Post by peterl on Jul 7, 2023 16:31:18 GMT
Bournemouth West is one of two constituencies covering Bournemouth, a seaside town with a population of roughly 200,000 at virtually the Eastern extreme of the South West. It currently consists of the following wards of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council: Alderney and Bourne Valley, Bournemouth Central, Kinson, Redhill and Northbourne, Talbot and Branksome Woods, Wallisdown and Winton West, Westbourne and West Cliff and Winton East. Tourism and banking are amongst the largest local industries, with 95% of people in Bournemouth as a whole working in the service sector large. Abbey Life and Nationwide maintain offices in the Bournemouth Central Ward. Bournemouth as a whole is home to a university, a mainline train station and premiership football club.
The Kinson ward is a working class area with significant deprivation. Labour have historically had a strong vote in Kinson, but the Tories have been favoured more in recent years. UKIP achieved their only council victory in Bournemouth in the former Kinson South in 2015, an election which was partially re-run following a petition. Labour took one out of three seats in 2023. The Winton Wards are also a largely working class area with a significant student population. Winton East elected one Green councillor in 2015, before giving the Greens both of its two seats in 2019 and again in 2023. Redhill and Northbourne is also predominatly working class, though with some more affluent areas. It typically votes Conservative, but has elected a Lib Dem councillor as recently as 2011. Currrently, it is represented by two independents, both ex-Tories. Talbot and Branksome Woods is a middle to upper middle class area and probably Bournemouth’s most affluent ward and reliably returned Tory councillors until 2023, when the Lib Dems won one of three seats. Westbourne and West Cliff, a largely retired ward that is starting to attract some students in recent years, is a safe Conservative ward. Bournemouth Central contains a mixture of students, young professionals and clerical workers, and luxury seaside appartments. Its mixed and changing demographics are reflected by the election of one Tory and one Labour councillor in 2023, whilst previously Tories were reliably elected. Alderney and Bourne Valley was part of the Borough of Poole prior to the 2019 reorganisation of local government in Dorset. The ward voted Lib Dem at both the 2019 and 2023 local elections. Bearwood and Merley, also formerly a Poole Borough Council Ward, was part of Bournemouth West but moves to Poole North and Dorset Mid from the 2024 election, making Alderney and Bourne Valley the lone Poole ward included in this otherwise Bournemouth seat.
Bournemouth West was created for the 1950 General Election and has exclusively returned Conservative MPs. There have been four members representing the seat since its creation. The first, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, resigned in 1954 and was replaced in the resulting by election by John Eden. Eden served until 1983 whereupon he was replaced by John Butterfill. Butterfill was replaced by Connor Burns, the current incumbent, in 2010. Burns does not currently hold ministerial office, but has previously held several positions under the May administration and resigned from his most recent position in May 2020 following an adverse report from the Standards Committee. Burns gained ministerial office again as Trade Minister under Liz Truss in September 2022. However, following further allegations of misconduct, he was dismissed as a minister and had the whip suspended just a month later. Burns had the whip reinstated again in December 2022 and was knighted in June 2023 as part of Boris Johnson's resignation honours' list.
The constituency has always voted Conservative by a large margin, with 11.9% in 2005 being the smallest majority since its creation. Second place however has proved to be something of a battleground, with Labour taking the accolade in every election from the seat’s creation in 1950 up to and including 1970. The Liberal Party came runner up in Bounemouth West in February 1974, following which second place returned to Labour in October 1974 and stayed in with Labour in 1979. The Liberals came runner up in 1983 and the Social Democrats came in second in 1987, followed by the Lib Dems in 1992 and 1997. Labour achieved second in 2001, after which it returned to the Lib Dems in 2005 and 2010. UKIP became the only smaller party to ever come in second in the constituency in 2015, after which second place returned to Labour in 2017 and 2019.
Bournemouth West has been a moderately successful seat for UKIP during its heyday with second place and 18.5% in 2015, a performance 2% above neighbouring Bournemouth East. Saved deposits were also achieved in 2005 and 2010. The Green Party scored an impressive 7.4% in 2015, the only other occasion on which a smaller party has saved their deposit in this seat, but have seen diminished results in the two subsequent elections.
2023 has seen some Labour growth at a council level and rising student numbers in the area may improve their fortunes in the future. Like Bournemouth East however, Labour will stuggle to show voters that they and not the Lib Dems are the clear choice for voters wishing to see a non-Tory MP returned, which will make Bournemouth West a distant prospect even on a good night for Labour.
The Kinson ward is a working class area with significant deprivation. Labour have historically had a strong vote in Kinson, but the Tories have been favoured more in recent years. UKIP achieved their only council victory in Bournemouth in the former Kinson South in 2015, an election which was partially re-run following a petition. Labour took one out of three seats in 2023. The Winton Wards are also a largely working class area with a significant student population. Winton East elected one Green councillor in 2015, before giving the Greens both of its two seats in 2019 and again in 2023. Redhill and Northbourne is also predominatly working class, though with some more affluent areas. It typically votes Conservative, but has elected a Lib Dem councillor as recently as 2011. Currrently, it is represented by two independents, both ex-Tories. Talbot and Branksome Woods is a middle to upper middle class area and probably Bournemouth’s most affluent ward and reliably returned Tory councillors until 2023, when the Lib Dems won one of three seats. Westbourne and West Cliff, a largely retired ward that is starting to attract some students in recent years, is a safe Conservative ward. Bournemouth Central contains a mixture of students, young professionals and clerical workers, and luxury seaside appartments. Its mixed and changing demographics are reflected by the election of one Tory and one Labour councillor in 2023, whilst previously Tories were reliably elected. Alderney and Bourne Valley was part of the Borough of Poole prior to the 2019 reorganisation of local government in Dorset. The ward voted Lib Dem at both the 2019 and 2023 local elections. Bearwood and Merley, also formerly a Poole Borough Council Ward, was part of Bournemouth West but moves to Poole North and Dorset Mid from the 2024 election, making Alderney and Bourne Valley the lone Poole ward included in this otherwise Bournemouth seat.
Bournemouth West was created for the 1950 General Election and has exclusively returned Conservative MPs. There have been four members representing the seat since its creation. The first, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, resigned in 1954 and was replaced in the resulting by election by John Eden. Eden served until 1983 whereupon he was replaced by John Butterfill. Butterfill was replaced by Connor Burns, the current incumbent, in 2010. Burns does not currently hold ministerial office, but has previously held several positions under the May administration and resigned from his most recent position in May 2020 following an adverse report from the Standards Committee. Burns gained ministerial office again as Trade Minister under Liz Truss in September 2022. However, following further allegations of misconduct, he was dismissed as a minister and had the whip suspended just a month later. Burns had the whip reinstated again in December 2022 and was knighted in June 2023 as part of Boris Johnson's resignation honours' list.
The constituency has always voted Conservative by a large margin, with 11.9% in 2005 being the smallest majority since its creation. Second place however has proved to be something of a battleground, with Labour taking the accolade in every election from the seat’s creation in 1950 up to and including 1970. The Liberal Party came runner up in Bounemouth West in February 1974, following which second place returned to Labour in October 1974 and stayed in with Labour in 1979. The Liberals came runner up in 1983 and the Social Democrats came in second in 1987, followed by the Lib Dems in 1992 and 1997. Labour achieved second in 2001, after which it returned to the Lib Dems in 2005 and 2010. UKIP became the only smaller party to ever come in second in the constituency in 2015, after which second place returned to Labour in 2017 and 2019.
Bournemouth West has been a moderately successful seat for UKIP during its heyday with second place and 18.5% in 2015, a performance 2% above neighbouring Bournemouth East. Saved deposits were also achieved in 2005 and 2010. The Green Party scored an impressive 7.4% in 2015, the only other occasion on which a smaller party has saved their deposit in this seat, but have seen diminished results in the two subsequent elections.
2023 has seen some Labour growth at a council level and rising student numbers in the area may improve their fortunes in the future. Like Bournemouth East however, Labour will stuggle to show voters that they and not the Lib Dems are the clear choice for voters wishing to see a non-Tory MP returned, which will make Bournemouth West a distant prospect even on a good night for Labour.
