Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme
Jul 8, 2023 12:48:04 GMT
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Post by YL on Jul 8, 2023 12:48:04 GMT
This is a new constituency, effectively replacing the former Don Valley constituency. It is very much a constituency of two parts, one in South Yorkshire and one in North Lincolnshire, as reflected in its name.
The South Yorkshire part is the eastern part of Doncaster metropolitan borough, though only a small area is actually part of the main built up area of Doncaster. It includes the towns of Thorne and Hatfield, both with a mining history, and the smaller mining community of Rossington, but also communities with less of a mining heritage such as Bawtry, Auckley and Finningley, site of the currently closed Doncaster Sheffield Airport. It also includes a small part of Doncaster proper, essentially the southern end of Bessacarr, which is in Finningley ward. Most of this area has been in Don Valley constituency since 2010, and Auckley, Bawtry and Rossington since 1918; the Moorends area north of Thorne comes from Doncaster North. Finningley proper is actually historically in Nottinghamshire (making this a three county seat for those who prefer to think in terms of historic counties) and was in Bassetlaw before 1983.
A look at a map may show that Thorne and Hatfield have "Moors", but these are not the Yorkshire Moors of the Brontës or even the western part of South Yorkshire, but low lying peatlands, and the scenery here in some ways resembles the Fens of Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire more than other parts of Yorkshire, and this takes us to the other part of the constituency, the Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire, across those Moors from the Doncaster component.
Axholme is separated from the rest of Lincolnshire by the River Trent, and the use of "Isle" in the name, as with the Isle of Ely further south, reflects the fact that it is an area of slightly higher land surrounded by fenland. It is essentially a rural area with some small towns, and there is no mining history here. There are three wards, Axholme North, including the town of Crowle, Axholme Central, including the town of Epworth, and Axholme South, including the town of Haxby. The Isle of Axholme was in Gainsborough constituency until 1983, when, following its inclusion in the unpopular county of Humberside, it was placed in a monstrosity by the name of "Boothferry", which extended as far north as the Yorkshire Wolds villages of Wetwang and Fridaythorpe. Since 1997 it has been in the only slightly less awkward Brigg & Goole constituency, and while it may feel rather different from the Doncaster component of this constituency at least they are adjacent, with the major communication links westwards from North Lincolnshire, the M180 and the South Humber Main Line, passing through the Isle on their way to Doncaster.
Deprivation is quite high in the mining parts of the constituency, especially in parts of Hatfield and in New Rossington. Bawtry, the communities in Finningley ward and some other parts of Hatfield have quite low deprivation, as does most of the Isle of Axholme, though there are pockets of higher deprivation, most noticeably in the Trentside village of Keadby.
Across the constituency as a whole, the population is older than average, mostly white, and tending to the working class rather than middle class, though not strongly so. The proportion with degree level qualifications is low, as is the proportion in professional occupations, with the proportions in working class occupations slightly above average. However the proportion of households which are owner occupied is above average. The most middle class areas are generally around Finningley and Bawtry, with Rossington, Hatfield, Thorne and parts of northern Axholme (Keadby again) having the most working class demographics.
At local level, the Doncaster component of the constituency is politically mixed. Hatfield, Thorne & Moorends and Rossington & Bawtry wards all elected full slates of Labour councillors in 2021, though they have in the past sometimes been tempted by localists, independents and in 2015 by UKIP. Finningley, on the other hand, is one of the most consistently Conservative wards in South Yorkshire. The Isle of Axholme is generally Conservative, with all three wards being comfortably won by the party in 2023, though Labour did hold a seat in Axholme North from 2007 to 2015.
The demographics are of a sort which tends to be associated with strong support for Brexit and a recent trend towards the Conservatives, and the Don Valley constituency, under various boundaries, had a long Labour history until it was gained by Nick Fletcher for the Conservatives in 2019. The wards which move here are fairly representative of that constituency, so the addition of the Isle of Axholme makes Fletcher's position considerably more secure. However Rossington, Hatfield and Thorne are still a substantial part of the constituency and the new constituency is probably best described as a Conservative leaning marginal, not a safe seat, and will be a Labour target.
2019 notional result (Rallings & Thrasher):
Con 22460 (52.1%)
Lab 12375 (28.7%)
Brexit Party 4452 (10.3%)
Lib Dem 1912 (4.4%)
Green 1015 (2.4%)
Other 870 (2.0%)
Con majority 10085 (23.4%)
The South Yorkshire part is the eastern part of Doncaster metropolitan borough, though only a small area is actually part of the main built up area of Doncaster. It includes the towns of Thorne and Hatfield, both with a mining history, and the smaller mining community of Rossington, but also communities with less of a mining heritage such as Bawtry, Auckley and Finningley, site of the currently closed Doncaster Sheffield Airport. It also includes a small part of Doncaster proper, essentially the southern end of Bessacarr, which is in Finningley ward. Most of this area has been in Don Valley constituency since 2010, and Auckley, Bawtry and Rossington since 1918; the Moorends area north of Thorne comes from Doncaster North. Finningley proper is actually historically in Nottinghamshire (making this a three county seat for those who prefer to think in terms of historic counties) and was in Bassetlaw before 1983.
A look at a map may show that Thorne and Hatfield have "Moors", but these are not the Yorkshire Moors of the Brontës or even the western part of South Yorkshire, but low lying peatlands, and the scenery here in some ways resembles the Fens of Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire more than other parts of Yorkshire, and this takes us to the other part of the constituency, the Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire, across those Moors from the Doncaster component.
Axholme is separated from the rest of Lincolnshire by the River Trent, and the use of "Isle" in the name, as with the Isle of Ely further south, reflects the fact that it is an area of slightly higher land surrounded by fenland. It is essentially a rural area with some small towns, and there is no mining history here. There are three wards, Axholme North, including the town of Crowle, Axholme Central, including the town of Epworth, and Axholme South, including the town of Haxby. The Isle of Axholme was in Gainsborough constituency until 1983, when, following its inclusion in the unpopular county of Humberside, it was placed in a monstrosity by the name of "Boothferry", which extended as far north as the Yorkshire Wolds villages of Wetwang and Fridaythorpe. Since 1997 it has been in the only slightly less awkward Brigg & Goole constituency, and while it may feel rather different from the Doncaster component of this constituency at least they are adjacent, with the major communication links westwards from North Lincolnshire, the M180 and the South Humber Main Line, passing through the Isle on their way to Doncaster.
Deprivation is quite high in the mining parts of the constituency, especially in parts of Hatfield and in New Rossington. Bawtry, the communities in Finningley ward and some other parts of Hatfield have quite low deprivation, as does most of the Isle of Axholme, though there are pockets of higher deprivation, most noticeably in the Trentside village of Keadby.
Across the constituency as a whole, the population is older than average, mostly white, and tending to the working class rather than middle class, though not strongly so. The proportion with degree level qualifications is low, as is the proportion in professional occupations, with the proportions in working class occupations slightly above average. However the proportion of households which are owner occupied is above average. The most middle class areas are generally around Finningley and Bawtry, with Rossington, Hatfield, Thorne and parts of northern Axholme (Keadby again) having the most working class demographics.
At local level, the Doncaster component of the constituency is politically mixed. Hatfield, Thorne & Moorends and Rossington & Bawtry wards all elected full slates of Labour councillors in 2021, though they have in the past sometimes been tempted by localists, independents and in 2015 by UKIP. Finningley, on the other hand, is one of the most consistently Conservative wards in South Yorkshire. The Isle of Axholme is generally Conservative, with all three wards being comfortably won by the party in 2023, though Labour did hold a seat in Axholme North from 2007 to 2015.
The demographics are of a sort which tends to be associated with strong support for Brexit and a recent trend towards the Conservatives, and the Don Valley constituency, under various boundaries, had a long Labour history until it was gained by Nick Fletcher for the Conservatives in 2019. The wards which move here are fairly representative of that constituency, so the addition of the Isle of Axholme makes Fletcher's position considerably more secure. However Rossington, Hatfield and Thorne are still a substantial part of the constituency and the new constituency is probably best described as a Conservative leaning marginal, not a safe seat, and will be a Labour target.
2019 notional result (Rallings & Thrasher):
Con 22460 (52.1%)
Lab 12375 (28.7%)
Brexit Party 4452 (10.3%)
Lib Dem 1912 (4.4%)
Green 1015 (2.4%)
Other 870 (2.0%)
Con majority 10085 (23.4%)
