Melksham and Devizes is another new constituency set to be contested for the first time in this year’s general election after Wiltshire’s political boundaries have been redrawn.

It will be formed by the central western area of the county, stretching out from Bradford on Avon to just past Devizes, rising in its western edge to include Colerne and dipping in the east to include Market Lavington.

Michelle Donelan, who has represented Chippenham since 2015, has been selected as the Parliamentary Candidate by the Conservative Party for the new Melksham and Devizes seat.

Liberal Democrat Brian Mathew is set to challenge her, as is Catherine Read for the Green Party.

Malcolm Cupis is also confirmed to be standing in the area for Reform UK, whilst Labour has yet to confirm a candidate for the area.

According to an analysis published by the BBC, if the 2019 election had used the new constituencies, Melksham and Devizes would have been won by the Conservatives.

Data from YouGov released in January 2024 suggests that the Conservatives are currently favoured for the new seat.

Their predicted vote share sits at 35 per cent, with the Liberal Democrats in second place at 28 per cent.

The largest towns of the new constituency will be Melksham, Devizes and Bradford on Avon, with a combined population of over 45,000 people.

Melksham recently hosted Wiltshire’s biggest careers fair which attracted almost 1000 people.

As one of Wiltshire’s bigger market towns, Melksham has been defined in the council’s local plan as having an important strategic employment role and being valued for business investment due to its location on the A350.

The plan also notes that there are concerns over the adequacy of the town’s infrastructure in supporting its growth.

Meanwhile, in Devizes, land at Coate Road was recently approved for 200 homes and regeneration of the Wharf area is predicted to boost the town's prosperity.

Bradford on Avon has suffered from severe flooding in the recent extreme weather and residents installed their own defences after the town's river burst its banks.

The local plan indicates that future focus will be on the growth of tourism and enhancements of green and blue infrastructure pathways such as the Kennet and Avon Canal.

It also notes that development should aim to improve air quality in the area.