County Oxfordshire European Parliament constituency South East England Member of parliament Nicola Blackwood Replaced by Oxford, Abingdon | Electorate 78,404 (December 2014) Founded 1983 Number of members 1 Created from Oxford, Abingdon | |
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Major settlements Abingdon, Kidlington, Oxford (5 wards), Radley | ||
Oxford West and Abingdon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Nicola Blackwood, a Conservative.
Contents
History
The constituency was created in 1983 by the division of the former constituency of Oxford. Abingdon had its own seat prior to 1983.
The former Conservative Minister John Patten, MP for Oxford from 1979, won the West seat on its creation and remained the MP until he retired in 1997 when the seat was gained by a Liberal Democrat, Dr Evan Harris, who held the seat until the 2010 General Election, when it was gained by Conservative MP Nicola Blackwood in the one of the most marginal results of that election.
Constituency profile
The constituency includes the town of Abingdon, the village of Kidlington, and the western and northern parts of the city of Oxford, as well as a minority of the colleges of the University of Oxford. At the end of 2010 unemployment was the fifth lowest of the 84 South East constituencies (measure used: claimant count), at 1.2% compared to a mean of 2.45%.
Boundaries
1983-1997: The District of Vale of White Horse wards of Abbey, Caldecott, Cumnor, Fitzharris, Hinksey, Kennington, Northcourt, Ock, Radley, St Helen Without, and Sunningwell and Wootton, and the City of Oxford wards of Central, Cherwell, North, South, West, and Wolvercote.
1997-2010: The District of Vale of White Horse wards of Abbey, Caldecott, Cumnor, Fitzharris, Hinksey, Kennington, Northcourt, Ock, Radley, St Helen Without, and Sunningwell and Wootton, the City of Oxford wards of Central, Cherwell, North, West, and Wolvercote, and the District of Cherwell wards of Gosford, North West Kidlington, and South East Kidlington.
2010-present: The District of Vale of White Horse wards of Abingdon Abbey and Barton, Abingdon Caldecott, Abingdon Dunmore, Abingdon Fitzharris, Abingdon Northcourt, Abingdon Ock Meadow, Abingdon Peachcroft, Appleton and Cumnor, Kennington and South Hinksey, North Hinksey and Wytham, Radley, and Sunningwell and Wootton, the City of Oxford wards of Jericho and Osney, North, St Margaret's, Summertown, and Wolvercote, and the District of Cherwell wards of Kidlington North, Kidlington South, and Yarnton, Gosford and Water Eaton.