Post by John Chanin on Apr 2, 2020 13:55:56 GMT
Basildon was the largest of the new towns created in the 1950s, and helped many east Londoners to move into modern housing, mostly rented from the council, and work in the local light industries created as part of the programme. It was an open field development - there was very little here before the new town except for the plotlands. After the first world war plots of land were sold off to individuals cheaply and they were left to make the best use of them they could, and build what they wanted without planning restrictions. The rapid development of the new town saw the Billericay constituency double in size between 1950 and the late 1960s, and Brentwood was removed in 1970 and the seat renamed Basildon after what was now by far its largest settlement.
Although the town is more or less the right size for a parliamentary seat, and had one between 1983 and 1997, the Boundary Commission in 1997 found it unable to put the whole town in the same seat, and this has continued through all subsequent boundary reviews. Presently the 4 central wards of the New Town are linked with the commuter town of Billericay. Billericay is another of the old Essex villages that has seen huge private development since the second world war, and there is a fast railway line running into Liverpool Street. The town is separated from Basildon by some open country famous mainly for the Dale Farm gypsy encampment, which was a cause celebre for several years before finally being removed. Billericay is 80% owner-occupied, 35% managerial, and 30% with degrees. It forms half of the seat and is a very safe Conservative area like the other Essex commuter towns.
Central Basildon is very different. This is the heart of the New Town, including its shopping centre, with many council estates, and a third of households still in council housing. Only 20% of residents are in managerial jobs, and just 13% have degrees. There is also a higher ethnic minority population although the area is still predominantly white. It has always been the strongest area for Labour within the town, but political change in recent years has made it increasingly competitive, with a strong UKIP presence in mid decade. Labour still holds 3 of the wards at council level fairly comfortably, but Laindon Park, where there is more private development, is very marginal. As a result Billericay easily outvotes Basildon and this seat is safe for the Conservatives . The current MP is John Baron, originally elected in 2001 in succession to Teresa Gorman for a Billericay seat that included Wickford and Pitsea rather than central Basildon and was therefore even safer.
The seat was within quota, but the latest boundary review has added Vange ward which is very similar to the other central Basildon wards. This will improve the Labour position, but not by enough to make any difference.
Census data: owner-occupied 67% (312/573 in England & Wales), private rented 10% (540th), social rented 22% (126th).
:White 93%, Black 3%, Asian 2%, Mixed 2%, Other 1%
: Managerial & professional 35% (302nd), Routine & Semi-routine 28% (326th)
: Degree 21% (429th), Minimal qualifications 44% (96th)
: Students 2.3% (499th), Over 65 17% (286th)
Although the town is more or less the right size for a parliamentary seat, and had one between 1983 and 1997, the Boundary Commission in 1997 found it unable to put the whole town in the same seat, and this has continued through all subsequent boundary reviews. Presently the 4 central wards of the New Town are linked with the commuter town of Billericay. Billericay is another of the old Essex villages that has seen huge private development since the second world war, and there is a fast railway line running into Liverpool Street. The town is separated from Basildon by some open country famous mainly for the Dale Farm gypsy encampment, which was a cause celebre for several years before finally being removed. Billericay is 80% owner-occupied, 35% managerial, and 30% with degrees. It forms half of the seat and is a very safe Conservative area like the other Essex commuter towns.
Central Basildon is very different. This is the heart of the New Town, including its shopping centre, with many council estates, and a third of households still in council housing. Only 20% of residents are in managerial jobs, and just 13% have degrees. There is also a higher ethnic minority population although the area is still predominantly white. It has always been the strongest area for Labour within the town, but political change in recent years has made it increasingly competitive, with a strong UKIP presence in mid decade. Labour still holds 3 of the wards at council level fairly comfortably, but Laindon Park, where there is more private development, is very marginal. As a result Billericay easily outvotes Basildon and this seat is safe for the Conservatives . The current MP is John Baron, originally elected in 2001 in succession to Teresa Gorman for a Billericay seat that included Wickford and Pitsea rather than central Basildon and was therefore even safer.
The seat was within quota, but the latest boundary review has added Vange ward which is very similar to the other central Basildon wards. This will improve the Labour position, but not by enough to make any difference.
Census data: owner-occupied 67% (312/573 in England & Wales), private rented 10% (540th), social rented 22% (126th).
:White 93%, Black 3%, Asian 2%, Mixed 2%, Other 1%
: Managerial & professional 35% (302nd), Routine & Semi-routine 28% (326th)
: Degree 21% (429th), Minimal qualifications 44% (96th)
: Students 2.3% (499th), Over 65 17% (286th)
2010 | % | 2015 | % | 2017 | % | 2019 | % | |
Conservative | 21,982 | 52.8% | 22,668 | 52.7% | 27,381 | 61.0% | 29,590 | 67.1% |
Labour | 9,584 | 23.0% | 10,186 | 23.7% | 13,981 | 31.1% | 9,178 | 20.8% |
Liberal Democrat | 6,538 | 15.7% | 1,636 | 3.8% | 1,548 | 3.4% | 3,741 | 8.5% |
UKIP | 1,591 | 3.8% | 8,538 | 19.8% | 2,008 | 4.5% | ||
Green | 1,395 | 3.2% | ||||||
Others | 1,934 | 4.6% | 224 | 0.5% | ||||
Majority | 12,398 | 29.8% | 12,482 | 29.0% | 13,400 | 29.8% | 20,412 | 46.3% |
