Post by November_Rain on Jun 2, 2020 19:33:56 GMT
Based in the county of Somerset, Wells constituency has been in existence under it’s old guise from 1295 to 1868 as two seat borough constituency and then revived again in 1885 as a single member constituency albeit in different guises to it’s current state. It is mainly a rural constituency with few large settlements, and a coastal element.
The constituency does feature the city of Wells, which of course is known for it’s famous cathedral. It is often described as England’s smallest city but is actually second as that honour goes to the City of London. To the North of Wells you have the Mendip Hills which is home to the settlements of Axbridge famous for King John’s Hunting Lodge which is now a museum, Cheddar known for the Cheddar Gorge on the Northern edge of the village and of course it’s name given to the famous cheese. Wookey Hole caves are also resident in this constituency and to the East of Wells you have smaller villages in Chewton Mendip and Gurney Slade to name but a few and the town of Shepton Mallet. The town lies in the southern foothills of the Mendip Hills, and is known for it’s cave network and a key part of the wool trade in the 17th Century. To the West of Wells is Wedmore.
In the west of the constituency you have a more coastal theme with North of Burnham-on-Sea, is the famous Brean Sands which is a popular holiday destination for West Midlanders and it's sandy beaches. Southward is the town of Burnham-on-Sea which claims to have one of the shortest piers in the country. Another point of interest in the town are the lighthouses. High Lighthouse which was built in 1832 and is now a place for holidaymakers to stay since it’s acquisition by the Rothschild Family in 1992 and bought again by Patrick O’Hagan in 1996. The other lighthouse known as Low Lighthouse or “Lighthouse on Legs” due to it’s standing on nine wooden piers with metal reinforcement. For the younger members on the forum, one of the most famous residents in Burnham-on-Sea is George Shelley from long defunct X-Factor Boyband Union J. To the west of Burnham are Brent Knoll known for the iron age fort at Brent Knoll Camp, and the village of Lympsham. South of Burnham is the town of Highbridge a former market town and birthplace of the “British Schindler” spy Frank Foley who saved many Jews from death in World War 2.
In the South of the Constituency, is the most famous settlement of the area which is Glastonbury which needs no introduction. An attraction due to the myths and legends related to Glastonbury Tor, this is a popular destination for those with new-age beliefs. Then we have the famous music festival which actually takes place in the village of Pilton just nearby. To the south of Glastonbury is the village of Street where the Clarks family made their mark into the manufacture of shoes. Although the factory has been closed, it’s headquarters are still based in the town and the redundant factory buildings are now Clarks Village, a retail centre famous for it’s Christmas shopping events.
Tourism, agriculture, retail, transportation and retail are the main forms of employment within the constituency. 25% of the constituency is over 65 and this is more affulent constituency than neighbouring Weston-super-Mare.
Politically, the constituency is made of towns and villages that are a part of two local authorities. The North West and West of the constituency is a part of Sedgemoor District Council, whilst the Centre, North East, East and South are a part of Mendip District Council. The wards that are a part of Sedgemoor District Council have alternated in returning Liberal Democrat or Conservative councillors in recent years, whilst the Mendip wards have a more diverse patchwork of Liberal Democrat, Independent, Conservative and Green councillors.
The constituency has been majority Conservative in it’s modern guise aside from 1906 to January 1910, 1923-1924 and 2010-2015 where Liberal and in it’s current guise Liberal Democrat MPs were elected. The current MP is James Heappey who is Minister for the Armed Forces and since his election in 2015 has managed to boost his majority albeit slowly from 7,585 in 2015 to 9,991 in 2019. The former MP and the Liberal Democrat candidate since 2005 Tessa Munt does have a popular vote, and has pushed hard to reclaim her position as MP and is a known figure in the area. She is also a Somerset County Councillor and pulled off a famous victory in the 2017 local elections by beating then council leader for the Conservatives John Osman by 95 votes.
Labour have been the third party in the constituency since the February 1974 General Election, and despite having a celebrity candidate in 1997 with Michael Eavis the founder of the Glastonbury Music Festival, they have never really threatened the Lib Dem / Tory hold on the seat. Labour were pushed into fourth place and narrowly held on to their deposit by UKIP in the 2015 General Election. Labour have zero presence in the Sedgemoor District Council wards and on Mendip District Council. There was a near miss for Labour in a local by-election in the Highbridge Ward back in 2013, but the Liberal Democrats with the help of Nick Clegg managed to walk home with the seat.
Labour do have presence on the parish councils of Street and Shepton Mallet.
Speaking of UKIP, they hold the best minority party performance in the seat in 2015 finishing third with 9.9% of the vote. The Greens who do have a presence on district, county and parish councils throughout the constituency reached a best of 4% in 2015, but have only entered sparingly.
The Greens stood aside in 2019 to support the Liberal Democrats.
A few Independents have participated but have rarely made a dent into the results. On a more interesting note as politics and elections do throw some characters; the 2019 General Election did have a candidate standing for the “Motherworld Party” with Suzie Quartermass finishing last with 270 votes. The party based in Glastonbury stands for payment for all mothers and carers and for more natural birthing centres. Perhaps she and the leader of the “Touch Love Worldwide Party” could form an interesting coalition?
The majority of the constituency is parished with the majority of the parishes being apolitical. Exceptions are Glastonbury being Green, Shepton Mallet being Lib Dem, Burnham and Highbridge Conservative and Wells having a three way mix of both Greens, Lib Dems and Wells Independents. In the 2016 EU referendum, 53.65% of the constituency voted to leave the EU, with the Sedgemoor part voting to leave, and the Mendip part voting to remain.
The constituency does feature the city of Wells, which of course is known for it’s famous cathedral. It is often described as England’s smallest city but is actually second as that honour goes to the City of London. To the North of Wells you have the Mendip Hills which is home to the settlements of Axbridge famous for King John’s Hunting Lodge which is now a museum, Cheddar known for the Cheddar Gorge on the Northern edge of the village and of course it’s name given to the famous cheese. Wookey Hole caves are also resident in this constituency and to the East of Wells you have smaller villages in Chewton Mendip and Gurney Slade to name but a few and the town of Shepton Mallet. The town lies in the southern foothills of the Mendip Hills, and is known for it’s cave network and a key part of the wool trade in the 17th Century. To the West of Wells is Wedmore.
In the west of the constituency you have a more coastal theme with North of Burnham-on-Sea, is the famous Brean Sands which is a popular holiday destination for West Midlanders and it's sandy beaches. Southward is the town of Burnham-on-Sea which claims to have one of the shortest piers in the country. Another point of interest in the town are the lighthouses. High Lighthouse which was built in 1832 and is now a place for holidaymakers to stay since it’s acquisition by the Rothschild Family in 1992 and bought again by Patrick O’Hagan in 1996. The other lighthouse known as Low Lighthouse or “Lighthouse on Legs” due to it’s standing on nine wooden piers with metal reinforcement. For the younger members on the forum, one of the most famous residents in Burnham-on-Sea is George Shelley from long defunct X-Factor Boyband Union J. To the west of Burnham are Brent Knoll known for the iron age fort at Brent Knoll Camp, and the village of Lympsham. South of Burnham is the town of Highbridge a former market town and birthplace of the “British Schindler” spy Frank Foley who saved many Jews from death in World War 2.
In the South of the Constituency, is the most famous settlement of the area which is Glastonbury which needs no introduction. An attraction due to the myths and legends related to Glastonbury Tor, this is a popular destination for those with new-age beliefs. Then we have the famous music festival which actually takes place in the village of Pilton just nearby. To the south of Glastonbury is the village of Street where the Clarks family made their mark into the manufacture of shoes. Although the factory has been closed, it’s headquarters are still based in the town and the redundant factory buildings are now Clarks Village, a retail centre famous for it’s Christmas shopping events.
Tourism, agriculture, retail, transportation and retail are the main forms of employment within the constituency. 25% of the constituency is over 65 and this is more affulent constituency than neighbouring Weston-super-Mare.
Politically, the constituency is made of towns and villages that are a part of two local authorities. The North West and West of the constituency is a part of Sedgemoor District Council, whilst the Centre, North East, East and South are a part of Mendip District Council. The wards that are a part of Sedgemoor District Council have alternated in returning Liberal Democrat or Conservative councillors in recent years, whilst the Mendip wards have a more diverse patchwork of Liberal Democrat, Independent, Conservative and Green councillors.
The constituency has been majority Conservative in it’s modern guise aside from 1906 to January 1910, 1923-1924 and 2010-2015 where Liberal and in it’s current guise Liberal Democrat MPs were elected. The current MP is James Heappey who is Minister for the Armed Forces and since his election in 2015 has managed to boost his majority albeit slowly from 7,585 in 2015 to 9,991 in 2019. The former MP and the Liberal Democrat candidate since 2005 Tessa Munt does have a popular vote, and has pushed hard to reclaim her position as MP and is a known figure in the area. She is also a Somerset County Councillor and pulled off a famous victory in the 2017 local elections by beating then council leader for the Conservatives John Osman by 95 votes.
Labour have been the third party in the constituency since the February 1974 General Election, and despite having a celebrity candidate in 1997 with Michael Eavis the founder of the Glastonbury Music Festival, they have never really threatened the Lib Dem / Tory hold on the seat. Labour were pushed into fourth place and narrowly held on to their deposit by UKIP in the 2015 General Election. Labour have zero presence in the Sedgemoor District Council wards and on Mendip District Council. There was a near miss for Labour in a local by-election in the Highbridge Ward back in 2013, but the Liberal Democrats with the help of Nick Clegg managed to walk home with the seat.
Labour do have presence on the parish councils of Street and Shepton Mallet.
Speaking of UKIP, they hold the best minority party performance in the seat in 2015 finishing third with 9.9% of the vote. The Greens who do have a presence on district, county and parish councils throughout the constituency reached a best of 4% in 2015, but have only entered sparingly.
The Greens stood aside in 2019 to support the Liberal Democrats.
A few Independents have participated but have rarely made a dent into the results. On a more interesting note as politics and elections do throw some characters; the 2019 General Election did have a candidate standing for the “Motherworld Party” with Suzie Quartermass finishing last with 270 votes. The party based in Glastonbury stands for payment for all mothers and carers and for more natural birthing centres. Perhaps she and the leader of the “Touch Love Worldwide Party” could form an interesting coalition?
The majority of the constituency is parished with the majority of the parishes being apolitical. Exceptions are Glastonbury being Green, Shepton Mallet being Lib Dem, Burnham and Highbridge Conservative and Wells having a three way mix of both Greens, Lib Dems and Wells Independents. In the 2016 EU referendum, 53.65% of the constituency voted to leave the EU, with the Sedgemoor part voting to leave, and the Mendip part voting to remain.
Despite his lack of visibility, he was only 60 votes off being a town councillor for Milton Ward! I don't think anyone ever saw him again after that election! 
I would agree with you there re: the parties and their respective halves. Burnham does seem very Conservative even if it does have a dash of Lib Dem. Glastonbury surprises me politically, as I would have thought considering Labour's move towards "green" policies, we'd have at least some presence on their town council and stole some of those Green votes. 
