Banbury: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for Banbury is Sean Woodcock (Labour), returned on 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 Sean Woodcock (Labour) won 18,468 votes, 38.3% of the valid vote; Victoria Prentis (Conservative) came second with 15,212. 48,178 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 73,250, 65.8% of those registered. The majority was 3,256.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Banbury has the 25th lowest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (11.9%); it also has the 39th highest employment rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (84.2%).
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 84.2% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 6.5 points. 11.9% were economically inactive.
Workplaces in Banbury accounted for 52,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 5,695 local units for March 2026.
The median price paid for a home was £345,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £253,938. The highest March-year median in the series was £350,000, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 194th highest of 575 constituencies. 1,248 sales were registered in the period, against 1,586 in the year to March 2025.
The ONS estimates 107,187 people lived in Banbury in mid-2024, up 14.8% on 2014. Children under 16 numbered 20,044; people aged 65 and over, 21,132.
In 2024/25, 21.2% of children under 16 in Banbury (4,246) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 12.6% in 2021/22 to 13.5% in 2024/25.
Residents of Banbury earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £38,300 for workplace jobs and £38,762 for residents. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £39,286. The residents' figure ranks 290th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 1,685, or 2.6% of the working-age population. A year earlier the count was 1,755.
Census 2021: 42,519 households, 198.4 people per square kilometre, 31.4% of workers based at home, 21.8% of adults retired.
MP
Sean Woodcock, Labour
- MP for Banbury since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Sean Woodcock on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Sean Woodcock in Hansard, from 2 September 2026 to 14 September 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 193 spoken contributions by Sean Woodcock since 4 July 2024.
Banbury is heavily affected by the failings of Thames Water; we have had thousands of sewage spills, leading to hundreds of thousands of hours of sewage being discharged into local rivers and streams, which is probably why so many of my constituents signed the petition.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I had a much longer speech prepared for this debate, but with the constraints on time I do not think I will be able to make it.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The automotive sector is hugely important to Banbury, with numerous companies supporting hundreds of jobs, including in the supply chain for Jaguar Land Rover. People there will be nervous about the news over recent days.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I have to say that I am really disappointed by this decision. Councils have spent months working on proposals; resources and precious time have been spent—or, I would say, wasted—on them.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Public faith in our democratic system has been steadily eroded. My hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Ms Creasy) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) provided some statistics on public opinion, and I will provide a few more.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 26 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Woodcock | Labour | 18,468 | 38.3% | +13.5 |
| Victoria Prentis | Conservative | 15,212 | 31.6% | −20.4 |
| Paul Topley | Reform UK | 6,284 | 13.0% | |
| Liz Adams | Liberal Democrat | 4,352 | 9.0% | −11.3 |
| Arron Baker | Green Party | 2,615 | 5.4% | +2.5 |
| Cassi Bellingham | Independent | 850 | 1.8% | |
| Chris Nevile | Climate Party | 242 | 0.5% | |
| Declan Soper | Social Democratic Party | 155 | 0.3% |
Result summary as published: Lab gain from Con. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 38.3% | Conservative 31.6% | 3,256 | 65.8% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 52.0% | Labour 24.8% | 13,799 | 72.6% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Banbury covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Cherwell E07000177
- West Oxfordshire E07000181
Who has power over Banbury
Every body that makes decisions for Banbury, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Banbury this page: Sean Woodcock (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Banbury?
Sean Woodcock (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Banbury?
The House of Commons Library records 18,468 votes for Sean Woodcock of Labour and a majority of 3,256; 65.8% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Banbury?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 1,685, 2.6% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Banbury?
£345,000: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Banbury?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £38,762 (April 2025).
How many children in Banbury live in low income families?
4,246 children under 16, 21.2%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Banbury?
107,187 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.