Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2020 14:10:03 GMT
Mid Bedfordshire
Mid Bedfordshire is a geographically large constituency covering virtually the whole of the middle area of Bedfordshire. It is an almost entirely rural constituency, populated by small villages dotted over the area, although the two major towns of Ampthill and Flitwick contain around 25,000 people, which amounts to around 22% of the seat’s population. Other major towns within the constituency include Toddington with around 4,500 people and Shefford and Barton-le-Clay, both with around 5,000 inhabitants. The village of Woburn on the western edge of the constituency also contains the Woburn Safari Park. Ampthill is notable for the town’s rugby club who, following a stunning rise through the leagues now play in the second tier of English rugby, making Ampthill the second smallest settlement to be represented at such a high level (the smallest being Hartpury in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire).
The history of the area goes back a vey long way: Flitwick and Ampthill both appear in the Doomsday book. Ampthill was granted a charter for a weekly market by Henry III in 1219: in 2019 it celebrated its 800th year. Henry VIII was a frequent visitor to Ampthill Castle. Later on, Stewartby at the constituency’s northern edge became a centre of the brickmaking industry. The first brickworks in the village were built in 1897 and the industry exploded. At one stage it was home to the world’s largest kiln and at the height of production, the brickworks produced 18 million bricks and there were 167 chimneys dotted over the Marston Vale. In the 1970s, Bedfordshire produced 20% of England’s bricks. Some of this industry still survives today.
This is the least deprived constituency in Bedfordshire and the 31st richest in England. Not even ward or parish level statistics reveal any significant pockets of deprivation in the seat: just two of its LSOAs are in the most deprived half. One of these is at the eastern edge of the town of Flitwick, where I lived as a child, although its deprivation is significant: it is in the poorest 20%. The other is in the industrial town of Stewartby and is in the poorest 30% in England. But aside from these two divisions, this is a very wealthy constituency.
This constituency is right in the heart of the London commuter belt and has the profile and politics to go with it. Almost 60% of the constituency works in occupation groups 1-3: managers, professionals and associate professionals/people in technical occupations. Major rail lines linking Bedford to Luton and London and linking Bedford to Bletchley carry commuters and contribute to the commuter profile of the seat’s workforce. One exception is in and around the village of Stewartby, whose brickworks employ most of the 6.4% of the workforce who work in manufacturing. On top of the wealth and workforce profile making this area economically right-wing, the local authority voted nearly 57% leave. Much of Bedfordshire is quite conservative by the standards of the home counties although not necessarily by the standards of the country. This might explain why, in contrast to much of neighbouring Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, the Liberal Democrats don’t particularly challenge the Conservatives at any level.
Most constituencies, even the very safest, have something to make their politics at least vaguely interesting. Not this one. It as been Conservative since 1931 and for all but 4 years since 1918. The Labour Party have mostly been second since 1945, always by a long way aside from a few elections in the 40s and 50s with the Liberals finishing second prior to 1945. In 2005 and 2010 the LibDems again finished second, each time by at least 15 points except in 2001. The blue runs very deep in this corner of the East/East Midlands. The only councillors from other parties in the constituency, are two LibDems in Elstow & Stewartby - shared with North East Bedfordshire - although a few Tories lost their seats to independents in 2019. Labour are stronger in the poorer areas of Flitwick and possibly in the industrial village of Stewartby, while the LibDems probably achieve their best results in the north of the seat where it borders Bedford. Strength in this context is, of course relative, and this is a safe Tory seat showing absolutely no signs of moving away from the party.
Mid Bedfordshire is a geographically large constituency covering virtually the whole of the middle area of Bedfordshire. It is an almost entirely rural constituency, populated by small villages dotted over the area, although the two major towns of Ampthill and Flitwick contain around 25,000 people, which amounts to around 22% of the seat’s population. Other major towns within the constituency include Toddington with around 4,500 people and Shefford and Barton-le-Clay, both with around 5,000 inhabitants. The village of Woburn on the western edge of the constituency also contains the Woburn Safari Park. Ampthill is notable for the town’s rugby club who, following a stunning rise through the leagues now play in the second tier of English rugby, making Ampthill the second smallest settlement to be represented at such a high level (the smallest being Hartpury in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire).
The history of the area goes back a vey long way: Flitwick and Ampthill both appear in the Doomsday book. Ampthill was granted a charter for a weekly market by Henry III in 1219: in 2019 it celebrated its 800th year. Henry VIII was a frequent visitor to Ampthill Castle. Later on, Stewartby at the constituency’s northern edge became a centre of the brickmaking industry. The first brickworks in the village were built in 1897 and the industry exploded. At one stage it was home to the world’s largest kiln and at the height of production, the brickworks produced 18 million bricks and there were 167 chimneys dotted over the Marston Vale. In the 1970s, Bedfordshire produced 20% of England’s bricks. Some of this industry still survives today.
This is the least deprived constituency in Bedfordshire and the 31st richest in England. Not even ward or parish level statistics reveal any significant pockets of deprivation in the seat: just two of its LSOAs are in the most deprived half. One of these is at the eastern edge of the town of Flitwick, where I lived as a child, although its deprivation is significant: it is in the poorest 20%. The other is in the industrial town of Stewartby and is in the poorest 30% in England. But aside from these two divisions, this is a very wealthy constituency.
This constituency is right in the heart of the London commuter belt and has the profile and politics to go with it. Almost 60% of the constituency works in occupation groups 1-3: managers, professionals and associate professionals/people in technical occupations. Major rail lines linking Bedford to Luton and London and linking Bedford to Bletchley carry commuters and contribute to the commuter profile of the seat’s workforce. One exception is in and around the village of Stewartby, whose brickworks employ most of the 6.4% of the workforce who work in manufacturing. On top of the wealth and workforce profile making this area economically right-wing, the local authority voted nearly 57% leave. Much of Bedfordshire is quite conservative by the standards of the home counties although not necessarily by the standards of the country. This might explain why, in contrast to much of neighbouring Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, the Liberal Democrats don’t particularly challenge the Conservatives at any level.
Most constituencies, even the very safest, have something to make their politics at least vaguely interesting. Not this one. It as been Conservative since 1931 and for all but 4 years since 1918. The Labour Party have mostly been second since 1945, always by a long way aside from a few elections in the 40s and 50s with the Liberals finishing second prior to 1945. In 2005 and 2010 the LibDems again finished second, each time by at least 15 points except in 2001. The blue runs very deep in this corner of the East/East Midlands. The only councillors from other parties in the constituency, are two LibDems in Elstow & Stewartby - shared with North East Bedfordshire - although a few Tories lost their seats to independents in 2019. Labour are stronger in the poorer areas of Flitwick and possibly in the industrial village of Stewartby, while the LibDems probably achieve their best results in the north of the seat where it borders Bedford. Strength in this context is, of course relative, and this is a safe Tory seat showing absolutely no signs of moving away from the party.
