Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Jul 19, 2023 6:40:19 GMT
Pete Whitehead, Robert Waller, and 5 more like this
Post by YL on Jul 19, 2023 6:40:19 GMT
This is a new constituency, replacing the former Wentworth & Dearne constituency, compared with which it loses its Barnsley borough wards (the two "Dearne" wards) and part of Wickersley, but gains Denaby, Conisbrough, Edlington and Warmsworth, which are in Doncaster borough. Neither Rawmarsh nor Conisbrough has appeared in a constituency name before, though Conisbrough, with its historic castle above the River Don, feels like the sort of place which easily could have. The constituency covers areas along both sides of the Don between Rotherham and Doncaster, and includes parts of both the metropolitan boroughs bearing those names. Like many constituencies in South Yorkshire, there is a lot of mining history and many of the problems found in coalfield areas appear here.
A large part of the constituency is in Rotherham borough west of the Don and north of the town of Rotherham. In the south Rawmarsh and the associated area of Parkgate are contiguous with the main Rotherham urban area and thus are actually an outlying part of the Sheffield urban area. Parkgate includes a small retail park which is the terminus of Britain's first "tram train" trial, an extension to Sheffield's Supertram. Further north, we find the towns of Swinton and Wath upon Dearne, and the latter's urban area spreads up the Dearne valley to include the communities of West Melton and Brampton. All these communities have a mining history; there is also engineering, particularly associated with steel, and Wath was also an important railway centre, though now the only railway station in this area (other than the tram train terminus) is at Swinton.
There is also a more rural area around Wentworth village, which also has a mining history. Wentworth is particularly associated with the aristocratic Wentworth and Fitzwilliam families who lived at Wentworth Woodhouse and made their money from the coal mines. As well as the house they left their mark on the countryside with their follies, including Hoober Stand, which gives its name to the ward containing Wentworth, and the Needle's Eye, supposedly the result of a bet by Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham and twice briefly Prime Minister, that he could drive a coach and horses through the eye of a needle.
One Rotherham ward east of the Don is also in this constituency. This is Bramley & Ravenfield, whose northern part is rural but whose southern part dips into the suburban area east of Rotherham town around Wickersley. The Wickersley area has had the misfortune to be split among three constituencies by the Boundary Commission, with the part in this constituency being the smallest.
The eastern part of the constituency is in Doncaster borough; the Don has turned eastwards here, and now forms the northern boundary. Conisbrough is situated where the Don passes through an area of low hills before reaching the flatlands around Doncaster, and is dominated by the castle, but this is also very much a mining area, and Conisbrough's town council area also includes Denaby Main, whose name gives away its origins as an area of miners' housing; the original village of Denaby is also in the ward. East of Conisbrough, Edlington is another mining village, and it shares its ward with Warmsworth, which has its own parish but really forms the westernmost extremity of the Doncaster urban area.
As in many ex-mining areas, deprivation is generally quite high. It is highest in Denaby Main and parts of Conisbrough and there are highly deprived areas in the other towns as well as in Edlington. There are some less deprived areas, including most of Bramley & Ravenfield ward and Warmsworth; of the three main towns west of the Don Swinton is generally the least deprived, but the north-western fringe of Rawmarsh also contains less deprived areas. The proportions in professional and managerial occupations are low, as is the proportion with degree level qualifications, and the proportions with no qualifications and in routine jobs are high; the main exceptions, with more middle class demographics, are again parts of Bramley & Ravenfield and a few pockets in the area west of the Don. One census area in Denaby Main has 54.2% of its adult population with no qualifications. As is common in ex-mining areas, the population is slightly older than average and is largely white.
Both Rotherham and Doncaster had their most recent council elections in 2021. This was generally a strong Tory year in Rotherham (less so in Doncaster) but only four Tory councillors were elected here: they won both seats in Bramley & Ravenfield, one out of two in Rawmarsh West and one out of three in Hoober. Even this was a strong performance by historic standards, which have seen very few Conservatives elected in this area. The other seats were won by Labour except for one in Edlington & Warmsworth won by the "Edlington & Warmsworth First" localist group.
The two Doncaster wards have been in the Don Valley constituency since 1983, with part of this area having been in it since it was created in 1918, while the Rotherham component has mostly been in Wentworth and then Wentworth & Dearne since 1983, though a small part of Bramley has been in Rother Valley since 2010. From 1950 to 1983 Conisbrough, Swinton and Wath were in a constituency called Dearne Valley, while Rawmarsh, Wentworth and Bramley were in Rother Valley. Before 1950 parts were in a previous Wentworth constituency, Don Valley, Rother Valley and Rotherham. As such the whole constituency was represented by Labour MPs from 1935 until 2019, since when the parts in Don and Rother Valleys have had Conservative MPs, though this constituency itself is estimated to have voted Labour in 2019 in spite of a particularly large fall in their vote. The Labour MP for Wentworth & Dearne, expected to inherit this constituency, is the current Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, who first won Wentworth in 1997.
2019 notional result (Rallings & Thrasher):
Lab 16249 (40.1%)
Con 14992 (37.0%)
Brexit Party 6535 (16.1%)
Lib Dem 1500 (3.7%)
Green 194 (0.5%)
Other 1074 (2.6%)
Lab majority 1257 (3.1%)
A large part of the constituency is in Rotherham borough west of the Don and north of the town of Rotherham. In the south Rawmarsh and the associated area of Parkgate are contiguous with the main Rotherham urban area and thus are actually an outlying part of the Sheffield urban area. Parkgate includes a small retail park which is the terminus of Britain's first "tram train" trial, an extension to Sheffield's Supertram. Further north, we find the towns of Swinton and Wath upon Dearne, and the latter's urban area spreads up the Dearne valley to include the communities of West Melton and Brampton. All these communities have a mining history; there is also engineering, particularly associated with steel, and Wath was also an important railway centre, though now the only railway station in this area (other than the tram train terminus) is at Swinton.
There is also a more rural area around Wentworth village, which also has a mining history. Wentworth is particularly associated with the aristocratic Wentworth and Fitzwilliam families who lived at Wentworth Woodhouse and made their money from the coal mines. As well as the house they left their mark on the countryside with their follies, including Hoober Stand, which gives its name to the ward containing Wentworth, and the Needle's Eye, supposedly the result of a bet by Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham and twice briefly Prime Minister, that he could drive a coach and horses through the eye of a needle.
One Rotherham ward east of the Don is also in this constituency. This is Bramley & Ravenfield, whose northern part is rural but whose southern part dips into the suburban area east of Rotherham town around Wickersley. The Wickersley area has had the misfortune to be split among three constituencies by the Boundary Commission, with the part in this constituency being the smallest.
The eastern part of the constituency is in Doncaster borough; the Don has turned eastwards here, and now forms the northern boundary. Conisbrough is situated where the Don passes through an area of low hills before reaching the flatlands around Doncaster, and is dominated by the castle, but this is also very much a mining area, and Conisbrough's town council area also includes Denaby Main, whose name gives away its origins as an area of miners' housing; the original village of Denaby is also in the ward. East of Conisbrough, Edlington is another mining village, and it shares its ward with Warmsworth, which has its own parish but really forms the westernmost extremity of the Doncaster urban area.
As in many ex-mining areas, deprivation is generally quite high. It is highest in Denaby Main and parts of Conisbrough and there are highly deprived areas in the other towns as well as in Edlington. There are some less deprived areas, including most of Bramley & Ravenfield ward and Warmsworth; of the three main towns west of the Don Swinton is generally the least deprived, but the north-western fringe of Rawmarsh also contains less deprived areas. The proportions in professional and managerial occupations are low, as is the proportion with degree level qualifications, and the proportions with no qualifications and in routine jobs are high; the main exceptions, with more middle class demographics, are again parts of Bramley & Ravenfield and a few pockets in the area west of the Don. One census area in Denaby Main has 54.2% of its adult population with no qualifications. As is common in ex-mining areas, the population is slightly older than average and is largely white.
Both Rotherham and Doncaster had their most recent council elections in 2021. This was generally a strong Tory year in Rotherham (less so in Doncaster) but only four Tory councillors were elected here: they won both seats in Bramley & Ravenfield, one out of two in Rawmarsh West and one out of three in Hoober. Even this was a strong performance by historic standards, which have seen very few Conservatives elected in this area. The other seats were won by Labour except for one in Edlington & Warmsworth won by the "Edlington & Warmsworth First" localist group.
The two Doncaster wards have been in the Don Valley constituency since 1983, with part of this area having been in it since it was created in 1918, while the Rotherham component has mostly been in Wentworth and then Wentworth & Dearne since 1983, though a small part of Bramley has been in Rother Valley since 2010. From 1950 to 1983 Conisbrough, Swinton and Wath were in a constituency called Dearne Valley, while Rawmarsh, Wentworth and Bramley were in Rother Valley. Before 1950 parts were in a previous Wentworth constituency, Don Valley, Rother Valley and Rotherham. As such the whole constituency was represented by Labour MPs from 1935 until 2019, since when the parts in Don and Rother Valleys have had Conservative MPs, though this constituency itself is estimated to have voted Labour in 2019 in spite of a particularly large fall in their vote. The Labour MP for Wentworth & Dearne, expected to inherit this constituency, is the current Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, who first won Wentworth in 1997.
2019 notional result (Rallings & Thrasher):
Lab 16249 (40.1%)
Con 14992 (37.0%)
Brexit Party 6535 (16.1%)
Lib Dem 1500 (3.7%)
Green 194 (0.5%)
Other 1074 (2.6%)
Lab majority 1257 (3.1%)
