# Woodspring (UK Parliament constituency)

Woodspring was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2010. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. From 1992 until 2010, it was represented by Liam Fox, former Secretary of State for Defence. Fox went on to represent the new North Somerset constituency from 2010.

## Boundaries

1983–1997: The District of Woodspring wards of Backwell, Clevedon Central, Clevedon East, Clevedon North, Clevedon South, Clevedon Walton, Clevedon West, Easton-in-Gordano, Gordano, Long Ashton, Nailsea East, Nailsea North and West, North Weston, Portishead Central, Portishead Coast, Portishead South, Portishead West, Winford, and Wraxall, and the District of Wansdyke wards of Cameley, Chew Magna, Chew Stoke, Clutton, Compton Dando, Farmborough, Harptrees, High Littleton, Paulton, Publow, Stowey Sutton, and Timsbury.
1997–2010: The District of North Somerset wards of Backwell, Clevedon Central, Clevedon East, Clevedon North, Clevedon South, Clevedon Walton, Clevedon West, Easton-in-Gordano, Gordano, Long Ashton, Nailsea East, Nailsea North and West, North Weston, Portishead Central, Portishead Coast, Portishead South, Portishead West, Winford, Wraxall, Wrington, and Yatton.
The constituency contained the northern and eastern parts of the North Somerset unitary authority (formerly the Woodspring district of the County of Avon, and roughly the same area as the ancient Hundred of Portbury). The constituency extended between two rivers with the Avon running along the north-east edge and the Congresbury Yeo to the south. It included the three main towns of Clevedon on the west coast, Nailsea to the south, and Portishead to the north, along with smaller surrounding villages like Backwell, Easton-in-Gordano, and Long Ashton.

### Boundary review

Following the review of parliamentary representation by the Boundary Commission for England in North Somerset which took effect at the 2010 general election, this seat was renamed North Somerset.

## History

On its creation in 1983, Woodspring was won by the Conservative Sir Paul Dean, who had held the old seat of Somerset North since 1964. Sir Paul was a Deputy Speaker of the House to George Thomas and latterly Bernard Weatherill from 1982 to 1992; he served longer than anyone else since the post was created in 1902. On his retirement in 1992 Liam Fox succeeded him, and held the seat until its abolition in 2010; during this time he served as a junior minister in the Major government, and later became an opposition frontbencher during the Blair and Brown governments.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Party |
| 1983 | Sir Paul Dean | | Conservative |
| 1992 | Liam Fox | | Conservative |
| 2010 | constituency abolished: see North Somerset | constituency abolished: see North Somerset | constituency abolished: see North Somerset |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Woodspring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Liam Fox | 21,587 | 41.8 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mike Bell | 15,571 | 30.2 | +6.0 |
| | Labour | Chanel Stevens | 11,249 | 21.8 | −3.8 |
| | Green | Rebecca Lewis | 1,309 | 2.5 | −0.1 |
| | UKIP | Anthony Butcher | 1,269 | 2.5 | +1.6 |
| | BNP | Michael Howson | 633 | 1.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,016 | 11.6 | −6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,618 | 72.0 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.9 | |
General election 2001: Woodspring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Liam Fox | 21,297 | 43.7 | −0.7 |
| | Labour | Chanel Stevens | 12,499 | 25.6 | +4.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Eldridge | 11,816 | 24.2 | −6.2 |
| | Independent | David Shopland | 1,412 | 2.9 | +2.7 |
| | Green | Richard Lawson | 1,282 | 2.6 | +1.4 |
| | UKIP | Fraser Crean | 452 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,798 | 18.1 | +4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,758 | 68.7 | −9.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Woodspring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Liam Fox | 24,425 | 44.4 | −10.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nan Kirsen | 16,691 | 30.4 | +3.0 |
| | Labour | Debbie Sander | 11,377 | 20.7 | +5.3 |
| | Referendum | Richard Hughes | 1,641 | 3.0 | New |
| | Green | Richard Lawson | 667 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| | Independent | Andrew Glover | 101 | 0.2 | New |
| | Natural Law | Mike Mears | 66 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,734 | 14.0 | −13.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,954 | 78.4 | −4.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −6.5 | |
General election 1992: Woodspring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Liam Fox | 35,175 | 54.5 | −2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | NE Kirsen | 17,666 | 27.4 | +0.4 |
| | Labour | RE Stone | 9,942 | 15.4 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal | NE Brown | 836 | 1.3 | New |
| | Green | RJ Knifton | 801 | 1.2 | −0.8 |
| | Natural Law | BD Lee | 100 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,509 | 27.1 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,520 | 83.2 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.2 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Woodspring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Dean | 34,134 | 56.6 | −1.0 |
| | Liberal | Christine Coleman | 16,282 | 27.0 | −3.3 |
| | Labour | David Chapple | 8,717 | 14.5 | +2.7 |
| | Green | Brian Keeble | 1,208 | 2.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,852 | 29.59 | +2.30 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,341 | 79.10 | +1.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Woodspring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Dean | 31,932 | 57.59 | |
| | Liberal | Rowland Morgan | 16,800 | 30.30 | |
| | Labour | David White | 6,536 | 11.79 | |
| | Wessex Regionalist | D Robyns | 177 | 0.32 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,132 | 27.29 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,445 | 77.78 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |