Post by bjornhattan on Apr 3, 2020 18:36:15 GMT
BANBURY
For centuries, the town of Banbury has served as a focal point for large swathes of three counties. Indeed it was so influential that the surrounding area was sometimes called Banburyshire during the 19th century. It has been represented in the House of Commons since 1554, though unusually it always only had a single member, even when boroughs being represented by multiple was the norm.
Around two fifths of the constituency's population live in Banbury proper. Despite being in Oxfordshire, this is a rather industrial town dominated by the largest coffee processing plant in Europe. There is significant deprivation, both in the town centre and the outlying estate of Bretch Hill (whose most famous former resident also has ties to the food industry - the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay), though unemployment is low even in these areas. Areas such as Hardwick and Calthorpe are more upscale, but even these areas are comfortably off rather than wealthy. In addition to its economic diversity, there is much ethnic diversity in the town, with many immigrants coming to Banbury. The town centre and the inner suburb of Grimsbury have the largest ethnic minority commnities, with a mixture of Eastern European and Pakistani residents making up nearly a third of the population.
Leaving the urban town behind, the constituency takes in many affluent villages such as Adderbury, Bloxham, and Cropredy, all of which lie firmly in Banbury's orbit. Slightly further out is Hook Norton, which is closer to Chipping Norton in the Witney constituency and is known for its brewery. The other main population centre in the north of the constituency is Deddington, which is a small market town on the road towards Oxford. All of these pleasant places have significant commuter populations, and these make use of the fast trains running between Banbury and London Marylebone.
Two stops down the line from Banbury station is Bicester North, which is one of two stations serving this constituency's other major town. Bicester has seen dramatic growth in recent years and this seems likely to continue with more and more estates in the pipeline. Bicester Village, a large outlet shopping centre, brings in a constant flow of tourists, though few visit the older core of the town. While not as wealthy as the more rural parts of the constituency, Bicester is generally fairly well off, excepting some rather grim post-war housing to the west of the town centre.
Banbury has only elected Conservative MPs in living memory, and usually their majorities have been fairly safe. From the 1940s to the 1960s, Labour would sometimes be quite competitive, but back then many more residents worked on the railways or in agriculture, both industries where the trade union movement was strong at the time. Labour's strength rapidly waned and even in the landslide of 1997, they were still 5,000 votes away from victory - a bigger margin than in 1955 when they lost nationally. Labour are competitve in Banbury itself, both locally and nationally, but they are just too far back in the rest of the seat to have much hope here.
For centuries, the town of Banbury has served as a focal point for large swathes of three counties. Indeed it was so influential that the surrounding area was sometimes called Banburyshire during the 19th century. It has been represented in the House of Commons since 1554, though unusually it always only had a single member, even when boroughs being represented by multiple was the norm.
Around two fifths of the constituency's population live in Banbury proper. Despite being in Oxfordshire, this is a rather industrial town dominated by the largest coffee processing plant in Europe. There is significant deprivation, both in the town centre and the outlying estate of Bretch Hill (whose most famous former resident also has ties to the food industry - the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay), though unemployment is low even in these areas. Areas such as Hardwick and Calthorpe are more upscale, but even these areas are comfortably off rather than wealthy. In addition to its economic diversity, there is much ethnic diversity in the town, with many immigrants coming to Banbury. The town centre and the inner suburb of Grimsbury have the largest ethnic minority commnities, with a mixture of Eastern European and Pakistani residents making up nearly a third of the population.
Leaving the urban town behind, the constituency takes in many affluent villages such as Adderbury, Bloxham, and Cropredy, all of which lie firmly in Banbury's orbit. Slightly further out is Hook Norton, which is closer to Chipping Norton in the Witney constituency and is known for its brewery. The other main population centre in the north of the constituency is Deddington, which is a small market town on the road towards Oxford. All of these pleasant places have significant commuter populations, and these make use of the fast trains running between Banbury and London Marylebone.
Two stops down the line from Banbury station is Bicester North, which is one of two stations serving this constituency's other major town. Bicester has seen dramatic growth in recent years and this seems likely to continue with more and more estates in the pipeline. Bicester Village, a large outlet shopping centre, brings in a constant flow of tourists, though few visit the older core of the town. While not as wealthy as the more rural parts of the constituency, Bicester is generally fairly well off, excepting some rather grim post-war housing to the west of the town centre.
Banbury has only elected Conservative MPs in living memory, and usually their majorities have been fairly safe. From the 1940s to the 1960s, Labour would sometimes be quite competitive, but back then many more residents worked on the railways or in agriculture, both industries where the trade union movement was strong at the time. Labour's strength rapidly waned and even in the landslide of 1997, they were still 5,000 votes away from victory - a bigger margin than in 1955 when they lost nationally. Labour are competitve in Banbury itself, both locally and nationally, but they are just too far back in the rest of the seat to have much hope here.
