Post by BossMan on Apr 22, 2020 21:57:40 GMT
HALIFAX
The Halifax constituency was first created as a result of the Great Reform Act in 1832, out of the colossal Yorkshire constituency that previously existed. Before 1918, Halifax was a two member seat, and had returned an assortment of Whigs, Radicals, Conservatives, Liberals and a Liberal Unionist over the decades. The first Labour Member was elected in 1906.
Representation was reduced to one Member in 1918, and the successful candidate that year was Liberal incumbent John Henry Whitley. He had the distinction of not only being the last Liberal MP for Halifax, but also being last Liberal MP to become Speaker of the House of Commons, serving from 1921 to 1928, when he resigned due to ill health. The subsequent by-election winner was Labour’s Arthur Longbottom.
The Pennine minster town of Halifax has been a centre of woollen manufacture for centuries, with much dealing in the 18th century Piece Hall, perhaps the town’s biggest landmark - which was saved from demolition by one vote in the early 1970s and now serves other retail purposes. Halifax is also home to Dean Clough, one of the largest textile factories in the world, nowadays used for offices and retail establishments; and of course, one of the largest banking institutions in the country, originally founded as a building society in the Old Cock Inn.
The constituency also includes the much smaller town (and ward) of Sowerby Bridge, named after the historic bridge which spans the River Calder.
It has fallen victim to flooding on numerous occasions.
Despite the industrial background, the Halifax constituency did not become a Labour stronghold, but the party has held it for more than two thirds of the period since 1928, albeit narrowly most times – on four occasions by fewer than a thousand votes. The Conservatives have only been able to win when the going is very good for them nationally, but even then not always - they held the seat between 1931 and 1945, 1955 to 1964 (its then MP being Maurice Macmillan, son of the former Prime Minister) and 1983 to 1987.
Since 1987, there have been a number of false dawns from the Conservatives’ point of view. They managed to reduce Labour’s majority to 478 in 1992 against the national trend, and in what turned out to be a fluke result, managed to win every ward in the 2000 local elections except for the Labour stronghold of Ovenden – largely on the basis of a very low turnout, and probably the choice of an Asian candidate in St. John's ward (now Park ward).
To date this feat has not been repeated. Following unpopular decisions over the development of Halifax - among others - and the re-drawing of wards in 2004 the Tories seem to have lost their way at a local level. Things inevitably became more difficult still when they entered government in 2010. By far their best ward, which has remained loyal is Northowram and Shelf, with its solid gritstone houses. The Tories remain competitive with Labour in other wards like Sowerby Bridge and Skircoat. Another such example is Illingworth and Mixenden, with its high number of council houses and mostly white population, who showed evidence of resentment against Halifax’s minority Asian population – mostly of Pakistani origin - by electing a number of BNP councillors during the 2000s. Town is another ward which Labour have been able to win since 2004, although it also elected a BNP councillor in the first all out elections. Warley last elected a Tory councillor in 2006, they have since been pushed into third place there - and it has become increasingly comfortable as the constituency’s sole Liberal Democrat ward.
All this does downplay the Conservative performance at parliamentary level, and in the 2019 general election they missed out yet again to Labour MP Holly Lynch, but only by 2,569 votes. It is probably Park ward, which contains much of Halifax’s Asian population - and these days is monolithically Labour – which made up Labour's entire majority and keeps the prospect of a change of hands in check.
The Halifax constituency was first created as a result of the Great Reform Act in 1832, out of the colossal Yorkshire constituency that previously existed. Before 1918, Halifax was a two member seat, and had returned an assortment of Whigs, Radicals, Conservatives, Liberals and a Liberal Unionist over the decades. The first Labour Member was elected in 1906.
Representation was reduced to one Member in 1918, and the successful candidate that year was Liberal incumbent John Henry Whitley. He had the distinction of not only being the last Liberal MP for Halifax, but also being last Liberal MP to become Speaker of the House of Commons, serving from 1921 to 1928, when he resigned due to ill health. The subsequent by-election winner was Labour’s Arthur Longbottom.
The Pennine minster town of Halifax has been a centre of woollen manufacture for centuries, with much dealing in the 18th century Piece Hall, perhaps the town’s biggest landmark - which was saved from demolition by one vote in the early 1970s and now serves other retail purposes. Halifax is also home to Dean Clough, one of the largest textile factories in the world, nowadays used for offices and retail establishments; and of course, one of the largest banking institutions in the country, originally founded as a building society in the Old Cock Inn.
The constituency also includes the much smaller town (and ward) of Sowerby Bridge, named after the historic bridge which spans the River Calder.
It has fallen victim to flooding on numerous occasions.
Despite the industrial background, the Halifax constituency did not become a Labour stronghold, but the party has held it for more than two thirds of the period since 1928, albeit narrowly most times – on four occasions by fewer than a thousand votes. The Conservatives have only been able to win when the going is very good for them nationally, but even then not always - they held the seat between 1931 and 1945, 1955 to 1964 (its then MP being Maurice Macmillan, son of the former Prime Minister) and 1983 to 1987.
Since 1987, there have been a number of false dawns from the Conservatives’ point of view. They managed to reduce Labour’s majority to 478 in 1992 against the national trend, and in what turned out to be a fluke result, managed to win every ward in the 2000 local elections except for the Labour stronghold of Ovenden – largely on the basis of a very low turnout, and probably the choice of an Asian candidate in St. John's ward (now Park ward).
To date this feat has not been repeated. Following unpopular decisions over the development of Halifax - among others - and the re-drawing of wards in 2004 the Tories seem to have lost their way at a local level. Things inevitably became more difficult still when they entered government in 2010. By far their best ward, which has remained loyal is Northowram and Shelf, with its solid gritstone houses. The Tories remain competitive with Labour in other wards like Sowerby Bridge and Skircoat. Another such example is Illingworth and Mixenden, with its high number of council houses and mostly white population, who showed evidence of resentment against Halifax’s minority Asian population – mostly of Pakistani origin - by electing a number of BNP councillors during the 2000s. Town is another ward which Labour have been able to win since 2004, although it also elected a BNP councillor in the first all out elections. Warley last elected a Tory councillor in 2006, they have since been pushed into third place there - and it has become increasingly comfortable as the constituency’s sole Liberal Democrat ward.
All this does downplay the Conservative performance at parliamentary level, and in the 2019 general election they missed out yet again to Labour MP Holly Lynch, but only by 2,569 votes. It is probably Park ward, which contains much of Halifax’s Asian population - and these days is monolithically Labour – which made up Labour's entire majority and keeps the prospect of a change of hands in check.