Stroud: All you need to know about big swing seat

Stroud has swung between the Tories and Labour multiple times since 1997

Stroud - a place where general election turnouts are historically high and its residents are politically engaged.

So much so that it is a seat known to swing. In 2019 it changed hands for the fourth time in seven elections between Labour and the Conservatives since 1997.

The Tories' Siobhan Baillie won the Westminster seat in 2019 from Labour's David Drew, who had been the constituency's MP on and off for 12 years.

Her majority stands at 3,840 but Labour is once again looking to reclaim the Gloucestershire town, needing a 2% swing to do so.

Largely rural in character, bulks of villages and market towns - such as Stroud itself, Dursley, Stonehouse and Nailsworth - make up the Gloucestershire district.

Some - mainly Green in political hue - areas such as Bisley have been cut from Stroud and put in the new North Cotswolds and South Cotswolds constituencies after a boundary review.

It remains to be seen exactly what impact this will have in the upcoming election.

In May, the Conservatives were hit hard in the local elections on Stroud District Council, losing 13 of its councillors.

The Greens benefited the most, gaining nine councillors and leading the council with no overall control.

The town is largely rural but is populated by bulks of towns and villages

Although more people vote in general elections, and tactical voting cannot be ruled out, Stroud is a place where local issues often rouse strong passions, and they may become key for some voters.

For example Stroud Maternity Hospital was told it needed to improve its services as well as safety and leadership in March.

The Care Quality Commission said the unit was potentially placing people at risk as out-of-date medicines were found when inspectors visited.

Public transport is also limited in the district, and there are high levels of people commuting out to other places because of a lack of jobs.

Partially in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the status of the environment is also a hot topic with many locals actively fight to protect it.

And significant growth is also expected along the M5 corridor - in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bristol - and lots of houses will be built around Stroud to accommodate the population rise.

Use the tool below to look up who is standing in your area in the General Election on 4 July.