South West Devon

South West Devon
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries since 2024
Map of constituency within South West England
CountyDevon
Electorate75,731 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsPlympton, Plymstock and Ivybridge
Current constituency
Member of ParliamentRebecca Smith (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromPlymouth Sutton, South Hams

South West Devon is a constituency[n 1] represented by Rebecca Smith, a Conservative, since 2024. [n 2]

Constituency profile

Plympton

South West Devon is a constituency in Devon in South West England, covering parts of the City of Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon districts. It includes the Plymouth suburbs of Plympton and Plymstock, the town of Ivybridge and the villages of Yelverton and Yealmpton.

Plympton and Plymstock serve as commuter suburbs for Plymouth and are both located around 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the city centre. Plymstock was a rural area that was developed for housing after World War II, whilst Plympton was traditionally an important stannary town and seaport in its own right. Both suburbs are affluent and consist mostly of semi-detached housing.[2][3] The rest of the constituency is rural and covers an area of rolling hills and small villages between the upland moors of Dartmoor and the English Channel coast. This area has a history of kaolinite and tin mining and has average levels of wealth.[2] Like Plymstock, Ivybridge is a rural settlement which experienced rapid suburban expansion in the late 20th century. House prices across the constituency are generally lower than the regional and UK averages.[4]

South West Devon has a low proportion of young adults and a large retired population.[5] Residents have above-average rates of income, high levels of homeownership,[4] and the child poverty rate is low.[6] They have average levels of education and a high proportion work in the retail, manufacturing and agriculture sectors.[4][7] The percentage claiming unemployment benefits is around half the UK-wide rate.[6] White people made up 98% of the population at the 2021 census.[8]

At the local council level, Ivybridge and the rural areas are mostly represented by Liberal Democrats, Plymstock by the Labour Party and Plympton by independents. An estimated 55% of voters in South West Devon supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, marginally higher than the UK-wide figure of 52%.[4]

Boundaries

1997–2010: The District of South Hams wards of Bickleigh and Shaugh, Brixton, Charterlands, Cornwood and Harford, Erme Valley, Ivybridge, Modbury, Newton and Noss, Sparkwell, Ugborough, Wembury, and Yealmpton, the City of Plymouth wards of Plympton Erle, Plympton St Mary, Plymstock Dunstone, and Plymstock Radford, and the Borough of West Devon ward of Buckland Monachorum.

2010–2024: The District of South Hams wards of Bickleigh and Shaugh, Charterlands, Cornwood and Sparkwell, Erme Valley, Ivybridge Central, Ivybridge Filham, Ivybridge Woodlands, Newton and Noss, Wembury and Brixton, and Yealmpton, and the City of Plymouth wards of Plympton Chaddlewood, Plympton Erle, Plympton St Mary, Plymstock Dunstone, and Plymstock Radford.

The constituency is a south-western portion of Devon and includes the easternmost part of the city of Plymouth, namely the suburban small towns of Plympton (which as the borough constituency of Plympton Erle returned its own MPs until the Reform Act 1832 abolished the seat as a 'rotten borough') and Plymstock which are so close as to be contiguous with the city's eastern parts, as well as the town of Ivybridge and much of the South Hams. Its landscape includes the edge of Dartmoor and a southern coastline.

2024-present: Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 general election, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The City of Plymouth wards of: Plympton Chaddlewood; Plympton Erle; Plympton St. Mary; Plymstock Dunstone; Plymstock Radford.
  • The District of South Hams wards of: Bickleigh & Cornwood; Ermington & Ugborough; Ivybridge East; Ivybridge West; Newton & Yealmpton; Wembury & Brixton; Woolwell.
  • The Borough of West Devon wards of: Buckland Monachorum; Burrator.[9]

Minor changes including the gain of the two West Devon Borough wards from Torridge and West Devon and the loss of the Charterlands ward in the east to the newly named constituency of South Devon.

History

The areas covered in the seat were previously served by the South Hams and Plymouth Sutton seats. Both seats had been represented by the Conservative Party, and Gary Streeter, who became the first MP for the new constituency in 1997, had been MP for Plymouth Sutton from 1992 until 1997.

Members of Parliament

Election Member[10] Party
1997 Gary Streeter Conservative
2024 Rebecca Smith Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: South West Devon[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rebecca Smith 17,916 34.3 −28.3
Labour Sarah Allen 15,804 30.3 +8.9
Reform Stephen Horner 9,361 17.9 N/A
Liberal Democrats Julian Brazil 5,551 10.6 −1.5
Green Lauren McLay 2,925 5.6 +1.7
Independent Alan Spencer 438 0.8 N/A
TUSC Ben Davy 141 0.3 N/A
Heritage Darryl Ingram 106 0.2 N/A
Majority 2,112 4.0 −36.2
Turnout 52,242 66.5 −7.9
Registered electors 77,600
Conservative hold Swing −18.6

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[13]
Party Vote %
Conservative35,10262.6
Labour12,01221.4
Liberal Democrats6,80712.1
Green2,1793.9
Turnout 56,100 74.4
Electorate 75,371
General election 2019: South West Devon[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Streeter 33,286 62.4 +2.6
Labour Alex Beverley 11,856 22.2 −7.7
Liberal Democrats Sima Davarian 6,207 11.6 +6.4
Green Ian Poyser 2,018 3.8 +1.7
Majority 21,430 40.2 +10.3
Turnout 53,367 73.6 −0.4
Registered electors 72,535
Conservative hold Swing +5.15
General election 2017: South West Devon[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Streeter 31,634 59.8 +3.2
Labour Co-op Philippa Davey 15,818 29.9 +13.2
Liberal Democrats Caroline Voaden 2,732 5.2 −2.3
UKIP Ian Ross 1,540 2.9 −11.6
Green Win Scutt 1,133 2.1 −2.7
Majority 15,816 29.9 −10.0
Turnout 52,857 74.0 +3.1
Conservative hold Swing −5.0
General election 2015: South West Devon[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Streeter 28,500 56.6 +0.6
Labour Chaz Singh 8,391 16.7 +4.3
UKIP Robin Julian 7,306 14.5 +8.3
Liberal Democrats Tom Davies 3,767 7.5 −16.6
Green Win Scutt 2,408 4.8 +3.5
Majority 20,109 39.9 +8.0
Turnout 50,372 70.9 −0.3
Conservative hold Swing +0.6
General election 2010: South West Devon[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Streeter 27,908 56.0 +11.6
Liberal Democrats Anna Pascoe 12,034 24.1 +0.3
Labour Luke Pollard 6,193 12.4 −11.8
UKIP Hugh Williams 3,084 6.2 −1.3
Green Vaughan Brean 641 1.3 N/A
Majority 15,874 31.9 +11.2
Turnout 49,860 71.2 +2.9
Conservative hold Swing +5.6

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: South West Devon[19][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Streeter 21,906 44.8 −2.0
Liberal Democrats Judy Evans 11,765 24.1 +5.7
Labour Christopher Mavin 11,545 23.6 −8.0
UKIP Hugh Williams 3,669 7.5 +4.3
Majority 10,141 20.7 +5.5
Turnout 48,885 68.6 +2.5
Conservative hold Swing −3.8
General election 2001: South West Devon[21][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Streeter 21,970 46.8 +3.9
Labour Christopher Mavin 14,826 31.6 +2.7
Liberal Democrats Phil Hutty 8,616 18.4 −5.4
UKIP Roger Bullock 1,492 3.2 +2.3
Majority 7,144 15.2 +1.2
Turnout 46,904 66.1 −10.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: South West Devon[22][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Streeter 22,659 42.9
Labour Christopher Mavin 15,262 28.9
Liberal Democrats Keith Baldry 12,542 23.8
Referendum Robert Saddler 1,668 3.2
UKIP H.M. King 491 0.9
Natural Law Jon Hyde 159 0.3
Majority 7,397 14.0
Turnout 52,781 76.2
Conservative win (new seat)

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. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Accommodation type - Census Maps, ONS". ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Seat Details - Devon South West". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Constituency data: Population, by age". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Constituency dashboard". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
  10. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
  11. ↑ South West Devon
  12. ↑ "UK Parliamentary General Election Results". Plymouth City Council. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  13. ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  14. ↑ "Devon South West Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  15. ↑ "2017 general election candidates in Devon". Devon Live. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
  16. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "South West Devon results 2010". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  19. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 "South West Devon". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  21. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

50°23′42″N 3°59′31″W / 50.395°N 3.992°W / 50.395; -3.992

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.