Cheltenham: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for Cheltenham is Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat), returned on 4 July 2024. The 2024 count gave Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat) 25,076 votes and Alex Chalk (Conservative) 17,866, a majority of 7,210. 49,542 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 76,144, 65.1% of those registered.
Key figures
What the figures show
Full-time employees living in Cheltenham had median pay of £42,517 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £41,786. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £39,975. The residents' figure ranks 157th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
DWP figures count 3,302 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 18.8% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 12.9% in 2021/22 to 13.8% in 2024/25.
Workplaces in Cheltenham accounted for 58,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 5,655 local units for March 2026.
Census 2021: 44,876 households, 2,839.0 people per square kilometre, 37.9% of workers based at home, 22.0% of adults retired.
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 102,658; the estimate for 2014 was 99,278. Children under 16 numbered 17,598; people aged 65 and over, 19,841.
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £330,000 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £230,000. The highest March-year median in the series was £340,000, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 216th highest of 575 constituencies. 1,465 sales were registered in the period, against 1,886 in the year to March 2025.
78.0% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±6.8 points). 19.1% were economically inactive.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 1,765 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 2.7%. That is down from 1,825 twelve months before.
MP
Max Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat
- MP for Cheltenham since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Max Wilkinson on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Max Wilkinson's latest words in Parliament, from 14 October 2026 to 26 October 2026. Hansard search returns 392 spoken contributions by Max Wilkinson since 4 July 2024.
We await more on the agreement with France, and perhaps with Belgium and many other countries. It might just be simpler to have an agreement with the entire EU. It grieves me to say this, but internal difficulties have arisen within the Labour party over migration.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we are indeed flattered to see the Prime Minister discussing improved relations with the EU as a way to solve issues in the asylum system, but when the Government say that they will negotiate access to various agreements …
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The Golden Valley development in west Cheltenham enjoys the support of this Government—I can see the Minister smiling, because I have spoken to him about it a lot—and enjoyed the support of the previous Government, too.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Can the hon. Lady tell us which of those countries are considering leaving the ECHR?
I think the hon. Member mentioned that 80% of women in one country said they had been sexually harassed in public. What is the rate of women in the UK who report being sexually harassed in public?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Wilkinson | Liberal Democrat | 25,076 | 50.6% | +4.7 |
| Alex Chalk | Conservative | 17,866 | 36.1% | −12.4 |
| Daniel Wilson | Green Party | 3,160 | 6.4% | |
| Lara Chaplin | Labour | 2,665 | 5.4% | +0.6 |
| Daud McDonald | Independent | 775 | 1.6% |
Result summary as published: LD 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 | Liberal Democrat 50.6% | Conservative 36.1% | 7,210 | 65.1% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 48.5% | Liberal Democrat 46.0% | 1,421 | 75.6% |
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
Cheltenham lies within Cheltenham.
- Cheltenham E07000078
Who has power over Cheltenham
Every body that makes decisions for Cheltenham, 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 3: Local councils
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
- Cheltenham this page: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat) 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 Cheltenham?
Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Cheltenham?
The House of Commons Library records 25,076 votes for Max Wilkinson of Liberal Democrat and a majority of 7,210; 65.1% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Cheltenham?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 1,765, 2.7% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Cheltenham?
£330,000: 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 Cheltenham?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £42,517 (April 2025).
How many children in Cheltenham live in low income families?
3,302 children under 16, 18.8%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Cheltenham?
102,658 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.