Stratford-on-Avon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Manuela Perteghella of the Liberal Democrats. The constituency is in Warwickshire; as its name suggests, it is centred on the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, but also takes in the surrounding areas, including the towns of Alcester and Henley-in-Arden.
Contents
Constituency profile
Stratford-on-Avon is a constituency in Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England. It is named after its largest town, Stratford-upon-Avon, which has a population of around 31,000. Other settlements include the towns of Henley-in-Arden, Alcester and Shipston-on-Stour and the villages of Bidford-on-Avon and Studley.
This is a rural constituency with many small towns and villages. Stratford is a popular tourist destination, receiving nearly three million visitors a year. It is known for its Tudor architecture and its association with William Shakespeare, who was from the town. Henley, Alcester and Shipston are small, historic market towns. Most of this constituency is affluent with low levels of deprivation, especially in Stratford. House prices across the constituency are generally higher than the UK average and considerably higher than the rest of the West Midlands.
The Stratford-on-Avon constituency has a large retired population and low proportions of young and middle-aged adults. Residents have high rates of income and homeownership, and the child poverty rate is low. They are generally well-educated and are likely to be religious. A high proportion of residents work in the retail, tourism and agriculture sectors, and the percentage claiming unemployment benefits is low. White people made up 95% of the population at the 2021 census.
At the local council level, most of this constituency is represented by Liberal Democrats with some Conservative, Green Party and Reform UK councillors elected in the rural villages. An estimated 51% of voters across the Stratford-on-Avon constituency supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the UK-wide figure of 52%.
Boundaries
Historic
1885–1918: The Boroughs of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Leamington, the Sessional Divisions of Alcester, Brailes, Henley, Stratford, Snitterfield, and Warwick, and the part of the Sessional Division of Kenilworth in the Parliamentary Borough of Warwick and Leamington.
1950–1974: The Borough of Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Rural Districts of Stratford-on-Avon, Alcester, Shipston-on-Stour, and Southam.
1974–1983: As 1950 but with redrawn boundaries.
1983–1997: The District of Stratford-on-Avon.
1997–2010: All the wards of the District of Stratford-on-Avon except the wards of Henley, Tanworth, and Tanworth Earlswood.
2010–2024: The District of Stratford-on-Avon wards of Alcester, Aston Cantlow, Bardon, Bidford and Salford, Brailes, Claverdon, Ettington, Henley, Kinwarton, Long Compton, Quinton, Sambourne, Shipston, Snitterfield, Stratford Alveston, Stratford Avenue and New Town, Stratford Guild and Hathaway, Stratford Mount Pleasant, Studley, Tanworth, Tredington, Vale of the Red Horse, and Welford.
At the 2010 general election, following the fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, this seat was reduced in size: a new constituency of Kenilworth and Southam was created, taking in much of the eastern half of the previous version of this constituency, along with parts of the abolished seat of Rugby and Kenilworth.
Current
Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, there were minor changes to align the boundaries with those of local authority wards. The constituency was defined as composing the following wards of the District of Stratford-on-Avon as they existed on 1 December 2020:
The District of Stratford-on-Avon wards of: Alcester & Rural; Alcester Town; Avenue; Bidford East; Bidford West & Salford; Bishopton; Brailes & Compton; Bridgetown; Clopton; Ettington; Guildhall; Hathaway; Henley-in-Arden; Kinwarton; Quinton; Shipston North; Shipston South; Shottery; Snitterfield; Studley with Mappleborough Green; Studley with Sambourne; Tanworth-in-Arden; Tiddington; Welcombe; Welford-on-Avon; Wotton Wawen.
Following a further local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following wards of the District of Stratford-on-Avon from the 2024 general election:
The District of Stratford-on-Avon wards of: Alcester East; Alcester West; Bidford East; Bidford West; Brailes & Compton; Claverdon & Snitterfield; Henley-in-Arden; Kinwarton; Long Marston; Quinton; Salford Priors & Alcester Rural; Shipston North; Shipston South; Stratford Avenue; Stratford Bishopton; Stratford Clopton; Stratford Guildhall & Bridgetown; Stratford Hathaway; Stratford Orchard Hill; Stratford Shottery; Stratford Tiddington; Stratford Welcombe; Studley North; Studley South; Tanworth-in-Arden; Tredington; Tysoe (part); Welford-on-Avon; Wellesbourne East & Rural (small part); Wellesbourne North & Rural (small part); Wootton Wawen.
History
Stratford-on-Avon was first created in 1885 out of the South Warwickshire constituency. It was competitive between the Conservative and Liberal parties, and was abolished in 1918 to be divided between the Warwick and Leamington and Rugby constituencies.
Stratford-on-Avon was reestablished as a constituency in 1950. From its recreation until 2024, the seat elected only Conservative MPs. The earliest member, John Profumo, resigned in 1963 following a scandal involving his extramarital affair; he was followed by Angus Maude from 1963 to 1983. In 1983, Alan Howarth was elected; he crossed the floor in 1995 to serve as a Labour Party MP and moved to the Labour-leaning Newport East constituency for the 1997 general election. Howarth was succeeded by John Maples from 1997 to 2010, followed by Nadhim Zahawi from 2010 to 2024; Zahawi served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for three months in 2022. In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, Zahawi stood down, with Chris Clarkson replacing him as the Conservative candidate for the constituency; he was, at that time, was the MP for the Heywood and Middleton seat. Clarkson would eventually be unsuccessful, with the seat being taken by the Liberal Democrat Manuela Perteghella.
With the exception of a relatively close 1963 by-election, the constituency always returned majorities of over 20% for the Conservatives between 1950 and 2024. Up until 1970, Labour always came second and the Liberals (when they stood) third; and the Liberal/Liberal Democratic parties came second and Labour third in every subsequent general election until 2010. The only occasion on which any other party has been in the top three (or managed to save their deposit) was in 2015, when UKIP came second with just over 13% of the vote. Since then, Labour has come second in 2017, and the Liberal Democrats in 2019.
In May 2023, the Lib Dems gained majority control of the Stratford-on-Avon council for the first time in its history with a 15-seat gain. That compared with the Conservatives, who not only lost their majority but dropped 14 of their seats. On the doorstep, campaigners said issues around the town's Conservative MP came up repeatedly.
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Chris Clarkson (Conservative) ― Incumbent MP for Heywood and Middleton
Election results 1885–1918
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
Unionist: Philip Foster
Liberal: John Pascoe Elsden