Central Devon: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Central Devon is represented in the House of Commons by Sir Mel Stride (Conservative). The 2024 count gave Mel Stride (Conservative) 16,831 votes and Ollie Pearson (Labour) 16,770, a majority of 61. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 70.9% (53,432 of 75,385).
Key figures
What the figures show
On the official figures, Central Devon has the 17th lowest population density (2021) of the 575 constituencies with this figure (67.8 per sq km), and the 22nd lowest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (11.5%).
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 84.7% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 5.9 points. The economically inactive share was 11.5%.
Central Devon had an estimated population of 97,093 in mid-2024, against 88,649 in 2014 (ONS). There were more residents aged 65 and over (26,325) than children under 16 (15,565).
6,285 business sites were registered in Central Devon in March 2026 (6,200 a year before), and employed 33,000 people in 2024.
Jobs based in Central Devon paid more than its residents earned in April 2025: median full-time pay was £36,603 for workplace jobs and £36,223 for residents. A year before, the residents' median was £34,747. The residents' figure ranks 197th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Homes in Central Devon sold for a median £307,500 in the year to March 2026, from HM Land Registry records compiled by the ONS. That is up 36% on £225,278 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £324,998, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 256th highest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,170 recorded sales.
Census 2021: 40,745 households, 67.8 people per square kilometre, 32.9% of workers based at home, 29.1% of adults retired.
DWP figures count 3,612 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 23.2% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. Before housing costs the share was 16.4% in 2024/25, from 14.2% in 2021/22.
1,190 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 2.2% of residents aged 16 to 64. A year earlier the count was 1,205.
MP
Sir Mel Stride, Conservative
- MP for Central Devon since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 6 May 2010
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Sir Mel Stride on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Sir Mel Stride's latest words in Parliament, from 21 May 2026 to 8 September 2026. Hansard search returns 284 spoken contributions by Sir Mel Stride since 4 July 2024.
May I welcome the Chancellor to his position and thank him for his kind remarks earlier? May I also wish him every success, because I am afraid that under this Government we need some? He will know that if we are to fix the economy, we have to fix the welfare bill.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The right hon. Lady cannot bring herself to answer the simple question I asked. I will tell her: she is borrowing one quarter of a trillion pounds more than the plans that she inherited—that is her legacy. We hear that the right hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Given all that is going on, this could be the last time. The legacy of this Chancellor has been the highest taxes on record, a benefits bill spiralling out of control, and unemployment 300,000 higher than it was at the last general election. The right hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank the Chancellor for advance sight of her statement—although the press, of course, got even more advanced sight of it. The decision taken to cancel the increase in fuel duty is welcome—it has been a long time coming.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
May I begin by agreeing with you, Mr Speaker, and saying how disrespectful it is that this U-turn on fuel duty has already been released to the media earlier this week?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mel Stride | Conservative | 16,831 | 31.5% | −23.8 |
| Ollie Pearson | Labour | 16,770 | 31.4% | +6.6 |
| Mark Wooding | Liberal Democrat | 8,232 | 15.4% | +0.4 |
| Jeffrey Leeks | Reform UK | 7,784 | 14.6% | |
| Gill Westcott | Green Party | 3,338 | 6.2% | +1.3 |
| Arthur Price | Independent | 477 | 0.9% |
Result summary as published: Con hold. 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 | Conservative 31.5% | Labour 31.4% | 61 | 70.9% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 55.3% | Labour 24.8% | 17,300 | 77.2% |
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
Central Devon covers wards in 3 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Mid Devon E07000042
- West Devon E07000047
- Teignbridge E07000045
Who has power over Central Devon
Every body that makes decisions for Central Devon, 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 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Devon County Council county council
- Devon and Torbay Combined Authority combined authority
- Devon and Cornwall Police police force
- NHS Devon Integrated Care Board NHS
- Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust NHS
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- South West in official figures
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
- Central Devon this page: Sir Mel Stride (Conservative) 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 Central Devon?
UK Parliament lists Sir Mel Stride, Conservative, as the Member of Parliament for Central Devon since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Central Devon?
Mel Stride (Conservative) won with 16,831 votes, a majority of 61, on a turnout of 70.9% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Central Devon?
2.2% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 1,190 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Central Devon?
The median price paid was £307,500 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Central Devon?
Median full-time pay of residents was £36,223 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Central Devon live in low income families?
DWP counts 3,612 (23.2% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Central Devon?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 97,093 residents.
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.