † Conservative   ‡ Labour   ¤ Liberal Democrat

Constituency[nb 1] Electorate[1] Majority[2][nb 2] Member of Parliament[2] Nearest opposition[2] Electoral wards[3][4] Map
Bridgwater and West Somerset CC 85,327 24,439   Ian Liddell-Grainger†   Oliver Thornton Sedgemoor District Council: Bridgwater Bower, Bridgwater Eastover, Bridgwater Hamp, Bridgwater Quantock, Bridgwater Sydenham, Bridgwater Victoria, Cannington and Quantocks, East Poldens, Huntspill and Pawlett, King's Isle, North Petherton, Puriton, Sandford, West Poldens, Woolavington. West Somerset District Council: Alcombe East, Alcombe West, Aville Vale, Brompton Ralph and Haddon, Carhampton and Withycombe, Crowcombe and Stogumber, Dulverton and Brushford, Dunster, Exmoor, Minehead North, Minehead South, Old Cleeve, Porlock and District, Quantock Vale, Quarme, Watchet, West Quantock, Williton.
Somerton and Frome CC 85,866 19,217   Sarah Dyke¤   Faye Purbrick Mendip District Council: Beacon, Beckington and Rode, Coleford, Creech, Frome Berkley Down, Frome Fromefield, Frome Keyford, Frome Park, Frome Welshmill, Mells, Nordinton, Postlebury, Stratton, Vale. South Somerset District Council: Blackmoor Vale, Bruton, Burrow Hill, Camelot, Cary, Curry Rivel, Islemoor, Langport and Huish, Martock, Milborne Port, Northstone, Tower, Turn Hill, Wessex, Wincanton.
Taunton Deane CC 88,676 11,700   Rebecca Pow†   Gideon Amos Taunton Deane Borough Council: Bishop's Hull, Bishop's Lydeard, Blackdown, Bradford-on-Tone, Comeytrowe, Milverton and North Deane, Monument, Neroche, North Curry, Norton Fitzwarren, Ruishton and Creech, Staplegrove, Stoke St.Gregory, Taunton Blackbrook and Holway, Taunton Eastgate, Taunton Fairwater, Taunton Halcon, Taunton Killams and Mountfield, Taunton Lyngford, Taunton Manor and Wilton, Taunton Pyrland and Rowbarton, Trull, Wellington East, Wellington North, Wellington Rockwell Green and West, West Monkton, Wiveliscombe and West Deane.
Wells CC 84,124 9,991   James Heappey†   Tessa Munt Mendip District Council: Ashwick and Ston Easton, Avalon, Chilcompton, Glastonbury St Benedict's, Glastonbury St Edmund's, Glastonbury St John's, Glastonbury St Mary's, Knowle, Moor, Nedge, Pylcombe, Rodney and Priddy, St Cuthbert (Out) North and West, Shepton East, Shepton West, Street North, Street South, Street West, Wells Central, Wells St Cuthbert's, Wells St Thomas’. Sedgemoor District Council: Axbridge, Axe Vale, Berrow, Brent North, Burnham North, Burnham South, Cheddar and Shipham, Highbridge, Knoll, Wedmore and Mark.
Yeovil CC 82,468 16,181   Marcus Fysh†   Mick Clark South Somerset District Council: Blackdown, Brympton, Chard Avishayes, Chard Combe, Chard Crimchard, Chard Holyrood, Chard Jocelyn, Coker, Crewkerne, Eggwood, Hamdon, Ilminster, Ivelchester, Neroche, Parrett, St Michael's, South Petherton, Tatworth and Forton, Windwhistle, Yeovil Central, Yeovil East, Yeovil South, Yeovil West, Yeovil Without.

2010 boundary changes

Under the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England decided to retain Somerset's constituencies for the 2010 election, making minor changes to realign constituency boundaries with the boundaries of current local government wards, and to reduce the electoral disparity between constituencies. In two cases the changes meant that the constituencies were renamed.[5]

Former nameBoundaries 1997-2010New nameBoundaries 2010–present
  1. Bridgwater CC
  2. Somerton and Frome CC
  3. Taunton CC
  4. Wells CC
  5. Yeovil CC
Parliamentary constituencies in Somerset
Parliamentary constituencies in Somerset
  1. West Somerset CC
  2. Somerton and Frome CC
  3. Taunton Deane CC
  4. Wells CC
  5. Yeovil CC
Proposed Revision
Proposed Revision

Proposed boundary changes

Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commission for England formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021.[6] Initial proposals were published on 8 June 2021 and, following two periods of public consultation, revised proposals were published on 8 November 2022. The final proposals were published on 28 June 2023.

The commission has proposed that Somerset be combined with Avon and Devon as a sub-region of the South West Region, resulting in significant change to the existing pattern of constituencies. In Somerset, only the constituency of Yeovil retains its name with relatively minor changes. The proposals include the cross-county boundary constituencies of Frome and East Somerset, Wells and the Mendips, and Tiverton and Minehead.[7][8]

The following seats are proposed:

Containing electoral wards from Mendip

Containing electoral wards from Sedgemoor

Containing electoral wards from Somerset West and Taunton

Containing electoral wards from South Somerset

  • Glastonbury and Somerton (part)
  • Yeovil

1Also contains electoral wards in the District of Bath and North East Somerset

2Also contains electoral wards in the District of North Somerset

3Also contains electoral wards in the Devon District of Mid Devon

Constituencies as of the 2023 Boundary Review

Below shows the final proposals recommended by the Boundary Commission for England and due to be enacted for the next general election.

Current nameBoundaries 2010–presentProposed nameProposed boundaries
  1. Bridgwater and West Somerset CC
  2. Somerton and Frome CC
  3. Taunton Deane CC
  4. Wells CC
  5. Yeovil CC
Proposed Revision
Proposed Revision
  1. Bridgwater CC
  2. Glastonbury and Somerton CC
  3. Taunton and Wellington CC
  4. Wells and Mendip Hills CC
  5. Yeovil CC
  6. Frome and East Somerset CC
  7. Tiverton and Minehead CC
Parliamentary constituencies in Somerset
Parliamentary constituencies in Somerset
Constituency[nb 3] Electorate Electoral wards Map
Bridgwater CC 71,418
Frome and East Somerset CC 70,177
Glastonbury and Somerton CC 70,015
Taunton and Wellington CC 76,059
Tiverton and Minehead CC 70,829
Wells and Mendip Hills CC 69,843
Yeovil CC 76,056

Results history

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019[9]

2019

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Somerset in the 2019 general election were as follows:

Party Votes % Change from 2017 Seats Change from 2017
Conservative 174,145 56.7% Increase2.8% 5 0
Liberal Democrats 89,038 29.0% Increase3.6% 0 0
Labour 32,522 10.6% Decrease6.4% 0 0
Greens 6,801 2.2% Increase0.4% 0 0
Others 4,600 1.5% Decrease0.4% 0 0
Total 307,106 100.0 5

Percentage votes

Note that before 1983 Somerset was analysed under its Ceremonial definition (including the southern part of what became analysed at boundary reviews as Avon, see Avon's list of seats).

Election year 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974(F) 1974(O) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019
Conservative 61.5 51.1 47.4 52.9 45.4 66.6 55.4 45.5 47.0 55.0 54.8 51.4 45.9 45.8 53.2 44.7 43.8 52.3 51.2 50.6 45.3 36.5 40.9 41.4 41.5 47.2 53.9 56.7
Labour 24.3 19.3 10.6 16.6 22.3 19.7 25.4 39.8 38.3 43.2 40.6 34.4 33.3 38.1 35.0 27.0 28.6 24.0 11.7 11.7 12.9 17.4 16.5 14.9 7.7 9.5 17.0 10.6
Liberal Democrat1 13.5 29.6 42.0 30.5 32.3 13.7 19.2 8.8 12.7 1.8 4.6 14.2 20.2 16.1 11.6 28.1 26.9 22.7 37.0 37.6 40.2 40.6 39.6 40.1 45.1 23.9 25.4 29.0
Green Party - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * 0.5 5.3 1.8 2.2
UKIP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * 3.7 12.9 1.2 *
Other 0.8 - - - - - - 5.9 2.0 - - - 0.7 - 0.2 0.2 0.6 1.0 0.1 - 1.5 5.4 2.9 3.6 1.4 1.2 0.7 1.5

1pre-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987: SDP-Liberal Alliance

* Included in Other

Seats

Election year 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974(F) 1974(O) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019
Conservative 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 4 4 4 2 3 2 1 5 5 5
Liberal Democrat1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 2 3 4 0 0 0
Total 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

1885-1910

1918-1945

1950-1979

1983-present

Historical representation by party

A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

1885 to 1918 (10 MPs)

  Conservative   Liberal   Liberal Unionist

Constituency 1885 1886 87 1892 1895 96 99 1900 1906 09 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 11 12 18
Bath Blaine Laurie Murray Maclean A. Thynne Foxcroft
Wodehouse → Gooch Hunter
Bridgwater Stanley Montgomery Sanders
Frome Baker T. Thynne Barlow T. Thynne Barlow
Somerset Eastern Hobhouse → Thompson Jardine →
Somerset Northern Llewellyn Warner Llewellyn Hope King
Somerset Southern Lambart Strachey Herbert
Taunton S. Allsopp A. Allsopp Welby Boyle Peel Wills
Wellington Dyke Acland Elton Fuller-Acland-Hood Boles
Wells Paget Jolliffe Dickinson Silcock Sandys

1918 to 1950 (7 MPs)

  Common Wealth   Conservative   Independent Progressive   Labour   Liberal

Constituency 1918 21 1922 23 1923 1924 29 1929 1931 34 1935 38 39 42 1945
Bath Foxcroft Raffety Foxcroft Baillie-Hamilton Guinness Pitman
Bridgwater Sanders Morse Wood Croom-Johnson Bartlett → →
Frome Hurd Gould Peto Gould Thynne Tate Farthing
Taunton Boles Griffith-Boscawen Simpson Gault Wickham Collins
Wells Greer Bruford Hobhouse Sanders Muirhead Boles
Weston-super-Mare Wills Erskine Murrell Erskine Orr-Ewing
Yeovil Herbert Davies Kingsmill

1950 to 1983 (7 MPs)

  Conservative

Constituency 1950 1951 1955 56 58 1959 1964 1966 69 70 1970 Feb 74 Oct 74 1979
Bath Pitman Brown Patten
Bridgwater Wills King
Somerset North Leather Dean
Taunton Hopkinson du Cann
Wells Boles Maydon Boscawen
Weston-super-Mare Orr-Ewing Webster Wiggin
Yeovil Kingsmill Peyton

1983 to present (5 MPs)

  Conservative   Liberal   Liberal Democrats

Constituency 1983 1987 88 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 23
Bridgwater / Bridgwater and West Somerset (2010-) King Liddell-Grainger
Somerton and Frome Boscawen Robinson Heath Warburton Dyke
Taunton / Taunton Deane (2010-) du Cann Nicholson Ballard Flook Browne Pow
Wells Heathcoat-Amory Munt Heappey
Yeovil Ashdown → Laws Fysh

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.
  2. ↑ The majority is the number of votes the winning candidate receives more than their nearest rival.
  3. ↑ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.

References

  1. ↑ Baker, Carl; Uberoi, Elise; Cracknell, Richard (28 January 2020). "General Election 2019: full results and analysis". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  3. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, page 4". Office of Public Sector Information. Crown copyright. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  4. ↑ Boundary Commission for England pp. 1004–1007
  5. ↑ "New Parliamentary Constituencies for England SN/PC/04297" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 5 November 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  6. ↑ "2023 Review". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  7. ↑ Mumby, Daniel (9 June 2021). "First glimpse of new general election battle lines". SomersetLive. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Paras 1127-1178. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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