Best and worst wards for each party

[AdminSTB]

We've definitely discussed this before, but I can't seem to track any of it down.

Do we have any up to date contenders for the strongest and weakest wards in the country for each political party? I realise there's no straightforward way of doing this - one could take into account vote shares, majorities, the number of candidates, whether parties even field candidates, and so on.

[Deleted]

In Scotland, I believe the best Conservative ward is Newton Mearns South (61.4% first preference votes) and 3 councillors in 2017

I’m going to guess that the worst is Lerwick North (2.6% or 26 first preference votes)

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Would have to go some to beat Knightsbridge and Belgravia as the strongest Conservative ward: 81% in a three-cornered race in 2018, and there was active campaigning for Labour.

[londonseal80]

The wards around Chelsea and Belgravia have generally been amongst the strongest for the Conservatives. Back in the 60’s and 70’s Cheam South (about 97% Con in 1968 and about 88% in 1971)was up there along with Belmont, Sutton South-East and Carshalton South West. The 1972 Sutton and Cheam by election started to change all that. In 2022 I wouldn’t be totally surprised if the strongest Conservative wards end up being in Havering and Bexley. A Brexit stronghold like East Wickham perhaps?

[Defenestrated Fipplebox]

The weakest will be where there's never been a candidate of that party.

👽

[finsobruce]

Apr 13, 2020 12:41:43 GMT Defenestrated Fipplebox said:

The weakest will be where there's never been a candidate of that party.

👽

Not necessarily...who knows what might happen if they did stand?

[iain]

Apr 13, 2020 12:26:41 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

Would have to go some to beat Knightsbridge and Belgravia as the strongest Conservative ward: 81% in a three-cornered race in 2018, and there was active campaigning for Labour.

Though I’d imagine they were considerably lower at the GE given the Lib Dem performance in Cities?

[where2travel]

Years ago I remember reading about Prestbury (Macclesfield, now Cheshire East) was 92% Conservative, but this was with just two candidates - Conservative and Labour. I don't know if that was the highest at the time. I've just checked and it was 2006.

Possibly the last time it was a 3-way election (Con, Lab, LD) was as far back as 2002, when the Conservatives got 84%. Most recently (again just Con and Lab) in 2019, the Conservatives got 89%.

[greatkingrat]

Apr 13, 2020 12:23:49 GMT Sandy said:

In Scotland, I believe the best Conservative ward is Newton Mearns South (61.4% first preference votes) and 3 councillors in 2017

I’m going to guess that the worst is Lerwick North (2.6% or 26 first preference votes)

Although the Independent tradition in Shetland means it isn't really an accurate reflection of party strengths. I am sure that in the Scottish Parliament list votes, the Conservatives got more than 2.6% in Lerwick North. The lowest ward would presumably be somewhere in Glasgow.

[John Chanin]

Labour got 91% in Alum Rock ward in Birmingham in 2018. May not be the highest but will be close.

[Deleted]

The Conservatives got 84% in Meir Park in Stoke-on-Trent in 2019.

[andrewteale]

I remember looking into this after compiling the 2008 local elections. The largest Labour share that year was 82.6% in - wait for it - Neyland East division, Pembrokeshire. Most of the Lib Dem top 20 wards were in South Lakeland.

[iain]

Going off the most recent local elections, the Lib Dems’ best ward may be in Cirencester?

[bjornhattan]

Apr 13, 2020 17:13:36 GMT iain said:

Going off the most recent local elections, the Lib Dems’ best ward may be in Cirencester?

Yet if you look at the general election result for the Cotswolds, they may well have failed to carry any wards in Cirencester in December.

[🏴‍☠️ Neath West 🏴‍☠️]

Apr 13, 2020 12:26:41 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

Would have to go some to beat Knightsbridge and Belgravia as the strongest Conservative ward: 81% in a three-cornered race in 2018, and there was active campaigning for Labour.

The first of the two Conservative candidates in the Four Oaks ward of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council got the equivalent of 85.6% in 2018 (it's a two-member ward). But no surprises there.

[andrewteale]

In the Newcastle-under-Lyme election of 2018, Maer and Whitmore ward was 89.8% Conservative. Somebody must be able to beat that.

[owainsutton]

Greens: Best is Chelmsley Wood in Solihull, climbed to 84% last year with Labour and Tories standing.

Mystery prize to anyone finding the definitive lowest!

[owainsutton]

Apr 13, 2020 15:47:45 GMT John Chanin said:

Labour got 91% in Alum Rock ward in Birmingham in 2018. May not be the highest but will be close.

Beaten by a nose by Danehouse with Stoneyholme, Burnley. 91.6% in the same year.

[owainsutton]

Contender for best independent result: 89.7%, albeit against a solitary Labour opponent. Chadacre, Babergh, 2011.

[bjornhattan]

Apr 13, 2020 17:33:12 GMT andrewteale said:

In the Newcastle-under-Lyme election of 2018, Maer and Whitmore ward was 89.8% Conservative. Somebody must be able to beat that.

If 2017 counts, Cramlington North in Northumberland wins with the Conservatives getting 92.6% of the vote (their only opposition was Labour). This was down to a combination of a huge personal vote for the councillor and very strong demographics (I believe it is the ward with the highest proportion of owner occupiers in England, but I could be wrong).

It won't have voted quite as strongly Conservative in the General Election, but probably still accounted for the entire Conservative majority in Blyth Valley.