Woking (constituency)

Woking is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Will Forster, a Liberal Democrat. Since it was first created for the 1950 general election, it had only ever returned Conservative Party candidates until it elected a Liberal Democrat for the first time in 2024.

Constituency profile

The seat comprises the Borough of Woking, which has one main town: Woking. Voters are, on average, wealthier than the UK average.

History

The seat was created in 1950 from the county constituencies of Chertsey and lightly populated parts of Farnham.

Prior to 2024, and with exceptions only in 1974 (February election), 1997, 2005 and 2010, this constituency returned a Conservative with majorities exceeding 15% of votes cast.

At the 2015 and 2017 general elections, the Labour candidates polled in second place, whereas in 2019 the Lib Dem candidate did so. Until the election of 2024, similar second place results had been emulated locally eight and nine times respectively by Labour and the Lib Dems.

A Conservative win by 11.2% of the vote in 1997 was a notably marginal result. By contrast, at the 2015 general election the seat was the 41st-safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority, 40 percentage points ahead of Labour.

By 2024, the Liberal Democrats had a very sizeable majority on Woking Borough Council and there were no Conservative councillors left on the authority, although historically the Conservatives had been the dominant force on the council, with only the Canalside ward (containing the district of Sheerwater) that often returns Labour councillors.

Local Conservatives won the previously relevant (Guildford Council) wards of Pirbright and Normandy over many election cycles, but these two villages were transferred to the Surrey Heath constituency from 2024 onwards following boundary changes.

Boundaries

Historic

1950–74: The Urban Districts of Frimley and Camberley, and Woking, and in the Rural District of Guildford the parishes of Ash, Normandy, and Pirbright.

1974–83: as above less Frimley and Camberley (transferred to North West Surrey – which was subsequently abolished in 1997, but replaced in large part at that point by the new Surrey Heath constituency). Note that in 1974 these areas constituted the whole of Woking (borough) and a part of Guildford (borough).

1983–97: unchanged (i.e. The Borough of Woking, and the Borough of Guildford wards of Ash, Ash Vale, Normandy, and Pirbright).

1997–2024: as above less Ash and Ash Vale (transferred to Surrey Heath).

The Boundary Commission made no changes to the Woking constituency in the Parliamentary boundary review that took place prior to the 2010 General Election.

Current

Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the size of the electorate was reduced by transferring the wards of Pirbright and Normandy to the constituency of Surrey Heath. The constituency boundaries of Woking thereby became coterminous with those of the Borough of Woking, comprising the ten Woking Borough Council wards of:

Byfleet & West Byfleet; Canalside; Goldsworth Park; Heathlands; Hoe Valley; Horsell; Knaphill; Mount Hermon; Pyrford; and St. John's.

Members of Parliament

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