As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire. However, it excludes the town of Swindon which is represented by North Swindon and South Swindon.
North Wiltshire constituency was formed for the 1983 general election, with boundaries identical to the former Chippenham constituency (1885–1983). 1
An outline of Wiltshire shows the expected boundaries (4) for the 54th general election, 2009/2010
While North Wiltshire has a long history of returning Conservative candidates, its district council has always been a closely-fought battle between Conservative and Liberal Democrat. The new split is expected to see the more rural North Wiltshire be a slightly safer Conservative seat than the more urban Chippenham seat.