Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2020 15:56:08 GMT
North East Bedfordshire
Question one: you are the boundary commission. You have created a seat within the county of Bedfordshire covering the northern portion of the county, including its far north western corner, and which takes most of its are and electorate from a borough formerly known as North Bedfordshire. Do you a) give it a name reflective of the area it covers with an established link to its administrative past or b) give it a nonsense and only half-accurate name because of three wards stretching down the county’s eastern boundary? Answer: if your IQ is measured in positive numbers, option A. If you are a member of the boundary commission for England, option B.
This constituency covers the rural northern parts of Bedford Borough; the few suburban areas which are not contained in the Bedford constituency; and the towns of Arlesey, Biggleswade (yes, the name is real) and Sandy in Central Bedfordshire. The largest settlement in the Bedford portion is Sharnbrook with just over 2,000 people at the 2011 census, although Biddenham and Clapham are both only just outside the borders of Bedford. This is a genuinely rural constituency, with around 28,000 people combined in Biggleswade and Sandy and the rest in the various villages and hamlets dotted around the area: Arlesey is the next largest settlement with around 5,000 people. This is in the Midlands-y part of Bedfordshire, although the southern portions of the seat have more of a South-Eastern feel. Either way, this seat is squarely situated in the Home Counties and has all the politics and demographics to go with it.
The history of the area is long but sparse. Some evidence of habitation going back to 10,000 BC has been found in what is now Biggleswade. Both Biggleswade and Sandy go back to at least the Anglo-Saxon era and both are mentioned in the Doomsday Book: Sandy is believed to have been held at the time by a High Steward of William the Conqueror who was based at Colchester Castle. This largely was a largely agricultural area for most of its history, like much of the county, and by-and-large escaped the industry that impacted much of Bedfordshire. Exceptions include a 1868 entry in the National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland which notes that "many of the female inhabitants are employed in lace-making and the manufacture of straw-plait". Presumably, this was mostly a secondary source of income while the men were engaged in agriculture. Other exceptions include mills in Biggleswade and Sandy and a cycle-works; a brewery; and a factory manufacturing books diaries and binders in Biggleswade, although all of these are long since gone and replaced by shops or housing. Some small-scale manufacturing did continue into the early 1990s.
Overall, this is a largely commuter seat. Train stations at Biggleswade, Sandy and Arlesey link that area to London while Biddenham and Clapham are in easy reach of Bedford and Sharnbrook close to Bedford, Northampton and Milton Keynes. The occupational categories which are proportionally larger than the country at large are 2 and 3, “professional occupations” and “associate professional and technical” occupations: together categories 1-3 make up 59.5% of the workforce in the seat compared to 47.4% nationally. Significantly over-represented industries include wholesale and retail; professional, scientific and technical services; and education while human health and social work is significantly under-represented.
This, overall, a genuinely wealthy constituency although there are always exceptions to such a rule. Overall, it is the 475th most deprived out of England’s 533 seats. There are a few areas in the most deprived half of the county, but only two LSOAs in the most deprived 40% in England, one of which is in the most deprived 30%. The bulk of LSOAs are in the richest 40% with several in higher categories including a much higher than average number in the richest decile. One measure where this constituency is deprived is barriers to housing and services, which is a common feature in many rural areas.
This constituency has a rather short history, having existed only since 1997. Its predecessor was mostly North Bedfordshire, although that seat contained the town of Bedford which made for a rather different political and demographic profile. Conservative Trevor Skeet was the only MP to represent North Bedfordshire. North East Bedfordshire has had two MPs: Alastair Burt who was elected as a Conservative but briefly sat as an independent before standing down in 2019, and then Richard Fuller, who represented Bedford from 2010 until losing his seat in 2017. The closest the Tories ever came to losing either seat was in 1997 when they won a majority of 5,883 or 11.7%. It climbed to 18.9% in 2001 and has been above 20% ever since, reaching 43.7% or 25,644 votes in 2015. In 2019, Fuller held the seat by24,283 votes or 37.3%
Strength within this constituency is, of course, relative. Most of it is strongly Tory even at local level although there are some independents and the LibDems currently hold Clapham ward. Opposition support is likely strongest in Biggleswade and Sandy with some LibDem support in the areas around Bedford although the Tories sweep everywhere in the seat at least in a general election. This is a safe Tory seat that didn’t even come under rea threat in the Blair years and shows no sign of moving away from the party in the short or medium term.
Question one: you are the boundary commission. You have created a seat within the county of Bedfordshire covering the northern portion of the county, including its far north western corner, and which takes most of its are and electorate from a borough formerly known as North Bedfordshire. Do you a) give it a name reflective of the area it covers with an established link to its administrative past or b) give it a nonsense and only half-accurate name because of three wards stretching down the county’s eastern boundary? Answer: if your IQ is measured in positive numbers, option A. If you are a member of the boundary commission for England, option B.
This constituency covers the rural northern parts of Bedford Borough; the few suburban areas which are not contained in the Bedford constituency; and the towns of Arlesey, Biggleswade (yes, the name is real) and Sandy in Central Bedfordshire. The largest settlement in the Bedford portion is Sharnbrook with just over 2,000 people at the 2011 census, although Biddenham and Clapham are both only just outside the borders of Bedford. This is a genuinely rural constituency, with around 28,000 people combined in Biggleswade and Sandy and the rest in the various villages and hamlets dotted around the area: Arlesey is the next largest settlement with around 5,000 people. This is in the Midlands-y part of Bedfordshire, although the southern portions of the seat have more of a South-Eastern feel. Either way, this seat is squarely situated in the Home Counties and has all the politics and demographics to go with it.
The history of the area is long but sparse. Some evidence of habitation going back to 10,000 BC has been found in what is now Biggleswade. Both Biggleswade and Sandy go back to at least the Anglo-Saxon era and both are mentioned in the Doomsday Book: Sandy is believed to have been held at the time by a High Steward of William the Conqueror who was based at Colchester Castle. This largely was a largely agricultural area for most of its history, like much of the county, and by-and-large escaped the industry that impacted much of Bedfordshire. Exceptions include a 1868 entry in the National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland which notes that "many of the female inhabitants are employed in lace-making and the manufacture of straw-plait". Presumably, this was mostly a secondary source of income while the men were engaged in agriculture. Other exceptions include mills in Biggleswade and Sandy and a cycle-works; a brewery; and a factory manufacturing books diaries and binders in Biggleswade, although all of these are long since gone and replaced by shops or housing. Some small-scale manufacturing did continue into the early 1990s.
Overall, this is a largely commuter seat. Train stations at Biggleswade, Sandy and Arlesey link that area to London while Biddenham and Clapham are in easy reach of Bedford and Sharnbrook close to Bedford, Northampton and Milton Keynes. The occupational categories which are proportionally larger than the country at large are 2 and 3, “professional occupations” and “associate professional and technical” occupations: together categories 1-3 make up 59.5% of the workforce in the seat compared to 47.4% nationally. Significantly over-represented industries include wholesale and retail; professional, scientific and technical services; and education while human health and social work is significantly under-represented.
This, overall, a genuinely wealthy constituency although there are always exceptions to such a rule. Overall, it is the 475th most deprived out of England’s 533 seats. There are a few areas in the most deprived half of the county, but only two LSOAs in the most deprived 40% in England, one of which is in the most deprived 30%. The bulk of LSOAs are in the richest 40% with several in higher categories including a much higher than average number in the richest decile. One measure where this constituency is deprived is barriers to housing and services, which is a common feature in many rural areas.
This constituency has a rather short history, having existed only since 1997. Its predecessor was mostly North Bedfordshire, although that seat contained the town of Bedford which made for a rather different political and demographic profile. Conservative Trevor Skeet was the only MP to represent North Bedfordshire. North East Bedfordshire has had two MPs: Alastair Burt who was elected as a Conservative but briefly sat as an independent before standing down in 2019, and then Richard Fuller, who represented Bedford from 2010 until losing his seat in 2017. The closest the Tories ever came to losing either seat was in 1997 when they won a majority of 5,883 or 11.7%. It climbed to 18.9% in 2001 and has been above 20% ever since, reaching 43.7% or 25,644 votes in 2015. In 2019, Fuller held the seat by24,283 votes or 37.3%
Strength within this constituency is, of course, relative. Most of it is strongly Tory even at local level although there are some independents and the LibDems currently hold Clapham ward. Opposition support is likely strongest in Biggleswade and Sandy with some LibDem support in the areas around Bedford although the Tories sweep everywhere in the seat at least in a general election. This is a safe Tory seat that didn’t even come under rea threat in the Blair years and shows no sign of moving away from the party in the short or medium term.
