Post by andrewp on Oct 2, 2021 13:18:52 GMT
Newport West is the western of a pair of seats containing parts of the 3rd largest city of Wales together with some outlying communities. Newport West was formed for the 1983 general election from parts of the previously singular unified Newport constituency and some outlying settlements from the Monmouth constituency.
This seat contains the half of the city of Newport west of the River Usk and includes the City Centre as well as the best residential area in Newport itself in Allt-yr-yn ward set on a hill West of the City Centre.
The outlying areas stretch clockwise from some outlying villages to the South West of the City like Marshfield on the Severn Estuary which are actually on the edge of Cardiff, around to High Cross and Rogerstone which are commuter towns to Cardiff and Newport at the southern end of the Welsh valleys, around to Malpas above the famously narrow and congestion causing Brynglas tunnel on the M4 and then around to some territory which is actually to the North East of Newport. Here we find the Celtic Manor resort hotels and golf resort, host to the Ryder Cup in 2010 and a NATO summit in 2014 and the ancient Roman town of Caerleon, with its hillfort which had been occupied from the 5th century BC.
Most of the wards in this constituency are marginal and in the most recent 2017 local elections they elected 16 Labour councillors, 9 Conservatives and 4 Independent councillors. The strongest wards for Labour are Stow Hill, which is the ward containing Newport City Centre and Pillgwenlly a working class area South of the Centre. It is in these wards, where the 5% of the population of Asian origin, a high percentage for Wales, are concentrated. The Conservatives fight back in Allt-yr-yn, the best residential area in Newport proper and in some of the more rural wards towards the South West in the green belt between Newport and Cardiff. In the 2017 elections some of the outlying wards like Caerleon and Rogerstone split their representation between Labour and Conservative councillors
When the seat was created it was thought to be the more marginal of the two new Newport constituencies with a notional Labour majority of about 3000. Sitting Newport Labour MP wisely chose East, and West was fought by former Enfield MP Bryan Davies. In the Conservative landslide year of 1983, he lost out to Conservative Mark Robinson by 581 votes. Robinson served a single term here before losing out to Labour’s Paul Flynn, who then went on to serve the constituency for over 30 years until his death in 2019. In the by election to succeed Flynn held in April 2019, Labour’s Ruth Jones was elected by 2000 votes, and then just 8 months later in a rematch with Conservative Matthew Evans, crept home again by 902 votes.
Overall this is a traditional mixed constituency , which has been marginal for much of its existence, without ever falling back to the Conservatives after their initial win in 1983. The range of territory in this seat is of a level of diversity that is not matched by many other constituencies in Wales, and possibly not by many in the UK- It contains a city centre, a leafy residential area, some council estates, fairly rural villages and a roman town. Newport West is estimated to have voted 54% leave.
In the initial proposal of the parliamentary boundary commission this seat is effectively abolished. Most of the areas of Newport proper are merged with most of Newport East in a new Newport East seat, whilst most of the outlying communities are moved into a proposed Newport West and Caerphilly constituency. This may mean current Labour MP Ruth Jones faces a selection battle, although neighbouring Labour MP for Caerphilly Wayne David will be 66 by 2024, but Labour will start as heavy favourites in both new constituencies.
John Chanin this is a new profile.
This seat contains the half of the city of Newport west of the River Usk and includes the City Centre as well as the best residential area in Newport itself in Allt-yr-yn ward set on a hill West of the City Centre.
The outlying areas stretch clockwise from some outlying villages to the South West of the City like Marshfield on the Severn Estuary which are actually on the edge of Cardiff, around to High Cross and Rogerstone which are commuter towns to Cardiff and Newport at the southern end of the Welsh valleys, around to Malpas above the famously narrow and congestion causing Brynglas tunnel on the M4 and then around to some territory which is actually to the North East of Newport. Here we find the Celtic Manor resort hotels and golf resort, host to the Ryder Cup in 2010 and a NATO summit in 2014 and the ancient Roman town of Caerleon, with its hillfort which had been occupied from the 5th century BC.
Most of the wards in this constituency are marginal and in the most recent 2017 local elections they elected 16 Labour councillors, 9 Conservatives and 4 Independent councillors. The strongest wards for Labour are Stow Hill, which is the ward containing Newport City Centre and Pillgwenlly a working class area South of the Centre. It is in these wards, where the 5% of the population of Asian origin, a high percentage for Wales, are concentrated. The Conservatives fight back in Allt-yr-yn, the best residential area in Newport proper and in some of the more rural wards towards the South West in the green belt between Newport and Cardiff. In the 2017 elections some of the outlying wards like Caerleon and Rogerstone split their representation between Labour and Conservative councillors
When the seat was created it was thought to be the more marginal of the two new Newport constituencies with a notional Labour majority of about 3000. Sitting Newport Labour MP wisely chose East, and West was fought by former Enfield MP Bryan Davies. In the Conservative landslide year of 1983, he lost out to Conservative Mark Robinson by 581 votes. Robinson served a single term here before losing out to Labour’s Paul Flynn, who then went on to serve the constituency for over 30 years until his death in 2019. In the by election to succeed Flynn held in April 2019, Labour’s Ruth Jones was elected by 2000 votes, and then just 8 months later in a rematch with Conservative Matthew Evans, crept home again by 902 votes.
Overall this is a traditional mixed constituency , which has been marginal for much of its existence, without ever falling back to the Conservatives after their initial win in 1983. The range of territory in this seat is of a level of diversity that is not matched by many other constituencies in Wales, and possibly not by many in the UK- It contains a city centre, a leafy residential area, some council estates, fairly rural villages and a roman town. Newport West is estimated to have voted 54% leave.
In the initial proposal of the parliamentary boundary commission this seat is effectively abolished. Most of the areas of Newport proper are merged with most of Newport East in a new Newport East seat, whilst most of the outlying communities are moved into a proposed Newport West and Caerphilly constituency. This may mean current Labour MP Ruth Jones faces a selection battle, although neighbouring Labour MP for Caerphilly Wayne David will be 66 by 2024, but Labour will start as heavy favourites in both new constituencies.
John Chanin this is a new profile.
