Vale of Glamorgan (UK Parliament constituency)

Vale of Glamorgan
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Vale of Glamorgan in Wales.
Preserved county	South Glamorgan
Electorate	71,585 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Barry, Llantwit Major, Cowbridge
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of parliament	Alun Cairns (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	Barry and Pontypridd
Overlaps
Welsh Assembly	South Wales Central
European Parliament constituency	Wales

Coordinates: 51°25′44″N 3°21′04″W / 51.429°N 3.351°W / 51.429; -3.351

Vale of Glamorgan (Welsh: Bro Morgannwg) is a county constituency in South Wales, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

It is something of a bellwether, having been won by the party with a plurality of seats in every general election since the seat was created in 1983.

1983-2010: The Borough of Vale of Glamorgan wards of Baruc, Buttrills, Cadoc, Castleland, Court, Cowbridge, Dinas Powys, Dyfan, Gibbonsdown, Illtyd, Llandow, Llantwit Major, Peterson-super-Ely, Rhoose, St Athan, Sully, and Wenvoe.

2010-present: The Vale of Glamorgan County Borough electoral divisions of Baruc, Buttrills, Cadoc, Castleland, Court, Cowbridge, Dinas Powys, Dyfan, Gibbonsdown, Illtyd, Llandow and Ewenny, Llantwit Major, Peterston-super-Ely, Rhoose, St Athan, St Bride’s Major, and Wenvoe.

This marginal constituency to the west of Cardiff takes in the Labour-voting seaside resort of Barry and a number of Conservative villages and small towns. There have been some close shaves for both parties here in the past: Conservative Walter Sweeney got home by a mere 19 votes in 1992; and John Smith (namesake of the late previous Labour leader) had a majority of under 2,000 in 2005. John Smith stood down from Parliament due to ill health, and the seat went Conservative at the 2010 election.