Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2020 15:48:12 GMT
Leicester West
Leicester goes back to at least the Iron Age, making it one of the UK’s oldest settlements. It has survived through time as a roman town and tribal capital; a Bishopric under the Saxons; a major regional town throughout the middle ages, Tudor period and the civil war; a major industrial centre from the industrial revolution to the 1980s; and finally as a city and a major regional centre to the present day. Its biggest explosion in size took place during and after the industrial revolution, as canals and railways connected the city to both the Leicestershire coalfields and the cities of London and Birmingham. Numerous mills and factories sprang up, at first involved in hosiery, textiles and shoe manufacture but later involved in engineering, as well as a steelworks. One of the major centres of this industry, Frog Island, is in this seat, although a lot of the industry has since been lost. In 1936, the League of Nation’s Bureau of Statistics identified Leicester as the second richest city in Europe.
Leicester’s politics also has a radical history, and the city was a stronghold of radicalism in the mid-nineteenth century. Leading Chartist Thomas Cooper had a shop in the town and the Chartists started two riots within six years in the 1840s. In 1936, Leicester would play host the Jarrow March on its way to London. Furthermore, the Leicester Secular Society was founded in 1851, making it the world’s oldest such society. Since the end of the second world war, mass house building of both council and privately-owned housing estates, and large-scale immigration have had their impact on Leicester, and especially on its politics, as will be seen later on.
Leicester West is the most deprived constituency in Leicestershire and the 39th most deprived in England. It has the city’s lowest rate of owner-occupancy, at just 45.5%, compared to a national figure of 63.5%. Unlike neighbouring Leicester South, this is not the result of a high number of students in privately rented accommodation, which is only slightly above the national average; Westcotes and Fosse wards are the only slight exceptions. A full 30.2% of households are socially rented, compared to 18.2% in the UK as a whole. There are some areas in the centre of the seat which are less deprived and more owner-occupied, but overall this is a deprived seat where most households are not owner-occupied. Average incomes are significantly lower than the national average but higher than in either of the other two Leicester seats. Its labour market has a lot of routine and elementary jobs but relatively few professional and managerial jobs. Manufacturing is still over-represented in the seat, as is human health and social work which suggests a high public sector presence.
Leicester West is Leicester’s whitest constituency, at 72.33% and 77% of the population were born in the UK, the highest proportion of the Leicester seats although noticeably below the national average. No ward is under 60% white, although there is a noticeable Asian population in the seat, especially in the most north-westerly corner of the seat. A below average proportion of the population are educated to degree level, and the proportion with no qualifications is significantly above average.
With the demographics of a deprived, industrial, working-class area, it is little surprise that this seat has been in Labour hands since its creation. It was the only one of Leicester’s three seats to stay in Labour hands in 1983, although by 2010 the majority had shrunk to just 11.2%, the lowest of Leicester’s seats. It improved to 29.4% in 2017, although a large swing in 2019 cut former Labour leadership candidate Liz Kendall’s majority back to just 12.1% on 49.7% of the vote.
Labour hold every council seat within the constituency and have done since 2011. The party won every ward comfortably in 2019 with no serious challenges in either of them. Up until 2019 it is almost certain that Labour comfortably carried every ward at general elections. Before 2011, Western Park – now subsumed into Western ward – used to give them the most trouble and does contain the most affluent area of the seat and the highest proportion of owner-occupied housing, so this is probably stronger for the Tories than most of the rest of the seat. With the reduced majority it is possible, although still doubtful, that the Tories carried it in 2019.
Overall, this is a historically safe Labour seat that delivered a shock in 2019 in line with many other areas of the Midlands. Whether this is the start of a trend or a one-off is almost impossible to tell at the moment, although the party cannot afford to rest on its laurels here in 2024.
Leicester goes back to at least the Iron Age, making it one of the UK’s oldest settlements. It has survived through time as a roman town and tribal capital; a Bishopric under the Saxons; a major regional town throughout the middle ages, Tudor period and the civil war; a major industrial centre from the industrial revolution to the 1980s; and finally as a city and a major regional centre to the present day. Its biggest explosion in size took place during and after the industrial revolution, as canals and railways connected the city to both the Leicestershire coalfields and the cities of London and Birmingham. Numerous mills and factories sprang up, at first involved in hosiery, textiles and shoe manufacture but later involved in engineering, as well as a steelworks. One of the major centres of this industry, Frog Island, is in this seat, although a lot of the industry has since been lost. In 1936, the League of Nation’s Bureau of Statistics identified Leicester as the second richest city in Europe.
Leicester’s politics also has a radical history, and the city was a stronghold of radicalism in the mid-nineteenth century. Leading Chartist Thomas Cooper had a shop in the town and the Chartists started two riots within six years in the 1840s. In 1936, Leicester would play host the Jarrow March on its way to London. Furthermore, the Leicester Secular Society was founded in 1851, making it the world’s oldest such society. Since the end of the second world war, mass house building of both council and privately-owned housing estates, and large-scale immigration have had their impact on Leicester, and especially on its politics, as will be seen later on.
Leicester West is the most deprived constituency in Leicestershire and the 39th most deprived in England. It has the city’s lowest rate of owner-occupancy, at just 45.5%, compared to a national figure of 63.5%. Unlike neighbouring Leicester South, this is not the result of a high number of students in privately rented accommodation, which is only slightly above the national average; Westcotes and Fosse wards are the only slight exceptions. A full 30.2% of households are socially rented, compared to 18.2% in the UK as a whole. There are some areas in the centre of the seat which are less deprived and more owner-occupied, but overall this is a deprived seat where most households are not owner-occupied. Average incomes are significantly lower than the national average but higher than in either of the other two Leicester seats. Its labour market has a lot of routine and elementary jobs but relatively few professional and managerial jobs. Manufacturing is still over-represented in the seat, as is human health and social work which suggests a high public sector presence.
Leicester West is Leicester’s whitest constituency, at 72.33% and 77% of the population were born in the UK, the highest proportion of the Leicester seats although noticeably below the national average. No ward is under 60% white, although there is a noticeable Asian population in the seat, especially in the most north-westerly corner of the seat. A below average proportion of the population are educated to degree level, and the proportion with no qualifications is significantly above average.
With the demographics of a deprived, industrial, working-class area, it is little surprise that this seat has been in Labour hands since its creation. It was the only one of Leicester’s three seats to stay in Labour hands in 1983, although by 2010 the majority had shrunk to just 11.2%, the lowest of Leicester’s seats. It improved to 29.4% in 2017, although a large swing in 2019 cut former Labour leadership candidate Liz Kendall’s majority back to just 12.1% on 49.7% of the vote.
Labour hold every council seat within the constituency and have done since 2011. The party won every ward comfortably in 2019 with no serious challenges in either of them. Up until 2019 it is almost certain that Labour comfortably carried every ward at general elections. Before 2011, Western Park – now subsumed into Western ward – used to give them the most trouble and does contain the most affluent area of the seat and the highest proportion of owner-occupied housing, so this is probably stronger for the Tories than most of the rest of the seat. With the reduced majority it is possible, although still doubtful, that the Tories carried it in 2019.
Overall, this is a historically safe Labour seat that delivered a shock in 2019 in line with many other areas of the Midlands. Whether this is the start of a trend or a one-off is almost impossible to tell at the moment, although the party cannot afford to rest on its laurels here in 2024.
