Kingswood lies on the eastern border of Bristol. The seat was effectively created in February 1974, and has always been considered marginal, and until 1992 it was always won by the party who won the General Election. Labourís Roger Berry broke the trend in 1992 and unseated the sitting Tory MP Rob Hayward with an above-average swing of almost 6%.
This area includes places like Stoke Gifford and serves as part of Bristol's commuter belt so it has tended to provide strong support for the Conservatives.
The seat is split between urban and rural regions. The Bristol ring road passes through the borough, providing excellent communication links of great benefit to the many small manufacturing industries based here. A new and sizeable development is planned in the form of a Science and Education Park, and though new business development tends to be of a somewhat transitional nature, diversity has meant employment is not tied to just a couple of large companies.