Swindon South
2010 Results:
Conservative: 19687 (41.78%)
Labour: 16143 (34.26%)
Liberal Democrat: 8305 (17.63%)
UKIP: 2029 (4.31%)
Green: 619 (1.31%)
Christian: 176 (0.37%)
Independent: 160 (0.34%)
Majority: 3544 (7.52%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 17277 (40.5%)
Conservative: 15712 (36.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 7261 (17%)
Other: 2400 (5.6%)
Majority: 1565 (3.7%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 16181 (37.2%)
Labour: 17534 (40.3%)
Liberal Democrat: 7322 (16.8%)
Green: 1234 (2.8%)
UKIP: 955 (2.2%)
Other: 246 (0.6%)
Majority: 1353 (3.1%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 14919 (34.4%)
Labour: 22260 (51.3%)
Liberal Democrat: 5165 (11.9%)
UKIP: 713 (1.6%)
Other: 327 (0.8%)
Majority: 7341 (16.9%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 18298 (35.8%)
Labour: 23943 (46.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 7371 (14.4%)
Referendum: 1273 (2.5%)
Other: 277 (0.5%)
Majority: 5645 (11%)
Boundary changes: Minor. Loses small parts of Blunsdon and Covingham & Nythe to
Profile: Like Ashford in Kent, Swindon is a railway town – in the case of Swindon it expanded after the foundation of the Great Western Railway works here by Brunel, and for most of the twentieth century they remained the major employer in Swindon before their final closure in the 1980s. Industry remains important – several industrial estates in the town include a BMW plant (in Swindon North), a Honda plant just north-east of the town, Motorola and Intel plants. Swindon South was also home to the collapsed Christmas hamper savings company Farepak.
With economic expansion has come population growth, with Swindon being split into two seats in 1997. Swindon South is the marginally more Conservative seat, with lots of the new privately build housing and more rural areas like the town of Wroughton, whose former RAF base is now home of the Science Museum`s storage depot, and villages like Hinton Parva, Overtown, Liddington and South Marston (actually to the North-East of Swindon itself, as the constituency boundary stretches up the eastern side of the town).
Current MP: Robert Buckland (Conservative) born 1968, Llanelli. Educated at St Michaels School, Bryn and Durham University. Barrister specialising in criminal law and planning. Contested Swindon South in 2005.
Robert Buckland (Conservative) born 1968, Llanelli. Educated at St Michaels School, Bryn and Durham University. Barrister specialising in criminal law and planning. Contested Swindon South in 2005.
Anne Snelgrove(Labour) born 1957, Wokingham. Educated at Ranelagh School and City University London. Schoolteacher. Contested Bracknell in 2001. First elected as MP for Swindon South in 2005. PPS to Patricia Hewitt (more information at They work for you)
Damon Hooton (Liberal Democrat)
Jenni Miles (Green) Robin Tingey (UKIP) Alastair Kirk (Christian Party) Karsten Evans (Independent)2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 92651
Male: 49.8%
Female: 50.2%
Under 18: 23.7%
Over 60: 17.2%
Born outside UK: 9.1%
White: 93.9%
Black: 1%
Asian: 2.9%
Mixed: 1.3%
Other: 0.9%
Christian: 67.9%
Hindu: 0.7%
Muslim: 1.5%
Sikh: 0.6%
Full time students: 2.4%
Graduates 16-74: 18.6%
No Qualifications 16-74: 25.6%
Owner-Occupied: 70.7%
Social Housing: 17.8% (Council: 13.3%, Housing Ass.: 4.5%)
Privately Rented: 8.2%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 10%
Cllr Short has defected to UKIP here. He was sitting as an Independent, but elected as a Conservative.
In locals for Swindon Borough (full election as boundary changes) there is a Monster Raving Loomy Party candidate standing for Shaw Ward. Carl James Morecroft.
I didn’t realise there were all-out elections here. That makes it a very important election for Labour to do well in.
I only realised their were boundary changes this week as well Barnaby.
I think Swindon should really be expected to be held by the Tories with a single figure majority. But its always one that Labour could take outright on all out elections, so it will be a fascinating council.
Of course to be able to say that they’re really doing well, Labour would need to win it with a majority in the 15-20 mark. That would take them back to the sort of results they used to get in Swindon when they were LOSING general elections!