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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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Montgomeryshire
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> United Kingdom > Wales > Wales
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| Alternate Names | Montgomery |
| Established | January 01, 1542 |
| Disbanded | July 05, 2024 |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RP May 22, 2024 09:18pm |
| Description |
A traditional Liberal Democrat stronghold at Westminster, this seat has been held by the party or its predecessors for almost a century, only once passing out of their control - in 1979 when the Tories took it for a single parliament. Lembit Opik held it for the Liberal Democrats at the 2001 general election, with an increased majority of 21.5% over the Tories. He is now leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats have won this seat at both Assembly elections too; Mick Bates - who once turned up in the chamber dressed as Santa - is the constituency AM. This mid-Wales border seat is almost entirely rural, containing the towns of Welshpool and Newtown. The area, and Newtown in particular, has seen a range of industrial developments. The electorate is largely English-speaking, although Welsh is the main language of many communities in the western portion of the constituency. Agriculture remains the lynchpin of the local economy, and farms in this seat were hit hard by foot-and-mouth. Census returns show that it has the third highest number of people employed in agriculture in Britain. For the most part fertile and rolling land. Its main towns are Welshpool, Newtown and Llanidloes along the Severn Valley in the east, and Machynlleth in the west. The old county of Montgomeryshire is now the northern part of Powys County Council. Machynlleth has a special place in Welsh history. At the height of Owain Glyndwr's rebellion against English rule in 1404, he was crowned Prince of Wales and established a Welsh Parliament in the town.
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