Post by Robert Waller on Aug 18, 2021 20:23:55 GMT
What is unique about the south west London constituency of Putney? It was the one and only Labour gain anywhere in their generally disastrous December 2019 general election. What is more, it was not even close. Fleur Anderson became the new MP with a majority of 4,774 and a 45% share of the vote, a swing of over 6% from the Tories. To explain why Putney was so exceptional, we need to consider the demographics of the seat in addition to its immediate circumstances. It is true that the sitting MP since 2005, Justine Greening, widely regarded as a good fit for this constituency, had chosen to retire from the Commons at the age of 50. However that in turn was not unconnected to the issue that dominated the preferences of so many seats in 2019, and was so strongly linked to their social and economic characteristics – Brexit.
Here are some points to be made about Putney. In the latest available census figures, 71.4% of the population was aged under 45, and scarcely a tenth were of pensionable age. It ranked among the top ten seats for professional and managerial workers, and the lowest ten for routine and semi-routine jobs – yet fewer than half or residents lived in owner occupied housing. The ethnic minority population, though lower than the Greater London average, was in the top 100 in the national order. On educational qualifications, Putney was in the national top ten for university degrees (over half of the whole), and, again, in the bottom ten for ‘no qualifications’. All this connects to another crucial percentage: the Remain vote in April 2016 estimated at over 72%. Putney is one of the key strongholds of the ‘metropolitan elite’ – which was so out of step with most electoral trends in England in December 2019.
Having said that, there are still some interesting variations in the socio-economic characteristics within the Putney constituency. The three wards that can be ascribed to ‘Putney itself’ all have archetypically Remain characteristics – West Putney, more so East Putney, and most of all Thamesfield, which borders the river to the south side of the two Putney bridges. Thamesfield really is a suitable locale for the start of the (Oxbridge) ‘varsity’ boat race, with over 68.5% of residents with degrees and nearly 67% in the professional and managerial occupations. It is true that all three wards were comfortably won by the Conservatives in the 2014 and 2018 London borough May elections, but that would be for Wandsworth council, which has long had a Conservative council, known for low tax rates, that outperforms that party nationally. Another very affluent and well educated ward is Southfields, its tight grid of streets known for harbouring South African and Antipodean communities. But there are also strong socially rented housing elements, about 20% in 2011 in West Putney and more prominently in the post-war estates of West Hill (over 23%) and Roehampton (46%), properly named the Alton estate (hard by Richmond Park) with its dramatic architecture inspired by Le Corbusier (‘filing cabinets for the working classes?’). The Alton estate boosted the black and other non white-British population of this ward to a majority in 2011, although subsequently the ward has been renamed and somewhat redrawn as Roehampton & Putney Heath. It is still one of the most starkly divided wards in England, as it also includes the main campus of Roehampton University and also multi million pound houses – for example in the roads between the Roehampton gate of Richmond Park and the former Bank of England sports ground, very recently transferred to the All England tennis club, and also around Putney Heath itself. The ward based on Roehampton usually returned Labour councillors even before the ‘Brexit transformation’, and would also have helped in Fleur Anderson’s exceptional victory in 2019.
In the initial boundary review proposals the Commission have recommended minor alterations to the border between Putney and Battersea: “We propose dividing the Fairfield ward between the Battersea and Putney constituencies to bring them both within range. The easternmost polling district of Fairfield ward, FFD, is included in our proposed Battersea constituency, and the remaining polling districts are included in our proposed Putney constituency. The ward would thereby be divided along the A214 road, a natural boundary.” This will not affect the electoral prospects significantly, Putney has now joined Battersea as a seat, gained by the Conservatives as the Blair era faded (2005 and 2010 respectively) but won back by Labour as party politics has yet again gone through a realignment – for how long it is hard to tell, but I for one would be surprised if Fleur Anderson did not consolidate her hold here at the first general election of the 2020s – even if trends are currently heading in a different direction in very different parts of the political mosaic of England. Will the association of Labour strength, at least in cities, with affluence, senior employment and high levels of education be the ‘new normal’, or a temporary development?
2011 Census
Age 65+ 10.1% 612/650
Owner-occupied 46.6% 597/650
Private rented 30.4% 35/650
Social rented 20.4% 204/650
White 75.3% 550/650
Black 7.4% 68/650
Asian 10.1% 121/650
Managerial & professional 49.4% 9/650
Routine & Semi-routine 12.6% 641/650
Employed in professional, scientific and technical activities 15.9% 11/650
Degree level 51.6% 9/650
No qualifications 11.9% 640/650
Students 10.4% 137/650
Very good health 56.9% 12/650
2021 Census
Owner occupied 46.4% 524/573
Private rented 34.2% 37/573
Social rented 19.3% 175/573
White 68.2%
Black 8.0%
Asian 12.4%
Managerial & professional 49.9% 9/573
Routine & Semi-routine 12.6% 561/573
Degree level 60.1% 8/573
No qualifications 10.4% 560/573
2019 General Election: Putney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fleur Anderson 22,780 45.1 +4.3
Conservative Will Sweet 18,006 35.7 -8.4
Liberal Democrats Sue Wixley 8,548 16.9 +5.3
Green Fergal McEntee 1,133 2.2 -0.2
Lab Majority 4,774 9.4
Turnout 50,467 77.0 +4.9
Registered electors 65,542
Labour gain from Conservative
Swing 6.4 C to Lab
Here are some points to be made about Putney. In the latest available census figures, 71.4% of the population was aged under 45, and scarcely a tenth were of pensionable age. It ranked among the top ten seats for professional and managerial workers, and the lowest ten for routine and semi-routine jobs – yet fewer than half or residents lived in owner occupied housing. The ethnic minority population, though lower than the Greater London average, was in the top 100 in the national order. On educational qualifications, Putney was in the national top ten for university degrees (over half of the whole), and, again, in the bottom ten for ‘no qualifications’. All this connects to another crucial percentage: the Remain vote in April 2016 estimated at over 72%. Putney is one of the key strongholds of the ‘metropolitan elite’ – which was so out of step with most electoral trends in England in December 2019.
Having said that, there are still some interesting variations in the socio-economic characteristics within the Putney constituency. The three wards that can be ascribed to ‘Putney itself’ all have archetypically Remain characteristics – West Putney, more so East Putney, and most of all Thamesfield, which borders the river to the south side of the two Putney bridges. Thamesfield really is a suitable locale for the start of the (Oxbridge) ‘varsity’ boat race, with over 68.5% of residents with degrees and nearly 67% in the professional and managerial occupations. It is true that all three wards were comfortably won by the Conservatives in the 2014 and 2018 London borough May elections, but that would be for Wandsworth council, which has long had a Conservative council, known for low tax rates, that outperforms that party nationally. Another very affluent and well educated ward is Southfields, its tight grid of streets known for harbouring South African and Antipodean communities. But there are also strong socially rented housing elements, about 20% in 2011 in West Putney and more prominently in the post-war estates of West Hill (over 23%) and Roehampton (46%), properly named the Alton estate (hard by Richmond Park) with its dramatic architecture inspired by Le Corbusier (‘filing cabinets for the working classes?’). The Alton estate boosted the black and other non white-British population of this ward to a majority in 2011, although subsequently the ward has been renamed and somewhat redrawn as Roehampton & Putney Heath. It is still one of the most starkly divided wards in England, as it also includes the main campus of Roehampton University and also multi million pound houses – for example in the roads between the Roehampton gate of Richmond Park and the former Bank of England sports ground, very recently transferred to the All England tennis club, and also around Putney Heath itself. The ward based on Roehampton usually returned Labour councillors even before the ‘Brexit transformation’, and would also have helped in Fleur Anderson’s exceptional victory in 2019.
In the initial boundary review proposals the Commission have recommended minor alterations to the border between Putney and Battersea: “We propose dividing the Fairfield ward between the Battersea and Putney constituencies to bring them both within range. The easternmost polling district of Fairfield ward, FFD, is included in our proposed Battersea constituency, and the remaining polling districts are included in our proposed Putney constituency. The ward would thereby be divided along the A214 road, a natural boundary.” This will not affect the electoral prospects significantly, Putney has now joined Battersea as a seat, gained by the Conservatives as the Blair era faded (2005 and 2010 respectively) but won back by Labour as party politics has yet again gone through a realignment – for how long it is hard to tell, but I for one would be surprised if Fleur Anderson did not consolidate her hold here at the first general election of the 2020s – even if trends are currently heading in a different direction in very different parts of the political mosaic of England. Will the association of Labour strength, at least in cities, with affluence, senior employment and high levels of education be the ‘new normal’, or a temporary development?
2011 Census
Age 65+ 10.1% 612/650
Owner-occupied 46.6% 597/650
Private rented 30.4% 35/650
Social rented 20.4% 204/650
White 75.3% 550/650
Black 7.4% 68/650
Asian 10.1% 121/650
Managerial & professional 49.4% 9/650
Routine & Semi-routine 12.6% 641/650
Employed in professional, scientific and technical activities 15.9% 11/650
Degree level 51.6% 9/650
No qualifications 11.9% 640/650
Students 10.4% 137/650
Very good health 56.9% 12/650
2021 Census
Owner occupied 46.4% 524/573
Private rented 34.2% 37/573
Social rented 19.3% 175/573
White 68.2%
Black 8.0%
Asian 12.4%
Managerial & professional 49.9% 9/573
Routine & Semi-routine 12.6% 561/573
Degree level 60.1% 8/573
No qualifications 10.4% 560/573
2019 General Election: Putney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fleur Anderson 22,780 45.1 +4.3
Conservative Will Sweet 18,006 35.7 -8.4
Liberal Democrats Sue Wixley 8,548 16.9 +5.3
Green Fergal McEntee 1,133 2.2 -0.2
Lab Majority 4,774 9.4
Turnout 50,467 77.0 +4.9
Registered electors 65,542
Labour gain from Conservative
Swing 6.4 C to Lab
