Preserved county South Glamorgan European Parliament constituency Wales Number of members 1 Replaced by Barry, Pontypridd | Electorate 71,585 (December 2010) Member of parliament Alun Cairns Welsh assembly South Wales Central Created from Barry, Pontypridd | |
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Major settlements Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Llantwit Major, Cowbridge | ||
Vale of Glamorgan (Welsh: Bro Morgannwg) is a county constituency in South Wales, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.
It is something of a bellwether, having been won by the party with a plurality of seats in every general election since the seat was created in 1983.
Boundaries
1983-2010: The Borough of Vale of Glamorgan wards of Baruc, Buttrills, Cadoc, Castleland, Court, Cowbridge, Dinas Powys, Dyfan, Gibbonsdown, Illtyd, Llandow, Llantwit Major, Peterson-super-Ely, Rhoose, St Athan, Sully, and Wenvoe.
2010-present: The Vale of Glamorgan County Borough electoral divisions of Baruc, Buttrills, Cadoc, Castleland, Court, Cowbridge, Dinas Powys, Dyfan, Gibbonsdown, Illtyd, Llandow and Ewenny, Llantwit Major, Peterston-super-Ely, Rhoose, St Athan, St Bride’s Major, and Wenvoe.
This marginal constituency to the west of Cardiff takes in the Labour-voting seaside resort of Barry and a number of Conservative villages and small towns. There have been some close shaves for both parties here in the past: Conservative Walter Sweeney got home by a mere 19 votes in 1992; and John Smith (namesake of the late previous Labour leader) had a majority of under 2,000 in 2005. John Smith stood down from Parliament due to ill health, and the seat went Conservative at the 2010 election.