Chippenham.
Liberal Democrats MP Sarah Gibson holds the seat on 45.5% of the vote.
1 Jun 2026
Gibson's most notable recent action is voting to refer Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the Privileges Committee -- a move backed by the Liberal Democrats -- over allegations he misled Parliament on the Peter Mandelson appointment. That fits a broader pattern: she consistently backs Lords scrutiny (96% aligned) and parliamentary accountability (94% aligned), and has voted against the government's attempt to restore a ministerial power to direct pension fund investments -- a provision the Lords stripped out three times. Her sole rebel vote came in March 2025, when she voted against her party on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill's third reading, breaking from the Liberal Democrat majority that supported it.
At 64% voting participation, she falls below the Commons average, though this is not uncommon for newer MPs still building their presence. Her 132 contributions across 49 debates signal active engagement: speeches cluster around the economy, local government, labour markets, housing, and fiscal policy. She votes against employer National Insurance increases 100% of the time, and aligns strongly with pro-business positions (79%), climate action (84%), and criminal justice reform (71%) -- but diverges sharply from her party on workers' rights (23% aligned) and fiscal responsibility (18% aligned), suggesting she prioritises economic flexibility over redistribution.
Locally, Gibson has campaigned vocally on water company failures -- tabling an early day motion calling for Thames Water to enter special administration, launching a "Cut our Water Bills" campaign, and pushing back against a mandatory Digital ID scheme by citing constituent petitions. She sits on the Environmental Audit Committee, which reinforces her focus on utilities and environmental accountability. News coverage over the past 90 days spans 103 articles, with crime and transport featuring prominently; data on speech content is available but no Hansard transcripts were provided to verify direct quotes.
Ward-level direction-of-travel: who controls what, who flipped recently, who holds the line.
| Ward | Latest winner | Votes | Council | Last cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calne Central | Ian Leslie Thorn | 863 | Wiltshire Con | May 2021 |
| Calne Chilvester Abberd | Robert MacNaughton | 424 | Wiltshire Con | Feb 2024 |
| Calne North | Tom Rounds | 480 | Wiltshire Con | May 2021 |
| Calne Rural | Ashley O'Neill | 1,199 | Wiltshire Con | May 2021 |
| Chippenham Cepen Park Derriads | Eric Arthur Wakeman | 693 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Chippenham Cepen Park Hunters Moon | Matt Bragg | 646 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Chippenham Hardenhuish | Kathryn Farrah MacDermid | 675 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Chippenham Hardens Central | Liz Alstrom | 935 | Wiltshire Con | May 2021 |
| Chippenham Lowden Rowden | Ross Henning | 441 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Chippenham Monkton | Nick Murry | 640 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Chippenham Pewsham | Clare Cape | 797 | Wiltshire Con | May 2021 |
| Chippenham Sheldon | Adrian David Foster | 351 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Corsham Ladbrook | Ruth Mary Catherine Hopkinson | 844 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Corsham Pickwick | Helen Belcher | 906 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Corsham Without | Peter Graham Wragg | 861 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Lyneham | Allison Bucknell | 817 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Royal Wootton Bassett South West | David Michael Bowler | 938 | Wiltshire Con | May 2021 |
| Wootton Bassett East | Andrew Matthews | 544 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
| Wootton Bassett North | Lianna Konig | 515 | Wiltshire Con | May 2025 |
Source · Democracy Club · DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The seat’s population is concentrated in Chippenham (Wiltshire) (34,314), with Calne (17,109) as the second pole. Total population across named built-up areas: 97,214.
Source · ONS Built-Up Areas · Census 2021
| Settlement | Pop. | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Chippenham (Wiltshire) | 34,314 | large town |
| Calne | 17,109 | town |
| Royal Wootton Bassett | 13,570 | town |
| Rural & dispersed | 12,421 | town |
| Corsham | 8,517 | town |
| Lyneham | 5,661 | town |
Headline indicators.
| Indicator | Local | National | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate | 61.9% | 57.1% | +8% |
| Owner-occupied | 68.9% | 63.1% | +9% |
| Private rented | 16.6% | 20.0% | -17% |
| Social rented | 14.4% | 16.8% | -14% |
Ethnicity.
Source · Census 2021
Population by age & sexCensus 2021 · 18 bands · click to expand
Source · Census 2021 (ONS) · % of usual residents; tick marks the median seat per band
Income tax contribution.
| Total income tax | £325m |
| Taxpayers | 53,000 |
| Median per taxpayer | £3,120 |
| Mean per taxpayer | £6,170 |
Source · HMRC SPI · ±8% confidence
Where the money flows back in.
This constituency is served by Wiltshire. Each council’s service spend, peer rank and supplier list lives on its own page — open from the meta block above or the compass strip below.
Move the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings — the household lens.
Headline rate.
By category.
Source · data.police.uk · 3-month rate per 1,000 pop
2024 — full result.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah GibsonWON | LD | 22,552 | 45.5 |
| Nic Puntis | Con | 14,414 | 29.1 |
| Benjamin Ginsburg | Ref | 6,127 | 12.4 |
| Ravi Venkatesh | Lab | 3,925 | 7.9 |
| Declan Baseley | Grn | 1,954 | 4.0 |
| Ed Deedigan | Ind | 540 | 1.1 |
Turnout 49,512
Prior contests.
| Year | Winner | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Michelle Donelan | Con | 54.3 |
| 2017 | Michelle Donelan | Con | 54.7 |
| 2015 | Michelle Donelan | Con | 47.6 |
| 2010 | Hames, Duncan | LD | 45.8 |
Sources, methods & last update
2023 boundary review
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Census 2021
National avg over 575 seats
±8% confidence
LSOA-aggregated · rolling 12mo