Romsey and Southampton North.
Conservative and Unionist Party MP Caroline Nokes holds the seat on 39.8% of the vote.
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.
Ward-level direction-of-travel: who controls what, who flipped recently, who holds the line.
| Ward | Latest winner | Votes | Council | Last cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ampfield & Braishfield | Sally Yalden | 514 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Anna(2 seats) | Flood · Hasselmann | 2,475 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Bellinger | Phil Lashbrook | 531 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Blackwater(2 seats) | Bailey · Adams-King | 2,434 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Charlton & the Pentons | Linda Lashbrook | 429 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Chilworth, Nursling & Rownhams(3 seats) | Dunleavey · Bundy · Swain | 3,425 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Harewood | David Nicholas Alwyne Drew | 652 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Mid Test(3 seats) | Johnston · Jeffrey · MacDonald | 4,135 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| North Baddesley(3 seats) | Warnes · Ford · Cooper | 3,810 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Romsey Abbey(2 seats) | Daas · Gidley | 2,149 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Romsey Cupernham(3 seats) | Burnage · Gwynne · Kohli | 3,949 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
| Romsey Tadburn(2 seats) | Parker · Cooper | 2,767 | Test Valley Con | May 2023 |
Source · Democracy Club · DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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.
Source · ONS Built-Up Areas · Census 2021
| Settlement | Pop. | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 28,328 | city |
| Rural & dispersed | 25,762 | large town |
| Romsey | 19,225 | town |
| North Baddesley | 7,000 | town |
| Rownhams and Nursling | 5,432 | town |
| Charlton (Test Valley) | 2,121 | village |
Headline indicators.
| Indicator | Local | National | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate | 54.3% | 57.1% | -5% |
| Owner-occupied | 68.3% | 63.1% | +8% |
| Private rented | 18.2% | 20.0% | -9% |
| Social rented | 13.4% | 16.8% | -20% |
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 | £514m |
| Taxpayers | 55,000 |
| Median per taxpayer | £3,490 |
| Mean per taxpayer | £9,380 |
Source · HMRC SPI · ±8% confidence
Where the money flows back in.
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.
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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline NokesWON | Con | 19,893 | 39.8 |
| Geoff Cooper | LD | 17,702 | 35.4 |
| Paul Barrett | Ref | 5,716 | 11.4 |
| Christie Lambert | Lab | 4,640 | 9.3 |
| Connor Shaw | Grn | 1,893 | 3.8 |
| Fennie Yap | Ind | 183 | 0.4 |
Turnout 50,027
Prior contests.
| Year | Winner | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Caroline Nokes | Con | 54.2 |
| 2017 | Caroline Nokes | Con | 57.2 |
| 2015 | Caroline Nokes | Con | 54.3 |
| 2010 | Nokes, Caroline | Con | 49.8 |
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