Post by John Chanin on Aug 9, 2023 19:38:45 GMT
This seat is where nationalist south Essex and commuterland meet. The seat is stitched together by the east coast railway line from Liverpool Street to Southend, which travels well inland from the Thames through Brentwood and Billericay to Wickford, Rayleigh, Hockley, and Rochford, before turning south to terminate in Southend.
Most of the seat is Rochford District, without the eastern end, including the eponymous town, which has been linked with Southend East. The District is essentially an urban extension of the Southend built-up area. Rayleigh, the largest town, is separated from the Southend district of Eastwood only by 400 metres of scrubby woodland. Rayleigh was a village with an old church and a mediaeval history, before the great post-war building of satellite towns turned it into an area of middle class semi-detached housing with garages. There is a thriving shopping centre. Rayleigh is connected by ribbon development to Hockley to its east, which is much the same - a post-war urban sprawl added to the old village of Hawkwell. A small area of woodland separates Hockley from Ashingdon. This is the new quarter of Rochford, on the west of the town, the housing dating from the 1990s and 2000s. The District stretches north to the River Crouch where there is the small town of Hullbridge. The boundary changes lose a large geographical area, out on the marshes between the Crouch and Roach rivers, but there are only 2700 voters here, mostly in the small villages of Canewdon and Paglesham. Wickford is of a similar size and constitution to Rayleigh, but is part of Basildon District. It is separated from Rayleigh by a small patch of countryside including the village of Rawreth. The whole seat is almost entirely developed post-war, and the increasing population has led to rapid changes in the parliamentary seats here. The present constituency dates only from 2010. Previously Rayleigh was linked with parts of Chelmsford District (South Woodham) and Wickford was part of the Billericay constituency.
The census shows that this has the third highest owner-occupation figure in England & Wales, and the 3rd lowest council housing. These figures, and those for ethnicity are very similar to neighbouring Castle Point, but this seat is distinctly up market, as shown by the occupational structure figures, although those with degree level education are equally low. Intermediate occupations dominate. There is little difference across the constituency. Hockley is a little higher status, and Hullbridge a little lower, but there isn’t much in it.
At local level the area has become more competitive recently, with the Liberal Democrats winning most of the wards in Rayleigh, where they did have some strength in the past, and a Residents Group getting the better of the Conservatives in Hockley. Hullbridge was curiously a Green stronghold, although 2 of their councillors have now gone independent. There is no Labour representation whatsoever, and hasn’t been for many years. Wickford however remains Conservative, and at national level this is one of their safest seats - in fact the 8th safest in the country at the 2019 election. As elsewhere in south Essex the Reform party did well at the 2024 General election, moving into second place, although still well behind the Conservatives. The current MP is Mark Francois, first elected for Rayleigh in 2001. He is one of the leading figures in the European Research Group, the anti-EU pressure group.
Census data: Owner-occupied 82% (3/575 in England & Wales), private rented 11% (565th), social rented 6% (573rd).
: White 95%(182nd), Black 1%(322nd), South Asian 1%(410th), Mixed 2%(351st), Other 1%(435th)
: Managerial & professional 37% (327th), Routine & Semi-routine 22% (438th)
: Degree 23% (530th), Minimal qualifications 32% (151st)
: Students 4% (512th), Over 65: 23% (139th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 100% from Rayleigh & Wickford
97% of the old seat is in the new one, with 3% going to Southend E & Rochford
Most of the seat is Rochford District, without the eastern end, including the eponymous town, which has been linked with Southend East. The District is essentially an urban extension of the Southend built-up area. Rayleigh, the largest town, is separated from the Southend district of Eastwood only by 400 metres of scrubby woodland. Rayleigh was a village with an old church and a mediaeval history, before the great post-war building of satellite towns turned it into an area of middle class semi-detached housing with garages. There is a thriving shopping centre. Rayleigh is connected by ribbon development to Hockley to its east, which is much the same - a post-war urban sprawl added to the old village of Hawkwell. A small area of woodland separates Hockley from Ashingdon. This is the new quarter of Rochford, on the west of the town, the housing dating from the 1990s and 2000s. The District stretches north to the River Crouch where there is the small town of Hullbridge. The boundary changes lose a large geographical area, out on the marshes between the Crouch and Roach rivers, but there are only 2700 voters here, mostly in the small villages of Canewdon and Paglesham. Wickford is of a similar size and constitution to Rayleigh, but is part of Basildon District. It is separated from Rayleigh by a small patch of countryside including the village of Rawreth. The whole seat is almost entirely developed post-war, and the increasing population has led to rapid changes in the parliamentary seats here. The present constituency dates only from 2010. Previously Rayleigh was linked with parts of Chelmsford District (South Woodham) and Wickford was part of the Billericay constituency.
The census shows that this has the third highest owner-occupation figure in England & Wales, and the 3rd lowest council housing. These figures, and those for ethnicity are very similar to neighbouring Castle Point, but this seat is distinctly up market, as shown by the occupational structure figures, although those with degree level education are equally low. Intermediate occupations dominate. There is little difference across the constituency. Hockley is a little higher status, and Hullbridge a little lower, but there isn’t much in it.
At local level the area has become more competitive recently, with the Liberal Democrats winning most of the wards in Rayleigh, where they did have some strength in the past, and a Residents Group getting the better of the Conservatives in Hockley. Hullbridge was curiously a Green stronghold, although 2 of their councillors have now gone independent. There is no Labour representation whatsoever, and hasn’t been for many years. Wickford however remains Conservative, and at national level this is one of their safest seats - in fact the 8th safest in the country at the 2019 election. As elsewhere in south Essex the Reform party did well at the 2024 General election, moving into second place, although still well behind the Conservatives. The current MP is Mark Francois, first elected for Rayleigh in 2001. He is one of the leading figures in the European Research Group, the anti-EU pressure group.
Census data: Owner-occupied 82% (3/575 in England & Wales), private rented 11% (565th), social rented 6% (573rd).
: White 95%(182nd), Black 1%(322nd), South Asian 1%(410th), Mixed 2%(351st), Other 1%(435th)
: Managerial & professional 37% (327th), Routine & Semi-routine 22% (438th)
: Degree 23% (530th), Minimal qualifications 32% (151st)
: Students 4% (512th), Over 65: 23% (139th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 100% from Rayleigh & Wickford
97% of the old seat is in the new one, with 3% going to Southend E & Rochford
| 2017 | % | 2019 | % | Notional | % | 2024 | % | |
| Conservative | 36,914 | 66.7 | 39,864 | 72.6 | 38,652 | 72.9 | 17,756 | 37.0 |
| Labour | 13,464 | 24.3 | 8,864 | 16.1 | 8,304 | 15.7 | 11,823 | 24.6 |
| Liberal Democrat | 1,557 | 2.8 | 4,171 | 7.6 | 4,081 | 7.7 | 4,068 | 8.5 |
| UKIP/Reform | 2,326 | 4.2 | 12,135 | 25.3 | ||||
| Green | 1,062 | 1.9 | 2,002 | 3.6 | 1,960 | 3.7 | 2,196 | 4.6 |
| Majority | 23,450 | 42.4 | 31,000 | 56.5 | 30,348 | 57.3 | 5,621 | 11.7 |
