The Bath constituency was considerably enlarged in 1995 and now contains not just the city of Bath, but also five village wards and over 7,000 voters from the neighbouring Wansdyke constituency.
Its voters famously ousted the then Conservative Party Chairman, Chris Patten, in the 1992 General Election in favour of the Liberal Democrats' Don Foster.
The Tories had not regarded this seat as one of their strongholds, given the pressure they had come under since the 1966 elections when Labour came within 800 votes of winning here. The SDP was the second-place party during the 1980s, coming within 1,500 votes of taking the seat in 1987.
With its Roman spa, extensive Georgian architecture and abbey, tourism is a major industry in Bath, and it houses numerous small shops and hotels. Bath has the status of a World Heritage site, an honour it shares with Florence and Rome.
Like many English tourist towns, Bath has a high number of second homes and pensioners who have retired to its pleasant surroundings, as well as a significant amount of part-time and seasonal labour.
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