Post by bungle on Apr 13, 2020 10:23:24 GMT
Skipton & Ripon
North Yorkshire specialises in large constituencies by geographical area. The sparse distribution of the population here reflects the underlying topography: this is a county of vast landscapes and small towns and villages. Farming and tourism dominate in terms of economic drivers. All of this creates the conditions for the Conservative Party to thrive at a parliamentary level and the Skipton and Ripon areas (other than a brief wobble in the early 1970s) have followed that script faithfully.
The constituency of Skipton & Ripon was first created in 1983 when the Boundary Commissioners caught up with the significant impact of the 1972 Local Government Act in this part of the world. Prior to then there were two distinct seats - Skipton CC and Ripon CC – and a superficial glance based on nomenclature might have suggested Skipton & Ripon was merely a fusion between two undersized seats. Far from it; both electorates were a respectable if under-powered 53,000 in 1979. The old Skipton CC was the northern outpost of the old West Riding of Yorkshire which incredibly stretched from Sheffield to Sedbergh. The seat included the Aire Valley just north of Keighley, the urban area of Skipton, some mill towns to the west such as Barnoldswick and Earby and then the vast open Dales areas stretching relentlessly north before reaching the aforementioned remote town of Sedbergh. The 1972 LGA moved the area around the Forest of Bowland and Barnoldswick & Earby into Lancashire (controversial, understandably). Sedbergh and Dent were moved to Cumbria. Addingham was incorporated into Bradford MDC and the remaining area became part of the new North Yorkshire. So for three parliaments, the MP for Skipton represented interests covering 3 county councils, 4 district councils (Craven, South Lakeland, Ribble Valley and Pendle) and one metropolitan area. I can imagine the temptation not to get involved in local government matters proved strong!
Ripon CC ended up covering a similar residual mish-mash, although nothing quite so heretical as ripping away parts of God’s Own County and handing them to the enemy (cf Saddleworth). The seat was comprised of the borough of Ripon, the upland and dales countryside around Pateley Bridge and then coming south to take in both well-heeled genteel Ilkley and its more workaday neighbour Otley. The 1972 LGA took Ilkley and placed it into Bradford MBC while Otley joined Leeds MBC. The remainder of the Ripon seat went into the new North Yorkshire. Across the south-west and western part of that new county there was a strong degree of congruence as to the type of geography, demographics and economic & social drivers; as such, the creation of Skipton & Ripon CC was a harmonious and logical proposal. This is despite the fact it takes a long drive on an awful road (which frequently succumbs to landslides) to get from Skipton to Ripon.
In describing the constituency in more detail it makes sense to start with its eponymous towns. Skipton was historically a mill and market town with its famous Belle Vue Mills that made Sylko (beloved thread for any serious seamstress) and was also a key stopping point on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal. The industrial nature of Skipton was never absolute but it did mean plenty of artisan terraced housing was built in areas like Middle Town and off the Keighley Road. This meant Labour were competitive at local elections within Skipton (frequent winners of the old East ward) and they have started to become so once again but this time in Skipton West (which covers the Keighley and Broughton Road areas). More comfortable residential areas around Aireville Park and some new private estates to the north re-balance the town interests for the Conservatives via Skipton North (although the Greens snatched this in 2019) whilst local independents complicate the picture as well. The Lib Dems have often featured across all the Skipton wards but they have faded away of late. Skipton is evolving; although it still has an older demographic it is becoming attractive as a place for families and younger commuters who work in Leeds and Bradford thanks to the now vastly improved Aire Valley electric railway and services are often rammed to capacity.
Ripon itself was always a more genteel place (a city to be exact, as it has a cathedral) and somewhat disconnected from the harsh and rugged existence of its surrounding countryside. Like Harrogate ten miles to the south it developed some identity as a leisure and spa town but this never dominated. Today it remains a healthy town with most main services extant and a good mix of housing types. Politically at a local level it has always displayed a residual conservatism and dislike of extremes. The Conservatives are the default option but other avenues emerge. The local Lib Dems got well organised here in the 1990s and more recently a local force, the Ripon Independents, have been successful.
Other than in the Aire Valley south-west of Skipton, the remainder of the constituency is dominated by the large landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The population is very dispersed around small farmsteads, small hamlets & villages and the occasional small town such as at Grassington or Settle. The economy here is hugely driven by tourism and agriculture, in particular sheep farming. Politically this means there is strong residual support for the Conservatives nationally whilst locally there is a chequerboard of large area/small electorate wards like Barden Fell or Upper Wharfedale where the winner is pretty much either a Conservative or a small ‘c’ conservative Independent. In Settle the Liberal Democrats were very well organised from the 1970s until the late 2000s, mainly thanks to the Graham family (more on them shortly).
Unsurprisingly, Skipton & Ripon provides little excitement to the psephologist. I used a pork pie analogy in my Thirsk & Malton profile to describe the solidly reliable dullness of such seats; this would be most apt in Skipton where Stanforth’s Pork Pie Establishment is a huge attraction for the tourists. There is a little spice, although this is pre-1983. Back in 1973 at the surge of Liberal support, Ripon CC produced one of those string of by-election victories where a safe Tory seat was swung within a matter of a few weeks campaigning. David Austwick was an independent Leeds bookseller of some scale (Austick’s in Leeds is well remembered by many) and he took the seat by 946 votes. Unlike other similar gains such as Berwick and Isle of Ely, the Tories managed to claw their way back in Feb 1974 by over 4,000 and then 7,000 in the October. Normal service then resumed and Austick went off to fight Cheadle in 1979.
At the same time, over in the Skipton constituency, the Conservatives were facing a real challenge for the first time from the energetic and high-profile Liberal Claire Brooks. With her well trained sister Beth Graham as campaign manager they propelled a sleepy constituency into a hard-fought battle. Brooks cut the Conservative majority to 2,000 in Feb 1974 and did even better in the October (against the trend for Liberals) falling short by only 590. Brooks promptly won a seat on the council and, with her sister turning Settle into a Liberal bastion, it wasn’t surprising that the veteran sitting MP, Burnaby Drayson, did not relish another re-match with Claire Brooks. In 1979 the Conservatives put up a vigorous 36 year old as a replacement, John Watson, who in 1983 became the first MP for Skipton & Ripon. Watson became disillusioned and retired in 1987 to go back into industry (although he later served as a North Yorkshire county councillor) and his replacement was North Essex MEP David Curry. Curry had some connection with the constituency having attended Ripon Grammar School and he was able to carve out a sensible ministerial career under John Major. A devoted Clarkeite and pro-European, he sensibly bowed out in 2010 which is when the current MP Julian Smith was first elected. Smith rose quietly to become Chief Whip and then a short but seemingly successful spell as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland before being dispensed with in February 2020.
The electoral history of Skipton and Ripon since 1983 shows very little of significance for this is an ultra-safe Conservative seat. The majority in 1997 was still over 11,000 despite Curry only getting 46.5% of the vote because the opposition vote is usually well split. Since 1983 the Liberals/Lib Dems have corralled most of the anti-Tory vote with some good performances (32% in 2010). However, this quickly unravelled to 7% in 2015 and subsequently an agreement not to stand in 2017 in a Green pact (I wonder what the late Claire Brooks would have made of that?). Labour were the main beneficiary rather than the Greens and their performance in 2019 was still good enough to retain second place. Unsurprisingly Julian Smith cruised to victory with nearly 60% of the vote and a 23,700 majority. Barring a freak by-election in difficult circumstances, this is a seat that will reliably elect Conservatives for many elections to come.
North Yorkshire specialises in large constituencies by geographical area. The sparse distribution of the population here reflects the underlying topography: this is a county of vast landscapes and small towns and villages. Farming and tourism dominate in terms of economic drivers. All of this creates the conditions for the Conservative Party to thrive at a parliamentary level and the Skipton and Ripon areas (other than a brief wobble in the early 1970s) have followed that script faithfully.
The constituency of Skipton & Ripon was first created in 1983 when the Boundary Commissioners caught up with the significant impact of the 1972 Local Government Act in this part of the world. Prior to then there were two distinct seats - Skipton CC and Ripon CC – and a superficial glance based on nomenclature might have suggested Skipton & Ripon was merely a fusion between two undersized seats. Far from it; both electorates were a respectable if under-powered 53,000 in 1979. The old Skipton CC was the northern outpost of the old West Riding of Yorkshire which incredibly stretched from Sheffield to Sedbergh. The seat included the Aire Valley just north of Keighley, the urban area of Skipton, some mill towns to the west such as Barnoldswick and Earby and then the vast open Dales areas stretching relentlessly north before reaching the aforementioned remote town of Sedbergh. The 1972 LGA moved the area around the Forest of Bowland and Barnoldswick & Earby into Lancashire (controversial, understandably). Sedbergh and Dent were moved to Cumbria. Addingham was incorporated into Bradford MDC and the remaining area became part of the new North Yorkshire. So for three parliaments, the MP for Skipton represented interests covering 3 county councils, 4 district councils (Craven, South Lakeland, Ribble Valley and Pendle) and one metropolitan area. I can imagine the temptation not to get involved in local government matters proved strong!
Ripon CC ended up covering a similar residual mish-mash, although nothing quite so heretical as ripping away parts of God’s Own County and handing them to the enemy (cf Saddleworth). The seat was comprised of the borough of Ripon, the upland and dales countryside around Pateley Bridge and then coming south to take in both well-heeled genteel Ilkley and its more workaday neighbour Otley. The 1972 LGA took Ilkley and placed it into Bradford MBC while Otley joined Leeds MBC. The remainder of the Ripon seat went into the new North Yorkshire. Across the south-west and western part of that new county there was a strong degree of congruence as to the type of geography, demographics and economic & social drivers; as such, the creation of Skipton & Ripon CC was a harmonious and logical proposal. This is despite the fact it takes a long drive on an awful road (which frequently succumbs to landslides) to get from Skipton to Ripon.
In describing the constituency in more detail it makes sense to start with its eponymous towns. Skipton was historically a mill and market town with its famous Belle Vue Mills that made Sylko (beloved thread for any serious seamstress) and was also a key stopping point on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal. The industrial nature of Skipton was never absolute but it did mean plenty of artisan terraced housing was built in areas like Middle Town and off the Keighley Road. This meant Labour were competitive at local elections within Skipton (frequent winners of the old East ward) and they have started to become so once again but this time in Skipton West (which covers the Keighley and Broughton Road areas). More comfortable residential areas around Aireville Park and some new private estates to the north re-balance the town interests for the Conservatives via Skipton North (although the Greens snatched this in 2019) whilst local independents complicate the picture as well. The Lib Dems have often featured across all the Skipton wards but they have faded away of late. Skipton is evolving; although it still has an older demographic it is becoming attractive as a place for families and younger commuters who work in Leeds and Bradford thanks to the now vastly improved Aire Valley electric railway and services are often rammed to capacity.
Ripon itself was always a more genteel place (a city to be exact, as it has a cathedral) and somewhat disconnected from the harsh and rugged existence of its surrounding countryside. Like Harrogate ten miles to the south it developed some identity as a leisure and spa town but this never dominated. Today it remains a healthy town with most main services extant and a good mix of housing types. Politically at a local level it has always displayed a residual conservatism and dislike of extremes. The Conservatives are the default option but other avenues emerge. The local Lib Dems got well organised here in the 1990s and more recently a local force, the Ripon Independents, have been successful.
Other than in the Aire Valley south-west of Skipton, the remainder of the constituency is dominated by the large landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The population is very dispersed around small farmsteads, small hamlets & villages and the occasional small town such as at Grassington or Settle. The economy here is hugely driven by tourism and agriculture, in particular sheep farming. Politically this means there is strong residual support for the Conservatives nationally whilst locally there is a chequerboard of large area/small electorate wards like Barden Fell or Upper Wharfedale where the winner is pretty much either a Conservative or a small ‘c’ conservative Independent. In Settle the Liberal Democrats were very well organised from the 1970s until the late 2000s, mainly thanks to the Graham family (more on them shortly).
Unsurprisingly, Skipton & Ripon provides little excitement to the psephologist. I used a pork pie analogy in my Thirsk & Malton profile to describe the solidly reliable dullness of such seats; this would be most apt in Skipton where Stanforth’s Pork Pie Establishment is a huge attraction for the tourists. There is a little spice, although this is pre-1983. Back in 1973 at the surge of Liberal support, Ripon CC produced one of those string of by-election victories where a safe Tory seat was swung within a matter of a few weeks campaigning. David Austwick was an independent Leeds bookseller of some scale (Austick’s in Leeds is well remembered by many) and he took the seat by 946 votes. Unlike other similar gains such as Berwick and Isle of Ely, the Tories managed to claw their way back in Feb 1974 by over 4,000 and then 7,000 in the October. Normal service then resumed and Austick went off to fight Cheadle in 1979.
At the same time, over in the Skipton constituency, the Conservatives were facing a real challenge for the first time from the energetic and high-profile Liberal Claire Brooks. With her well trained sister Beth Graham as campaign manager they propelled a sleepy constituency into a hard-fought battle. Brooks cut the Conservative majority to 2,000 in Feb 1974 and did even better in the October (against the trend for Liberals) falling short by only 590. Brooks promptly won a seat on the council and, with her sister turning Settle into a Liberal bastion, it wasn’t surprising that the veteran sitting MP, Burnaby Drayson, did not relish another re-match with Claire Brooks. In 1979 the Conservatives put up a vigorous 36 year old as a replacement, John Watson, who in 1983 became the first MP for Skipton & Ripon. Watson became disillusioned and retired in 1987 to go back into industry (although he later served as a North Yorkshire county councillor) and his replacement was North Essex MEP David Curry. Curry had some connection with the constituency having attended Ripon Grammar School and he was able to carve out a sensible ministerial career under John Major. A devoted Clarkeite and pro-European, he sensibly bowed out in 2010 which is when the current MP Julian Smith was first elected. Smith rose quietly to become Chief Whip and then a short but seemingly successful spell as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland before being dispensed with in February 2020.
The electoral history of Skipton and Ripon since 1983 shows very little of significance for this is an ultra-safe Conservative seat. The majority in 1997 was still over 11,000 despite Curry only getting 46.5% of the vote because the opposition vote is usually well split. Since 1983 the Liberals/Lib Dems have corralled most of the anti-Tory vote with some good performances (32% in 2010). However, this quickly unravelled to 7% in 2015 and subsequently an agreement not to stand in 2017 in a Green pact (I wonder what the late Claire Brooks would have made of that?). Labour were the main beneficiary rather than the Greens and their performance in 2019 was still good enough to retain second place. Unsurprisingly Julian Smith cruised to victory with nearly 60% of the vote and a 23,700 majority. Barring a freak by-election in difficult circumstances, this is a seat that will reliably elect Conservatives for many elections to come.
