Tiverton and Honiton
Apr 25, 2020 13:04:12 GMT
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Post by andrewp on Apr 25, 2020 13:04:12 GMT
Tiverton and Honiton was a constituency created in 1997 and sounded like a merging of 2 ancient constituencies. That was misleading however, as the 1997 version was essentially the old Tiverton seat with 8500 voters moved in from the Honiton constituency from the eponymous town itself.
The boundary change in the fifth boundary review enacted for the 2010 election however equalised the two halves of this constituency. Some 18000 voters from the Western end of the old Tiverton section around Crediton were moved into the new Central Devon seat, whilst the ‘Honiton section’ welcomed 22000 voters around Axminister and Seaton giving this seat a Coastline on the English Channel at Seaton and Beer for the first time.
The two halves of this seat aren’t particularly obvious bedfellows, the main road between Tiverton and Honiton is a not a particularly well used one. Both halves of the seat are united by being Exeter’s rural hinterland.
Tiverton is the larger town with a population of 20,000. It’s a fairly typical rural market town on the River Exe. Tiverton was an early Wool trade town, and indeed one of the early wool Merchants Peter Blundell bequeathed the funds to build Blundell’s school, an Independent school set on a hill to the West of the Town.
Honiton, has a population of about 12000 and is 17 miles East of Exeter. Honiton is known for lace making, which was introduced by Flemish immigrants in the Elizabethan era. It became known as Honiton lace. Honiton has a mile long wide main street, reminiscent of a French Town and a number of popular markets.
The coastline gained in the last boundary review gained the seat its 3rd largest town- the slightly down at heel coastal resort of Seaton
.
All of this territory has a history of electing Independents at local level. However in 2019, the Conservatives held up quite well in this constituency,with the wards in this seat electing 34 Conservative councillors, 10 Independents, 3 Lib Dems and 1 UKIP. The Independent success since 2015 in the East Devon district has largely come in the East Devon constituency rather than this one. Honiton itself elected 3 Conservative, 1 Lib Dem and 1 Independent councillor last year.
Tiverton has a rather unusual ward pattern where all 4 wards covering part of the town extend way into the neighbouring countryside. Those 4 wards elected 4 Conservatives, 4 independents and 3 Lib Dems in 2019
Tiverton town is the least Conservative part of the seat, and in 1997 when the Lib Dems came close, they would have been well ahead in Tiverton and had particular strength in Crediton ( no longer in the seat), but also would have been ahead in Honiton as well. The Labour vote of 11654 in 2019 would have been strongest in Tiverton town, in the council estates in the North and West of the town particularly
Politically both Tiverton and Honiton had long serving Conservative MP’s in Sir Robin Maxwell-Hyslop ( 1960-92) and Sir Peter Emery ( 1967-2001) respectively. Angela Browning succeeded Sir Robin in Tiverton in 1992, and the new seat had a notional majority of 11600. Mrs Browning held on against the Lib Dems by 1653 in 1997. This seat probably did not fall to the Lib Dems unlike neighbouring Taunton Deane or nearby Newton Abbott because the towns are smaller, and the public sector smaller. Mrs Browning increased her majority until her retirement in 2010, when she was succeeded by South West Euro MP and Somerset farmer Neil Parish. He seems a good diligent MP and a good fit for this seat. UKIP managed to come second here in 2015, and unusually for a South West rural seat. Labour have come second here in 2017 and 2019, getting a very impressive 27% in 2017 before falling back 8% in 2019. Mr Parish’s majority now stands at a whopping 24239 though.
The boundary change in the fifth boundary review enacted for the 2010 election however equalised the two halves of this constituency. Some 18000 voters from the Western end of the old Tiverton section around Crediton were moved into the new Central Devon seat, whilst the ‘Honiton section’ welcomed 22000 voters around Axminister and Seaton giving this seat a Coastline on the English Channel at Seaton and Beer for the first time.
The two halves of this seat aren’t particularly obvious bedfellows, the main road between Tiverton and Honiton is a not a particularly well used one. Both halves of the seat are united by being Exeter’s rural hinterland.
Tiverton is the larger town with a population of 20,000. It’s a fairly typical rural market town on the River Exe. Tiverton was an early Wool trade town, and indeed one of the early wool Merchants Peter Blundell bequeathed the funds to build Blundell’s school, an Independent school set on a hill to the West of the Town.
Honiton, has a population of about 12000 and is 17 miles East of Exeter. Honiton is known for lace making, which was introduced by Flemish immigrants in the Elizabethan era. It became known as Honiton lace. Honiton has a mile long wide main street, reminiscent of a French Town and a number of popular markets.
The coastline gained in the last boundary review gained the seat its 3rd largest town- the slightly down at heel coastal resort of Seaton
.
All of this territory has a history of electing Independents at local level. However in 2019, the Conservatives held up quite well in this constituency,with the wards in this seat electing 34 Conservative councillors, 10 Independents, 3 Lib Dems and 1 UKIP. The Independent success since 2015 in the East Devon district has largely come in the East Devon constituency rather than this one. Honiton itself elected 3 Conservative, 1 Lib Dem and 1 Independent councillor last year.
Tiverton has a rather unusual ward pattern where all 4 wards covering part of the town extend way into the neighbouring countryside. Those 4 wards elected 4 Conservatives, 4 independents and 3 Lib Dems in 2019
Tiverton town is the least Conservative part of the seat, and in 1997 when the Lib Dems came close, they would have been well ahead in Tiverton and had particular strength in Crediton ( no longer in the seat), but also would have been ahead in Honiton as well. The Labour vote of 11654 in 2019 would have been strongest in Tiverton town, in the council estates in the North and West of the town particularly
Politically both Tiverton and Honiton had long serving Conservative MP’s in Sir Robin Maxwell-Hyslop ( 1960-92) and Sir Peter Emery ( 1967-2001) respectively. Angela Browning succeeded Sir Robin in Tiverton in 1992, and the new seat had a notional majority of 11600. Mrs Browning held on against the Lib Dems by 1653 in 1997. This seat probably did not fall to the Lib Dems unlike neighbouring Taunton Deane or nearby Newton Abbott because the towns are smaller, and the public sector smaller. Mrs Browning increased her majority until her retirement in 2010, when she was succeeded by South West Euro MP and Somerset farmer Neil Parish. He seems a good diligent MP and a good fit for this seat. UKIP managed to come second here in 2015, and unusually for a South West rural seat. Labour have come second here in 2017 and 2019, getting a very impressive 27% in 2017 before falling back 8% in 2019. Mr Parish’s majority now stands at a whopping 24239 though.
