The placeConstituency · South East · Electorate 71,871 · 2023 boundaries

Romsey and Southampton North.

Conservative and Unionist Party MP Caroline Nokes holds the seat on 39.8% of the vote.

Member of ParliamentCaroline Nokes · Conservative and Unionist Party
CouncilTest Valley
Boundary set2023
ONS codeE14001449
Electorate · 2024
71.9k
Registered to vote
2024 GE — winner
39.8%
Conservative and Unionist Party · +4.4pp over LD
Settlements
13
Largest: Southampton
Crime · per 1k pop · 3mo
13.4
data.police.uk · 12mo rolling
Dispatch
3 Jun 2026

Nokes is conspicuously absent from Westminster voting: she has participated in just one of 515 parliamentary votes since the 2024 general election -- a 0% participation rate -- placing her far below the Commons average. That single vote was an aye for the Conservative amendment to the King's Speech in July 2024. Her near-total absence from the division lobbies contrasts sharply with a much busier profile in debates, where she has made 1,627 contributions across 499 debates, most recently in April 2026.

In speeches, she is consistent and active. Economy and jobs dominate her contributions, followed by defence, local government, social care, and fiscal policy -- a broad portfolio rather than a narrow specialism. Her news coverage reinforces a pattern of constituency-first activity: writing to the Chancellor about hospitality costs, raising a family's case via Urgent Question, and attending community events from Romsey Show to Battle of Britain services. She drew on her former role as chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee to back a menopause-and-careers campaign, her clearest link between past parliamentary work and current advocacy.

The 0% voting figure is the defining data point here, and its cause is not clear from available data -- illness, a pairing arrangement, or other circumstances could explain it, but no public explanation has been recorded. She currently sits on the Panel of Chairs and the General Cemetery Bill committee. Local news coverage is extensive -- 142 articles in 90 days -- but sentiment scores cluster around neutral, driven largely by culture-and-sport and crime coverage where her direct involvement is limited.

39.8%
Con vote · 2024 GE
1
Council overlapping the seat
12
Wards · 24 councillors
§ 01The local picture — wards.12 wards · 24 councillors

Ward-level direction-of-travel: who controls what, who flipped recently, who holds the line.

WardLatest winnerVotesCouncilLast cycle
Ampfield & Braishfield Sally Yalden514Test Valley ConMay 2023
Anna(2 seats)Flood · Hasselmann2,475Test Valley ConMay 2023
Bellinger Phil Lashbrook531Test Valley ConMay 2023
Blackwater(2 seats)Bailey · Adams-King2,434Test Valley ConMay 2023
Charlton & the Pentons Linda Lashbrook429Test Valley ConMay 2023
Chilworth, Nursling & Rownhams(3 seats)Dunleavey · Bundy · Swain3,425Test Valley ConMay 2023
Harewood David Nicholas Alwyne Drew652Test Valley ConMay 2023
Mid Test(3 seats)Johnston · Jeffrey · MacDonald4,135Test Valley ConMay 2023
North Baddesley(3 seats)Warnes · Ford · Cooper3,810Test Valley ConMay 2023
Romsey Abbey(2 seats)Daas · Gidley2,149Test Valley ConMay 2023
Romsey Cupernham(3 seats)Burnage · Gwynne · Kohli3,949Test Valley ConMay 2023
Romsey Tadburn(2 seats)Parker · Cooper2,767Test Valley ConMay 2023

Source · Democracy Club · DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

§ 02Settlements.13 named places

The seat’s population is concentrated in Southampton (28,328), with Rural & dispersed (25,762) as the second pole. Total population across named built-up areas: 97,849.

city 28,328large-town 27,044town 31,657village 10,820

Source · ONS Built-Up Areas · Census 2021

SettlementPop.Class
Southampton28,328city
Rural & dispersed25,762large town
Romsey19,225town
North Baddesley7,000town
Rownhams and Nursling5,432town
Charlton (Test Valley)2,121village
Showing 6 of 13·All 13 settlements
§ 03Demographics.Census 2021 · vs national avg

Headline indicators.

IndicatorLocalNationalΔ
Employment rate54.3%57.1%-5%
Owner-occupied68.3%63.1%+8%
Private rented18.2%20.0%-9%
Social rented13.4%16.8%-20%

Ethnicity.

White88.3%
Asian6.8%
Black1.3%
Mixed2.1%
Other1.4%

Source · Census 2021

Population by age & sexCensus 2021 · 18 bands · click to expand
Male 49.3% Female 50.7% Median seat
MaleAgeFemale
85+
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
16-19
10-15
5-9
0-4

Source · Census 2021 (ONS) · % of usual residents; tick marks the median seat per band

§ 04Local economy.Income · tax · businesses · schools
Median income
£32,500
HMRC SPI · 2024
Mean income
£47,800
HMRC SPI · 2024
Businesses
4,645
VAT/PAYE-registered
Schools
46
33 primary · 5 secondary
GCSE pass
70.4%
Attainment 8: 47.8

Income tax contribution.

Total income tax£514m
Taxpayers55,000
Median per taxpayer£3,490
Mean per taxpayer£9,380

Source · HMRC SPI · ±8% confidence

Where the money flows back in.

For council finance & suppliers

This constituency is served by Test Valley. 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.

For household tax breakdown

Move the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings — the household lens.

§ 05Recorded crime.data.police.uk · 12-month rolling

Headline rate.

Per 1k pop · 3mo
13.4
-35% vs national
Monthly avg / 1k
4.5
12-month rolling
Top category
Violence & sexual offences
33% of recorded crime

By category.

Violence & sexual offences4.4
Shoplifting1.5
Criminal damage & arson1.2
Anti-social behaviour1.1
Vehicle crime1.1
Burglary1.0
Public order1.0

Source · data.police.uk · 3-month rate per 1,000 pop

Showing 7 of 15·All 15 categories — full monthly trend & settlement breakdown
§ 06Election history.5 contests · created on 2023 boundaries

2024 — full result.

CandidateVotes%
Caroline NokesWONCon19,89339.8
Geoff CooperLD17,70235.4
Paul BarrettRef5,71611.4
Christie LambertLab4,6409.3
Connor ShawGrn1,8933.8
Fennie YapInd1830.4

Turnout 50,027

Prior contests.

YearWinner%
2019Caroline NokesCon54.2
2017Caroline NokesCon57.2
2015Caroline NokesCon54.3
2010Nokes, CarolineCon49.8
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
BoundariesONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundary review
Wards & councilsLGBCE · Democracy Club
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
SettlementsONS Built-Up Areas
Census 2021
DemographicsONS · Nomis · Census 2021
National avg over 575 seats
Income & taxHMRC SPI
±8% confidence
SchoolsDfE · attainment data
Crimedata.police.uk
LSOA-aggregated · rolling 12mo
ElectionsElectoral Commission