Forest of Dean: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Forest of Dean is represented in the House of Commons by Matt Bishop (Labour). The 2024 count gave Matt Bishop (Labour) 16,373 votes and Mark Harper (Conservative) 16,095, a majority of 278. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 66.0% (48,091 of 72,857).
Key figures
What the figures show
On the official figures, Forest of Dean has the 46th lowest population of the 575 constituencies with this figure (94,516).
Forest of Dean had an estimated population of 94,516 in mid-2024, against 87,559 in 2014 (ONS). There were more residents aged 65 and over (24,360) than children under 16 (15,197).
Median annual pay for full-time work was £33,294 for jobs in Forest of Dean and £42,555 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). A year before, the residents' median was £37,683. The residents' figure ranks 155th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 73.7% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 9.5 points. The economically inactive share was 24.0%.
DWP figures count 3,789 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 24.9% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. Before housing costs the share was 18.9% in 2024/25, from 17.0% in 2021/22.
Homes in Forest of Dean sold for a median £290,000 in the year to March 2026, from HM Land Registry records compiled by the ONS. That is up 56% on £186,000 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £295,000, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 276th highest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,035 recorded sales.
1,445 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 2.6% of residents aged 16 to 64. September 2025 had 1,440.
4,570 business sites were registered in Forest of Dean in March 2026 (4,525 a year before), and employed 27,000 people in 2024.
Forest of Dean counted 39,094 households on Census day 2021; 28.3% of adults were retired and 28.7% of those in work were mostly working from home.
MP
Matt Bishop, Labour
- MP for Forest of Dean since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Matt Bishop on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Matt Bishop's latest words in Parliament, from 23 June 2026 to 19 October 2026. Hansard search returns 99 spoken contributions by Matt Bishop since 4 July 2024.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for opening the debate.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I welcome the Government’s decision to end early release for certain serious offenders, including those responsible for the appalling killing of PC Harper, as we have heard.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I welcome the Prime Minister to his place and associate myself with all his comments about the two police officers sadly killed up in Cleveland.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank the Minister for her answer. The Forest of Dean sits on the English-Welsh border, and many of my constituents rely on cross-border transport links to access work, education and healthcare.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
10. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential funding for improving transport connectivity for border communities.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Bishop | Labour | 16,373 | 34.0% | +5.3 |
| Mark Harper | Conservative | 16,095 | 33.5% | −26.1 |
| Stan Goodin | Reform UK | 8,194 | 17.0% | |
| Chris McFarling | Green Party | 4,735 | 9.8% | +0.8 |
| James Joyce | Liberal Democrat | 2,604 | 5.4% | |
| Saiham Sikder | Socialist Labour Party | 90 | 0.2% |
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 34.1% | Conservative 33.5% | 278 | 66.0% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 59.6% | Labour 28.8% | 15,869 | 72.0% |
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
Forest of Dean covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Forest of Dean E07000080
- Tewkesbury E07000083
Who has power over Forest of Dean
Every body that makes decisions for Forest of Dean, 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
- Forest of Dean this page: Matt Bishop (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 Forest of Dean?
UK Parliament lists Matt Bishop, Labour, as the Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Forest of Dean?
Matt Bishop (Labour) won with 16,373 votes, a majority of 278, on a turnout of 66.0% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Forest of Dean?
2.6% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 1,445 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Forest of Dean?
The median price paid was £290,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Forest of Dean?
Median full-time pay of residents was £42,555 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Forest of Dean live in low income families?
DWP counts 3,789 (24.9% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Forest of Dean?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 94,516 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.