Romsey and Southampton North (UK Parliament constituency)

Romsey and Southampton North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Caroline Nokes for the Conservative Party. For the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer it is a county constituency.

Romsey and Southampton North
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Romsey and Southampton North in South East England
County	Hampshire
Electorate	73,831 (2023) [1]
Major settlements	Romsey Swaythling North Baddesley
Current constituency
Created	2010
Member of Parliament	Caroline Nokes (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Romsey

History

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which created this constituency for the 2010 general election primarily as an extended Romsey constituency.

Boundaries

Map of 2010-2024 boundaries

2010–2024: Romsey and Southampton North was formed from electoral wards:

• Bassett, and Swaythling in the City of Southampton; and
• Abbey, Ampfield and Braishfield, Blackwater, Broughton and Stockbridge, Chilworth, Nursling and Rownhams, Cupernham, Dun Valley, Harewood, Kings Somborne and Michelmersh, North Baddesley, Over Wallop, Romsey Extra, Tadburn, and Valley Park in the Borough of Test Valley^[2]

2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The City of Southampton wards of: Bassett; Swaythling.
• The Borough of Test Valley wards of: Ampfield & Braishfield; Anna; Bellinger; Blackwater; Charlton & the Pentons; Chilworth, Nursling & Rownhams; Harewood; Mid Test; North Baddesley; Romsey Abbey; Romsey Cupernham; Romsey Tadburn.^[3]

The boundaries were extended northwards to included rural areas to the south and west of Andover, transferred from North West Hampshire. The Valley Park ward was to be transferred to Eastleigh.

The area includes Stockbridge, which was a rotten borough until its abolition under the Reform Act 1832.

Constituency profile

The constituency takes in the bulk of a more affluent and older-population local government district with a fraction of a contrasting district: the net result is a working population whose income is close to the national average and lower than average reliance upon social housing.^[4] At the end of 2012, the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 1.5% of the population claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, compared to the regional average of 2.4%.^[5] The borough contributing to the bulk of the seat has a low 13.5% of its population without a car, 18.4% of the population without qualifications and a high 30.5% with Level 4 qualifications or above. In terms of tenure 70.4% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage as at the 2011 census in Test Valley district.^[6]

Members of Parliament

Romsey prior to 2010

Election		Member[7]	Party
	2010	Caroline Nokes	Conservative
	Sep 2019		Independent[8]
	Oct 2019		Conservative[9]

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Romsey and Southampton North^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Caroline Nokes	19,893	39.8	−18.1
	Liberal Democrats	Geoff Cooper	17,702	35.4	+7.3
	Reform UK	Paul Barrett	5,716	11.4	New
	Labour	Christie Lambert	4,640	9.3	−2.8
	Green	Connor Shaw	1,893	3.8	+3.1
	Independent	Fennie Yap	183	0.4	New
Majority			2,191	4.4	−25.3
Turnout			50,027	69.6	−4.5
Registered electors			71,871
	Conservative hold		Swing	−12.7

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[11]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	31,647	57.9
	Liberal Democrats	15,396	28.1
	Labour	6,630	12.1
	Others	640	1.2
	Green	391	0.7
Turnout		54,704	74.1
Electorate		73,831

General election 2019: Romsey and Southampton North^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Caroline Nokes	27,862	54.2	−2.9
	Liberal Democrats	Craig Fletcher	16,990	33.1	+11.8
	Labour	Claire Ransom	5,898	11.5	−7.7
	UKIP	Geoff Bentley	640	1.2	New
Majority			10,872	21.1	−14.7
Turnout			51,390	75.3	+0.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−7.35

General election 2017: Romsey and Southampton North^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Caroline Nokes	28,668	57.1	+2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Catherine Royce	10,662	21.3	+3.6
	Labour	Darren Paffey	9,614	19.2	+7.3
	Green	Ian Callaghan	953	1.9	−2.7
	JAC	Don Jerrard	271	0.5	New
Majority			18,006	35.8	−0.9
Turnout			50,168	74.7	+1.94
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.35

General election 2015: Romsey and Southampton North^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Caroline Nokes	26,285	54.4	+4.7
	Liberal Democrats	Ben Nicholls	8,573	17.7	−23.6
	Labour	Darren Paffey	5,749	11.9	+5.5
	UKIP	Sandra James	5,511	11.4	+8.8
	Green	Ian Callaghan	2,218	4.6	New
Majority			17,712	36.7	+28.3
Turnout			48,336	72.76	+0.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+14.1

This constituency was contested for the first time at the 2010 general election. Liberal Democrat MP Sandra Gidley had been the MP for the predecessor seat of Romsey since 2000.

General election 2010: Romsey and Southampton North^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Caroline Nokes	24,345	49.7	+6.6
	Liberal Democrats	Sandra Gidley	20,189	41.3	−2.4
	Labour	Aktar Beg	3,116	6.4	−4.6
	UKIP	John Meropoulos	1,289	2.6	+0.3
Majority			4,156	8.4
Turnout			48,939	72.6	+6.2
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Hampshire
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)