Redditch

[John Chanin]

Redditch is not a well known or much visited town. This is because it is a new town, lacking the features that attract visitors. But that does not mean it isn’t a pleasant place to live. It is a sizable place with a population of around 75,000 and an electorate of 55,000. It has its own district council, which includes some satellite villages outside the town, like Callow Hill, Astwood Bank and Feckenham, but even so is not quite large enough to form a constituency on its own, so one ward from Wychavon District is included. This is Inkberrow - a small village at the centre of an extensive rural ward to the south-west of the town, which gives the Conservatives a small boost. The village itself is reputedly the model for Ambridge in the Archers and has two pubs, both named after bulls, on opposite sides of its main street.

Redditch was originally a small town with some minor industry. It had some post-war development to the north west of the town in the Batchley area, and to the south in Southcrest, but was still a small town when declared as a new town in the 1960s. Subsequently it has expanded in all directions. To the west it absorbed the old villages of Webheath, Crabbs Cross, and the alarmingly named Headless Cross. And an entirely new quarter was built in the 1970s and 1980s on the far side of the river Arrow. This is an attractive area of houses on tree-lined streets, divided into sections which have restricted access to motor vehicles, from the north Church Hill, Winyates, and Matchborough, each of which has two separate sections, and each of which has its own ward. Like most new towns it was built as a mixture of council and private housing, but extensive right to buy means that owner-occupation is now generally around 70%. There was always more council housing in Church Hill, which still has a third council housing, and this ward is generally Labour, while Matchborough is generally Conservative, and Winyates has lurched between BNP, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, Labour, and currently Conservative over the last 15 years. This part of Redditch as a whole is politically competitive.

The Arrow valley with its lake and extensive country park divides this section of the town from the larger part west of the river. The town centre contains the usual high street and attached mall, surrounded by the older housing of the original settlement. The Central ward which covers this area (and Southcrest) has much higher levels of private renting, but is occupationally similar to the eastern portion. It is normally Labour. North of the town centre is the Enfield industrial area, named after the old motorcycle manufacturer, along with modern housing on both sides of the Arrow. This area is politically marginal. South-east of the town centre is the industrial Lakeside area plus the new town estates of Lodge Park - older and less attractive than the section east of the river, and the safest Labour area in town. More modern estates sprawl out to the south, mostly council in origin, stretching almost as far as the small town of Studley, which is over the boundary in Warwickshire. This area is also Labour. West of the town centre is Batchley, with older housing along the Bromsgrove Road, but many new town estates in the hinterland. This has the highest level of council housing in the town, alongside some smart private housing, and is a politically competitive area. West of the main A448/A441 corridor are the old villages absorbed by the town. The core of these consists of small terraced houses, rather rundown, but the bulk of the housing is modern private estates - 80% owner-occupied, and with a much higher proportion of managerial workers. The three wards covering this area are solidly Conservative. Lastly Redditch District contains a small rural area with the large village of Astwood Bank. This is much more similar to mid-Worcestershire, and is very Conservative along with Inkberrow.

Overall as the statistics show this seat is below average in occupational and educational terms, but not by much. Although there is quite a lot of light industry, as in other new towns, there is also extensive commuting to Birmingham, as Redditch station is the southern terminus of Birmingham’s main commuter railway line. Politically the town itself is very marginal, although you wouldn’t know it from the 2019 election result. Redditch was 62% Leave at the referendum and this no doubt made a difference. But the added rural areas tip the balance to the Conservatives in an even year. Labour held on narrowly in 2005, probably aided by the high profile of local MP Jacqui Smith who was Home Secretary, and continued to live in the constituency, but lost in 2010. Present MP since 2017 is banker Rachel Maclean. 

The seat is undersized and the Boundary Commissions only change in Worcestershire is to move the rural Dodderhill ward (between Bromsgrove and Droitwich) into this seat. This looks very odd on a map, but there are few choices to extend this seat if Bromsgrove is to remain unchanged and coterminous with its District. Dodderhill is very safely Conservative but only has some 2000 electors, so Labour’s task is made only a little harder by the addition.

Census data: Owner-occupied 67% (314/573 in England & Wales), private rented 12% (447th), social rented 20% (174th).
                      : White 92%, Black 1%, South Asian 4%, Mixed 2%, Other 1%
                      : Managerial & professional 32% (356th), Routine & Semi-routine 34% (176nd)
                      : Degree level 22%(403rd), Minimal qualifications 40%(180th)
                      : Students 3.2% (293rd), Over 65: 15% (421st)

	2010	%	2015	%	2017	%	2019	%
Conservative	19,138	43.5%	20,771	47.1%	23,652	52.3%	27,907	63.3%
Labour	13,317	30.3%	13,717	31.1%	16,289	36.0%	11,871	26.9%
Liberal Democrat	7,750	17.6%	1,349	3.1%	1,173	2.6%	2,905	6.6%
UKIP	1,497	3.4%	7,133	16.2%	1,371	3.0%
Green	393	0.9%	960	2.2%	380	0.8%	1,384	3.1%
Others	1,923	4.4%	168	0.4%	2,338	5.2%
Majority	5,821	13.2%	7,054	16.0%	7,363	16.3%	16,036	36.4%

[iainbhx]

Generally agree, but as some one who lived in Redditch for a few months and worked there for a couple of years, I would make the following comments.

The new quarter east of the Arrow is not particularly attractive, Matchborough is quite decent, but large parts of Winyates was well rough and Church Hill well, North is again quiet nice, but the Centre is hideous and South wasn't much better. Winyates political turmoil is probably because it feels very left behind and quite isolated, its clearly not been a happy place for a long time.

Whilst the layout may look good on paper and it works fairly well for the bus service, the tree-lined pedestrian pathway away from the roads were poorly-lit, badly maintained and a paradise for muggers, flashers and gangs of semi-feral youth, which was another problem. Lots of new estates, very little in the way of community facilities, a small parade of shops and that was about all.

The centre is uninspired to say the least with a terrible mini-Arndale and very few local shops.

I don't know what its like now, but back in the day, there was a divide between the New Town and the Old Town, the New Town was very Brummie overspill and didn't fit in well, but the council was doing quite a lot of work on it.

It's probably safeish Tory for a while now, but it is the sort of area Labour should aspire to win back at some point.

[John Chanin]

As I said previously I don't know Redditch, but it's only 15 miles away, so I spent a few hours driving round to get a feel for it, and my commentary is based on that superficial view. It's why I've been reluctant to move beyond areas I know properly. I agree the centre is rather grim. And yes there were few shops in the eastern new town. But it looked nice! Whereas Lodge Park and Greenlands looked pretty unattractive.

[yellowperil]

Jun 11, 2020 15:08:17 GMT John Chanin said:

Redditch is not a well known or much visited town. This is because it is a new town, lacking the features that attract visitors. But that does not mean it isn’t a pleasant place to live. It is a sizable place with a population of around 75,000 and an electorate of 55,000. It has its own district council, which includes some satellite villages outside the town, like Callow Hill, Astwood Bank and Feckenham, but even so is not quite large enough to form a constituency on its own, so one ward from Wychavon District is included. This is Inkberrow - a small village at the centre of an extensive rural ward to the south-west of the town, which gives the Conservatives a small boost. The village itself is reputedly the model for Ambridge in the Archers and has two pubs, both named after bulls, on opposite sides of its main street.

Redditch was originally a small town with some minor industry. It had some post-war development to the north west of the town in the Batchley area, and to the south in Southcrest, but was still a small town when declared as the Midlands only new town in the 1960s. Subsequently it has expanded in all directions. To the west it absorbed the old villages of Webheath, Crabbs Cross, and the alarmingly named Headless Cross. And an entirely new quarter was built in the 1970s and 1980s on the far side of the river Arrow. This is an attractive area of houses on tree-lined streets, divided into sections which have restricted access to motor vehicles, from the north Church Hill, Winyates, and Matchborough, each of which has two separate sections, and each of which has its own ward. Like most new towns it was built as a mixture of council and private housing, but extensive right to buy means that owner-occupation is now generally around 70%. There was always more council housing in Church Hill, which still has a third council housing, and this ward is generally Labour, while Matchborough is generally Conservative, and Winyates has lurched between BNP, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, Labour, and currently Conservative over the last 15 years. This part of Redditch as a whole is politically competitive.

The Arrow valley with its lake and extensive country park divides this section of the town from the larger part west of the river. The town centre contains the usual high street and attached mall, surrounded by the older housing of the original settlement. The Central ward which covers this area (and Southcrest) has much higher levels of private renting, but is occupationally similar to the eastern portion. It is normally Labour. North of the town centre is the Enfield industrial area, named after the old motorcycle manufacturer, along with modern housing on both sides of the Arrow. This area is politically marginal. South-east of the town centre is the industrial Lakeside area plus the new town estates of Lodge Park - older and less attractive than the section east of the river, and the safest Labour area in town. More modern estates sprawl out to the south, mostly council in origin, stretching almost as far as the small town of Studley, which is over the boundary in Warwickshire. This area is also Labour. West of the town centre is Batchley, with older housing along the Bromsgrove Road, but many new town estates in the hinterland. This has the highest level of council housing in the town, alongside some smart private housing, and is a politically competitive area. West of the main A448/A441 corridor are the old villages absorbed by the town. The core of these consists of small terraced houses, rather rundown, but the bulk of the housing is modern private estates - 80% owner-occupied, and with a much higher proportion of managerial workers. The three wards covering this area are solidly Conservative. Lastly Redditch District contains a small rural area with the large village of Astwood Bank. This is much more similar to mid-Worcestershire, and is very Conservative along with Inkberrow.

Overall as the statistics show this is below average in occupational and educational terms, but not by much. Although there is quite a lot of light industry, as in other new towns, there is also extensive commuting to Birmingham, as Redditch station is the southern terminus of Birmingham’s main commuter railway line. Politically the town itself is very marginal, although you wouldn’t know it from the 2019 election result. Redditch was 62% Leave at the referendum and this no doubt made a difference. But the added rural areas tip the balance to the Conservatives in an even year. Labour held on narrowly in 2005, probably aided by the high profile of local MP Jacqui Smith who was Home Secretary, and continued to live in the constituency, but lost in 2010. Present MP since 2017 is banker Rachel Maclean. The seat is undersized and any additions at the next review will improve the Conservative position.

Census data: owner-occupied 67% (314/573 in England & Wales), private rented 12% (447th), social rented 20% (174th).
                      :White 92%, Black 1%, South Asian 4%, Mixed 2%, Other 1%
                      : Managerial & professional 32% (356th), Routine & Semi-routine 34% (176nd)
                      :degree level 22%(403rd), No qualifications 40%(180th)

	2010	%	2015	%	2017	%	2019	%
Conservative	19,138	43.5%	20,771	47.1%	23,652	52.3%	27,907	63.3%
Labour	13,317	30.3%	13,717	31.1%	16,289	36.0%	11,871	26.9%
Liberal Democrat	7,750	17.6%	1,349	3.1%	1,173	2.6%	2,905	6.6%
UKIP	1,497	3.4%	7,133	16.2%	1,371	3.0%
Green	393	0.9%	960	2.2%	380	0.8%	1,384	3.1%
Others	1,923	4.4%	168	0.4%	2,338	5.2%
Majority	5,821	13.2%	7,054	16.0%	7,363	16.3%	16,036	36.4%

I query the description of Redditch as "the midlands only New Town". Obviously  it depends how you define the Midlands and you presumably exclude both Shropshire and Northants from your presumably narrow definition, otherwise Telford, Peterborough , Corby and Northampton all come into play. One might even make a case for arguing that MK is a midlands new town, even if somewhat incongruously it it is officially located in the South-East!

[Chris from Brum]

Jun 12, 2020 8:38:35 GMT yellowperil said:

I query the description of Redditch as "the midlands only New Town". Obviously  it depends how you define the Midlands and you presumably exclude both Shropshire and Northants from your presumably narrow definition, otherwise Telford, Peterborough , Corby and Northampton all come into play. One might even make a case for arguing that MK is a midlands new town, even if somewhat incongruously it it is officially located in the South-East!

Peterborough is East of England, MK definitely South East for me.  Corby and Northampton are East Midlands, Redditch is in the West Midlands.  But forgetting Telford is a bit of a nonsense, it's almost the archetype of a New Town built around older settlements (I should add that I work there 2 to 3 days a week, or would do under normal circs.)

[John Chanin]

Jun 12, 2020 8:55:44 GMT Chris from Brum said:

Jun 12, 2020 8:38:35 GMT yellowperil said:

I query the description of Redditch as "the midlands only New Town". Obviously  it depends how you define the Midlands and you presumably exclude both Shropshire and Northants from your presumably narrow definition, otherwise Telford, Peterborough , Corby and Northampton all come into play. One might even make a case for arguing that MK is a midlands new town, even if somewhat incongruously it it is officially located in the South-East!

Peterborough is East of England, MK definitely South East for me.  Corby and Northampton are East Midlands, Redditch is in the West Midlands.  But forgetting Telford is a bit of a nonsense, it's almost the archetype of a New Town built around older settlements (I should add that I work there 2 to 3 days a week, or would do under normal circs.)

Agreed.  I simply forgot about Telford when I was writing this.  Will change it.

[middleenglander]

The main characteristic of Redditch to my mind is its almost impenetrable road system. I can recall an early occasion when the station was said to be "½ mile" yet we were unable to arrive there after several attempts. I only got to find my way around parts of the town when my mother got her "season ticket" to Redditch Hospital and I became as regular visitor. Milton Keynes and Telford appear to be easy compared to Redditch.

[John Chanin]

Jun 12, 2020 10:06:52 GMT middleenglander said:

The main characteristic of Redditch to my mind is its almost impenetrable road system. I can recall an early occasion when the station was said to be "½ mile" yet we were unable to arrive there after several attempts. I only got to find my way around parts of the town when my mother got her "season ticket" to Redditch Hospital and I became as regular visitor. Milton Keynes and Telford appear to be easy compared to Redditch.

I took the 1:25000 map with me, but yes it took a while before I got the hang of the system.  It is designed specifically to keep traffic out of residential areas, which if you are trying to look at the residential areas is a bit of a problem.  You have to keep going back to the main trunk routes through the town, and then take the signposted turns.  And yes they also try and keep traffic out of the centre, but that’s normal in most towns.  I parked and walked round the centre, which was of course deserted in the current climate, which no doubt made it look worse.

[yellowperil]

Jun 12, 2020 8:55:44 GMT Chris from Brum said:

Jun 12, 2020 8:38:35 GMT yellowperil said:

I query the description of Redditch as "the midlands only New Town". Obviously  it depends how you define the Midlands and you presumably exclude both Shropshire and Northants from your presumably narrow definition, otherwise Telford, Peterborough , Corby and Northampton all come into play. One might even make a case for arguing that MK is a midlands new town, even if somewhat incongruously it it is officially located in the South-East!

Peterborough is East of England, MK definitely South East for me.  Corby and Northampton are East Midlands, Redditch is in the West Midlands.  But forgetting Telford is a bit of a nonsense, it's almost the archetype of a New Town built around older settlements (I should add that I work there 2 to 3 days a week, or would do under normal circs.)

I think people get brainwashed into believing the government's official regions mean something! A lot of East of England  is really east midlands but has been added on to East Anglia, a real region but too small for statistical comparisons, just to even things up.  As a proper south-easterner I can emphatically state there is no way MK is really in the south-east! For that matter, neither is Oxford( which has to be in the Midlands really).

[Delighted Of Tunbridge Wells]

Jun 12, 2020 13:06:01 GMT yellowperil said:

Jun 12, 2020 8:55:44 GMT Chris from Brum said:

Peterborough is East of England, MK definitely South East for me.  Corby and Northampton are East Midlands, Redditch is in the West Midlands.  But forgetting Telford is a bit of a nonsense, it's almost the archetype of a New Town built around older settlements (I should add that I work there 2 to 3 days a week, or would do under normal circs.)

I think people get brainwashed into believing the government's official regions mean something! A lot of East of England  is really east midlands but has been added on to East Anglia, a real region but too small for statistical comparisons, just to even things up.  As a proper south-easterner I can emphatically state there is no way MK is really in the south-east! For that matter, neither is Oxford( which has to be in the Midlands really).

Oxford is in the South Midlands, which is too small to be a formal region. But the only reason it is in the SE is because of the bottom half of its county. I reckon some parts of the Vale of White Horse could be described as the South Midlands as well, which would put part of Berkshire in the South Midlands. Weird to think of a part of Berkshire being in the Midlands.

[Andrew_S]

Jun 13, 2020 1:59:28 GMT Delighted Of Tunbridge Wells said:

Jun 12, 2020 13:06:01 GMT yellowperil said:

I think people get brainwashed into believing the government's official regions mean something! A lot of East of England  is really east midlands but has been added on to East Anglia, a real region but too small for statistical comparisons, just to even things up.  As a proper south-easterner I can emphatically state there is no way MK is really in the south-east! For that matter, neither is Oxford( which has to be in the Midlands really).

Oxford is in the South Midlands, which is too small to be a formal region. But the only reason it is in the SE is because of the bottom half of its county. I reckon some parts of the Vale of White Horse could be described as the South Midlands as well, which would put part of Berkshire in the South Midlands. Weird to think of a part of Berkshire being in the Midlands.

There used to be a South Midlands division of the Central TV station, which was split into West, East and South Midlands. I think Oxford was where the South Midlands TV headquarters was based. I don't know what the current situation is.

[AdminSTB]

I'm rather surprised Jacqui Smith hasn't attempted to re-enter the Commons since losing here in 2010.

[Merseymike]

Jun 13, 2020 7:33:17 GMT AdminSTB said:

I'm rather surprised Jacqui Smith hasn't attempted to re-enter the Commons since losing here in 2010.

Well, politics aside, I don't think many would say that she had been a successful Minister - and then there was the porn movie incident which was hardly her fault, but would end up being an issue.

[🏴‍☠️ Neath West 🏴‍☠️]

Jun 13, 2020 8:39:45 GMT Merseymike said:

Jun 13, 2020 7:33:17 GMT AdminSTB said:

I'm rather surprised Jacqui Smith hasn't attempted to re-enter the Commons since losing here in 2010.

Well, politics aside, I don't think many would say that she had been a successful Minister - and then there was the porn movie incident which was hardly her fault, but would end up being an issue.

If we're bringing her husband into it, it's his misleading letter-writing habits in the local press that are more worrying than the blue movie.

[The Bishop]

Jun 13, 2020 3:30:20 GMT Andrew_S said:

Jun 13, 2020 1:59:28 GMT Delighted Of Tunbridge Wells said:

Oxford is in the South Midlands, which is too small to be a formal region. But the only reason it is in the SE is because of the bottom half of its county. I reckon some parts of the Vale of White Horse could be described as the South Midlands as well, which would put part of Berkshire in the South Midlands. Weird to think of a part of Berkshire being in the Midlands.

There used to be a South Midlands division of the Central TV station, which was split into West, East and South Midlands. I think Oxford was where the South Midlands TV headquarters was based. I don't know what the current situation is.

BBC had (has?) a similar arrangement I think - a "sub region" based on Oxford.

[iainbhx]

Jun 13, 2020 7:33:17 GMT AdminSTB said:

I'm rather surprised Jacqui Smith hasn't attempted to re-enter the Commons since losing here in 2010.

Why go through all that when you can get 50k a year for two days a week Chairing University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

[John Chanin]

Jun 13, 2020 1:59:28 GMT Delighted Of Tunbridge Wells said:

Jun 12, 2020 13:06:01 GMT yellowperil said:

I think people get brainwashed into believing the government's official regions mean something! A lot of East of England  is really east midlands but has been added on to East Anglia, a real region but too small for statistical comparisons, just to even things up.  As a proper south-easterner I can emphatically state there is no way MK is really in the south-east! For that matter, neither is Oxford( which has to be in the Midlands really).

Oxford is in the South Midlands, which is too small to be a formal region. But the only reason it is in the SE is because of the bottom half of its county. I reckon some parts of the Vale of White Horse could be described as the South Midlands as well, which would put part of Berkshire in the South Midlands. Weird to think of a part of Berkshire being in the Midlands.

Oxford is on the river Thames and therefore definitely in the south-east.  The south Midlands covers Banbury, Bicester, Brackley, Northampton, Corby, Wellingborough, Milton Keynes, Buckingham, and Bedford.  Arguably it also includes Cambridge, St Neots, Witney,  and Evesham.  I’d put Worcester and Stratford firmly in the West Midlands, and Peterborough in the East Midlands. 

[Richard Allen]

Jun 12, 2020 6:39:47 GMT iainbhx said:

The centre is uninspired to say the least with a terrible mini-Arndale and very few local shops.

Yeah, the Kingfisher centre is pretty terrible. It also has the very annoying feature that the payment machines for the car parks don't accept either cards or notes which is a right bloody nuisance when you are having to pay the £10 fee for all day parking.

[Chris from Brum]

Jun 13, 2020 17:08:03 GMT Richard Allen said:

Jun 12, 2020 6:39:47 GMT iainbhx said:

The centre is uninspired to say the least with a terrible mini-Arndale and very few local shops.

Yeah, the Kingfisher centre is pretty terrible. It also has the very annoying feature that the payment machines for the car parks don't accept either cards or notes which is a right bloody nuisance when you are having to pay the £10 fee for all day parking.

The Kingfisher Centre - "Everything under the sun - including the palm trees" I remember their pitch being, and there were indeed some palm trees in the central plaza. Otherwise, it's a routine shopping centre for a medium-sized town.

[Delighted Of Tunbridge Wells]

Jun 13, 2020 9:45:46 GMT John Chanin said:

Jun 13, 2020 1:59:28 GMT Delighted Of Tunbridge Wells said:

Oxford is in the South Midlands, which is too small to be a formal region. But the only reason it is in the SE is because of the bottom half of its county. I reckon some parts of the Vale of White Horse could be described as the South Midlands as well, which would put part of Berkshire in the South Midlands. Weird to think of a part of Berkshire being in the Midlands.

Oxford is on the river Thames and therefore definitely in the south-east.  The south Midlands covers Banbury, Bicester, Brackley, Northampton, Corby, Wellingborough, Milton Keynes, Buckingham, and Bedford.  Arguably it also includes Cambridge, St Neots, Witney,  and Evesham.  I’d put Worcester and Stratford firmly in the West Midlands, and Peterborough in the East Midlands. 

Well, in that case Lechlade and Cricklade are in the SE, when I'd put them in the South West. But Oxford is very close to Bicester and I'd definitely put it in the borderlands of the SE and South Midlands.