Post by greenhert on Jul 8, 2023 14:52:20 GMT
The new seat of Lancaster & Wyre (which should not be confused with the 1997-2010 version that had Poulton-le-Fylde in its boundaries) consists of the city of Lancaster (including the suburbs of Scotforth and Skerton), satellite villages in rural wards to the south such as Aldcliffe, and a large rural area around Garstang to the east of the River Wyre. It will be the successor to Lancaster & Fleetwood, and it will also incorporate a substantial part of the to-be-abolished Wyre & Preston North.
The city of Lancaster, which gives its name to the county of Lancashire although the official county town of Lancashire is now Preston, is famous for Lancaster Castle, Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Lancaster University (it also contains a campus of the University of Cumbria), and due to its liberal, alternative nature can be considered a north west relative of Stroud. At local level, Lancaster is controlled by a Green-led council coalition, which continues despite Labour holding on to largest party status at the 2023 elections there, and this is the strongest place for the Green Party in the North West region, and not just due to the considerable student population either. Skerton, on the other hand, has had a reputation for roughness and deprivation compared to Lancaster which it neighbours, and Skerton has never taken to the same vibe as Lancaster. The rural villages in the Wyre part of the constituency are for the most part solidly Conservative, with the exceptions of Pressall which in 2023 did elect a full slate of Independents and Wyresdale which elected a Labour councillor.
Notionally this seat has a small Conservative majority but Lancaster & Fleetwood's Labour MP, Cat Smith, is expected to win the seat easily, although the Greens are expected to poll well also.
The city of Lancaster, which gives its name to the county of Lancashire although the official county town of Lancashire is now Preston, is famous for Lancaster Castle, Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Lancaster University (it also contains a campus of the University of Cumbria), and due to its liberal, alternative nature can be considered a north west relative of Stroud. At local level, Lancaster is controlled by a Green-led council coalition, which continues despite Labour holding on to largest party status at the 2023 elections there, and this is the strongest place for the Green Party in the North West region, and not just due to the considerable student population either. Skerton, on the other hand, has had a reputation for roughness and deprivation compared to Lancaster which it neighbours, and Skerton has never taken to the same vibe as Lancaster. The rural villages in the Wyre part of the constituency are for the most part solidly Conservative, with the exceptions of Pressall which in 2023 did elect a full slate of Independents and Wyresdale which elected a Labour councillor.
Notionally this seat has a small Conservative majority but Lancaster & Fleetwood's Labour MP, Cat Smith, is expected to win the seat easily, although the Greens are expected to poll well also.
