This constituency combines the large industrial and port town of Barry, combined with the prosperous Vale of Glamorgan area. The major towns are Barry (famous for for the 'Barry Island' funfair), Llantwit Major, Dinas Powys, Cowbridge (a prosperous market town), and Rhoose (site of Cardiff-Wales airport).
The constituency had been in long-term Conservative control at Westminster until Labour took it at a by-election in 1989, only to lose it again at the 1992 general election when the Tories won it by only 19 votes. That made it the most marginal seat in Britain, and the slender majority could not withstand the Labour landslide five years later in 1997, when John Smith won it for Labour with a majority of 19.5%.
The Vale of Glamorgan council, formerly Labour-held, has had its share of scandals since its formation in 1996. Its chief executive was sacked for gross misconduct in July 2000, and the former Labour council leader Shaun Stringer pleaded guilty in 1999 to four charges of abusing public office between 1996 and 1998.
In the Welsh devolution referendum, the Vale of Glamorgan council area voted No by the biggest margin in the country.