Forest of Dean constituency covers the western part of Gloucestershire between the River Severn and the Welsh border. It is centred on a network of small towns including Cinderford, Coleford and Lydney, together with numerous villages and rural communities. Much of the constituency is shaped by the extensive woodland of the Forest of Dean, while the Wye Valley and Severn estuary form important natural boundaries. Lydney provides a key centre near the Severn, while Coleford and Cinderford serve communities within the forest. Settlement is dispersed, with towns and villages separated by woodland, hills and farmland. The seat therefore has a strongly rural and wooded character rather than one dominant urban centre.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Forest of Dean, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population94,516
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationSouth West
Age profile
0 to 1718.4% · 17,404 people
18 to 246.5% · 6,169 people
25 to 3410.3% · 9,767 people
35 to 4916.5% · 15,552 people
50 to 6422.5% · 21,264 people
65 and over25.8% · 24,360 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
39,096 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners73.0% · 28,525 households
Private renters13.4% · 5,232 households
Social renters12.7% · 4,978 households
Other tenure0.9% · 361 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
39,094 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households28.1% · 10,977 households
Families with dependent children24.4% · 9,521 households
Other single-family households44.2% · 17,285 households
Other household types3.4% · 1,311 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
91,560 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: England & Wales
Day-to-day activities limited a lot7.6% · 6,938 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little11.4% · 10,418 people
Not disabled under the Equality Act81.0% · 74,204 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 1 October 2026
Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership
Signatures in this constituency442
Signatures nationally196,369
Government response published · Debate scheduled for 14 September 2026
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded57
Total awarded£1,476,066
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 25 June 2026
Accessible Forest Wellbeing Walks – Forest of Dean
Wilde Earth Journeys CIC
£19,800
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Wilde Earth Journeys CIC - Environment - National Lottery Awards for All England
National Lottery grantAwarded 21 May 2026
CF - Club Improvements
Ruardean Hill Cricket Club
£15,000
Sport England · Sport
About this award
This project will construct two permanent all-weather batting nets to allow year round training by players and wider use by local schools and clubs. 500 participants will benefit. Funding is required for the batting nets.
National Lottery grantAwarded 20 May 2026
The Brockweir Head (reapplication)
Grant to individual
£18,900
Arts Council England · Arts
About this award
The Brockweir Head (reapplication) - Visual arts - National Lottery Project Grants
National Lottery grantAwarded 14 May 2026
Earth Repair Sculpture R&D
Grant to individual
£13,534
Arts Council England · Arts
About this award
Earth Repair Sculpture R&D - Not discipline specific - National Lottery Project Grants
National Lottery grantAwarded 14 May 2026
The Victoria Centre
The Victoria Centre
£20,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
The Victoria Centre - Community - National Lottery Awards for All England
52 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
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