The first version of the Poole constituency existed from 1455 until 1885. During this period its exact status was a parliamentary borough, sending two burgesses to Westminster per year, except during its last 17 years when its representation was reduced to one member.
During its abeyance, most of Poole was in the East Dorset seat and, since its recreation in 1950, its area has been reduced as the harbour town's population has increased.
From its recreation in 1950, the seat had always elected Conservative MPs with comfortable majorities. However, at the 2024 general election, Labour captured the seat for the first time with a majority of just 18 votes.
Boundaries
Map of boundaries 2010-2024
1950–1983: The Municipal Borough of Poole.
1983–1997: The Borough of Poole wards of Broadstone, Canford Cliffs, Canford Heath, Creekmoor, Hamworthy, Harbour, Newtown, Oakdale, Parkstone, and Penn Hill.
1997–2010: The Borough of Poole wards of Bourne Valley, Canford Cliffs, Hamworthy, Harbour, Newtown, Oakdale, Parkstone, and Penn Hill.
2010–2019: The Borough of Poole wards of Branksome West, Canford Cliffs, Creekmoor, Hamworthy East, Hamworthy West, Newtown, Oakdale, Parkstone, Penn Hill, and Poole Town.
Minor changes to align boundaries to those of local authority wards.
Constituency profile
The borough is an economically very diverse borough. In the centre and north are a significant minority of Output Areas which in 2001 had high rankings in the Index of Multiple Deprivation, contributing in 2012 with the remainder to producing for Poole the highest unemployment of the constituencies in the county.[4][5] However, Canford Cliffs is epitomised by one sub-neighbourhood, Sandbanks with its multimillion-pound properties, the coastline area has been dubbed as "Britain's Palm Beach" by the national media.[6] Alongside oil extraction, insurance, care, retail and customer service industries choosing the town as their base tourism contributes to overall a higher income than the national average, however the divergence is not statistically significant and the size of homes varies extensively.[5][7]
^Having stood for UKIP in 2015 Dr David Young was in September 2019 adopted to be the Brexit Party candidate. Following that party's withdrawal of all its candidates in seats held by the Conservatives he decided to stand as an Independent.
^Browne Willis and Cobbett both list Cooper as Poole's MP. Cooper was also elected for Wiltshire, and seems to have been regarded as its Member, but there appears no record of another Member having been elected for Poole in his place
^Cobbett again lists Cooper (elected for Wiltshire) as Poole's MP together with Bond, but Browne Willis gives Fitzjames as the second member
^Hall, Catherine; Draper, Nicholas; McClelland, Keith; Donington, Katie; Lang, Rachel (2014). "Appendix 4: MPs 1832–80 in the compensation records". Legacies of British Slave-ownership: Colonial Slavery and the Formation of Victorian Britain. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 290. ISBN978-1-107-04005-2. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
^ abDod, Charles Roger (1843). "House of Commons". The Parliamentary Companion, Volume 11. London: Whitaker & Company. pp. 133, 222. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
^ abcMosse, Richard Bartholomew (1838). "House of Commons". The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. pp. 148, 205–206. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
^The Green Party distanced themselves from this former UKIP activist after it emerged that he had lied on his CV, including a claim of being elected as a front bench senator in the upper house of the Parliament of Malta, an institution that was abolished in 1933.[36]