This seat is comprised of some 82 villages and towns nestled in the idyllic Cotswold countryside. The main population centres are the market town from which the seat takes its name, and the old mill town of Chipping Norton.
Witney’s economic history is based around the weaving and blanket trade. The Witney Blanket Company was incorporated in 1710 - the secret of its high quality blankets was apparently the use of water from the River Windrush in the manufacturing process. The blanket industry has now declined, and the seat’s economy is now largely based on industrial estates which are home to a variety of companies including Oxford Electrical Products Ltd and Windrush Technology Ltd.
Former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd represented this seat, and its predecessor, for 23 years until he stood down in 1997. Shaun Woodward succeeded Mr Hurd as the MP for Witney in 1997 - but he defected to the Labour party in December 1999.
It is no great surprise that Mr Woodward is not seeking re-election as a Labour MP in this historically Conservative seat, but seeking more Labour friendly pastures instead.
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