Post by greenhert on Apr 5, 2020 21:22:16 GMT
Norwich South was first created in 1950 when the old 2-member Norwich constituency was divided into North and South respectively.
Norwich South actually comprises more of the city of Norwich than Norwich North, and contains the University of East Anglia and the "Golden Triangle" popular with well-heeled, alternative-minded young professionals. Norwich South is for the most part an affluent, middle-class, well-educated constituency and has one of the highest proportions of people identifying as having no religion on 2011 census figures, although Bowthorpe and Lakenham are more average in income terms.
Norwich South is reliably Labour but leant to the Conservatives until it gained inner-city parts of Norwich North in 1983. Norwich South was won by the Conservatives in 1983 but John Powley only held it for one term before John Garrett recaptured back his old seat for Labour in 1987. Former NUS President Charles Clark served as its Labour MP from 1997 to 2010; it was during this time it became a Green and Liberal Democrat target and from 2008 to 2012 the Greens held a plurality of council seats in Norwich South. The Liberal Democrats' Simon Wright won it by 310 votes in 2010 in a shock result with the Greens' Adrian Ramsay (Deputy Leader of the Green Party from 2008 to 2012) only 6,595 votes behind Mr Clarke. It became a top Green target in 2015 but surprisingly it was one of only two seats where the Green vote actually fell, by 1%, although nevertheless their candidate Lesley Grahame pushed Mr Wright into 4th place. Since Clive Lewis won the seat for Labour in 2015, the Greens have slipped back substantially,losing their deposit in 2017 and 2019 (despite fielding then MEP Catherine Rowett then) and in the intervening period losing all their Norfolk County Council seats (all 4 were in the city of Norwich) and most of their district council seats in Norwich until they made a notable recovery on new boundaries in May 2019.
Norwich South actually comprises more of the city of Norwich than Norwich North, and contains the University of East Anglia and the "Golden Triangle" popular with well-heeled, alternative-minded young professionals. Norwich South is for the most part an affluent, middle-class, well-educated constituency and has one of the highest proportions of people identifying as having no religion on 2011 census figures, although Bowthorpe and Lakenham are more average in income terms.
Norwich South is reliably Labour but leant to the Conservatives until it gained inner-city parts of Norwich North in 1983. Norwich South was won by the Conservatives in 1983 but John Powley only held it for one term before John Garrett recaptured back his old seat for Labour in 1987. Former NUS President Charles Clark served as its Labour MP from 1997 to 2010; it was during this time it became a Green and Liberal Democrat target and from 2008 to 2012 the Greens held a plurality of council seats in Norwich South. The Liberal Democrats' Simon Wright won it by 310 votes in 2010 in a shock result with the Greens' Adrian Ramsay (Deputy Leader of the Green Party from 2008 to 2012) only 6,595 votes behind Mr Clarke. It became a top Green target in 2015 but surprisingly it was one of only two seats where the Green vote actually fell, by 1%, although nevertheless their candidate Lesley Grahame pushed Mr Wright into 4th place. Since Clive Lewis won the seat for Labour in 2015, the Greens have slipped back substantially,losing their deposit in 2017 and 2019 (despite fielding then MEP Catherine Rowett then) and in the intervening period losing all their Norfolk County Council seats (all 4 were in the city of Norwich) and most of their district council seats in Norwich until they made a notable recovery on new boundaries in May 2019.
