Post by John Chanin on Oct 5, 2023 13:40:22 GMT
Redditch is not a well known or much visited town. This is because it is a new town, lacking the features that attract visitors. But that does not mean it isn’t a pleasant place to live. It is a sizable place with a population of around 75,000 and an electorate of 60,000. It has its own district council, which includes some satellite villages outside the town, like Callow Hill, Astwood Bank and Feckenham, but even so is not quite large enough to form a constituency on its own. It therefore has to be topped up from the surrounding area. Previously one ward from Wychavon District was included. This is Inkberrow - a small village at the centre of an extensive rural ward to the south-west of the town. The village itself is reputedly the model for Ambridge in the Archers and has two pubs, both named after bulls, on opposite sides of its main street. Redditch was still too small under the new rules, and two more rural wards have now been added. Harvington to the south of Inkberrow takes the seat down to the environs of Evesham. Dodderhill is a semi-rural ward that actually sits in the narrow gap between Bromsgrove and Droitwich. It is frankly ridiculous that it has been attached to Redditch, which it has no connections with, and is a long way from. This is a classic example of how minimum change dominates the considerations of the Boundary Commission. Given a blank piece of paper, no-one would construct the seat as it now stands, particularly since it makes the Droitwich & Evesham seat equally awkward. Be that as it may, these four rural wards are owner-occupied, middle-class, and very Conservative.
Redditch was originally a small town with some minor industry. It had some post-war development to the north west of the town in the Batchley area, and to the south in Southcrest, but was still a small town when declared as a new town in the 1960s. Subsequently it has expanded in all directions. To the west it absorbed the old villages of Webheath, Crabbs Cross, and the alarmingly named Headless Cross. And an entirely new quarter was built in the 1970s and 1980s on the far side of the river Arrow. This is an attractive area of houses on tree-lined streets, divided into sections which have restricted access to motor vehicles, from the north Church Hill, Winyates, and Matchborough, each of which has two separate sections, and each of which has its own ward. Like most new towns it was built as a mixture of council and private housing, but extensive right to buy meant that owner-occupation rose to around 70%. However more recent social trends have seen quite a lot of this housing moving back into renting, now of course private. There was always more council housing in Church Hill, which still has 30% council housing, and this ward is generally Labour, while Matchborough is generally Conservative, and Winyates has lurched between BNP, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, Labour, and currently Conservative over the last 20 years. This part of Redditch as a whole is politically competitive, and like most new towns remains decidedly working class.
The Arrow valley with its lake and extensive country park divides this section of the town from the larger part west of the river. The town centre contains the usual high street and attached mall, surrounded by the older housing of the original settlement. The Central ward which covers this area (and Southcrest) has much higher levels of private renting, but is occupationally similar to the eastern portion. There is a substantial Asian population in this part of the town, which is normally Labour. North of the town centre is the Enfield industrial area, named after the old motorcycle manufacturer, along with modern housing on both sides of the Arrow. This area is politically marginal. South-east of the town centre is the industrial Lakeside area plus the new town estates of Lodge Park - older and less attractive than the section east of the river, and the safest Labour area in town. More modern estates sprawl out to the south, mostly council in origin, stretching almost as far as the small town of Studley, which is over the boundary in Warwickshire. This area is also Labour. West of the town centre is Batchley, with older housing along the Bromsgrove Road, but many new town estates in the hinterland. This has the highest level of council housing in the town, alongside some smart private housing, and is a politically competitive area. West of the main A448/A441 corridor are the old villages absorbed by the town. The core of these consists of small terraced houses, rather rundown, but the bulk of the housing is modern private estates - 75% owner-occupied, and with a much higher proportion of managerial workers. The three wards covering this area are normally Conservative.
Overall as the statistics show this seat is below average in occupational and educational terms. Although there is quite a lot of light industry, as in other new towns, there is also extensive commuting to Birmingham, as Redditch station is the southern terminus of Birmingham’s main commuter railway line. Politically the town itself is very marginal, although you wouldn’t know it from the 2019 election result. Redditch was 62% Leave at the referendum and this no doubt made a difference. Locally it is very volatile like other new towns. Labour won the majority of seats in 2022 and 2023 after being entirely wiped out in 2021. In an average year Conservatives have perhaps a slight edge in the town, but the added rural areas tip the balance to the Conservatives. The addition of 4000 rural voters from Mid Worcestershire will make Labour’s task a little harder. Redditch got a seat of its own in 1997 (although it formed the bulk of the previous Mid Worcestershire seat), when it was won by Labour. They held on narrowly in 2005, probably aided by the high profile of local MP Jacqui Smith who was Home Secretary, and continued to live in the constituency, but lost in 2010. Present MP since 2017 is banker Rachel Maclean.
Census data: Owner-occupied 67% (269/575 in England & Wales), private rented 14% (478th), social rented 19% (170th).
: White 91%(286th), Black 1%(313th), South Asian 5%(211th), Mixed 3%(260th), Other 1%(437th)
: Managerial & professional 35% (354th), Routine & Semi-routine 32% (185th)
: Degree level 27%(428th), Minimal qualifications 32%(156th)
: Students 5% (413th), Over 65: 20% (278th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 94% from Redditch and 6% from Mid Worcestershire
The whole of the old seat is in the new one.
Redditch was originally a small town with some minor industry. It had some post-war development to the north west of the town in the Batchley area, and to the south in Southcrest, but was still a small town when declared as a new town in the 1960s. Subsequently it has expanded in all directions. To the west it absorbed the old villages of Webheath, Crabbs Cross, and the alarmingly named Headless Cross. And an entirely new quarter was built in the 1970s and 1980s on the far side of the river Arrow. This is an attractive area of houses on tree-lined streets, divided into sections which have restricted access to motor vehicles, from the north Church Hill, Winyates, and Matchborough, each of which has two separate sections, and each of which has its own ward. Like most new towns it was built as a mixture of council and private housing, but extensive right to buy meant that owner-occupation rose to around 70%. However more recent social trends have seen quite a lot of this housing moving back into renting, now of course private. There was always more council housing in Church Hill, which still has 30% council housing, and this ward is generally Labour, while Matchborough is generally Conservative, and Winyates has lurched between BNP, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, Labour, and currently Conservative over the last 20 years. This part of Redditch as a whole is politically competitive, and like most new towns remains decidedly working class.
The Arrow valley with its lake and extensive country park divides this section of the town from the larger part west of the river. The town centre contains the usual high street and attached mall, surrounded by the older housing of the original settlement. The Central ward which covers this area (and Southcrest) has much higher levels of private renting, but is occupationally similar to the eastern portion. There is a substantial Asian population in this part of the town, which is normally Labour. North of the town centre is the Enfield industrial area, named after the old motorcycle manufacturer, along with modern housing on both sides of the Arrow. This area is politically marginal. South-east of the town centre is the industrial Lakeside area plus the new town estates of Lodge Park - older and less attractive than the section east of the river, and the safest Labour area in town. More modern estates sprawl out to the south, mostly council in origin, stretching almost as far as the small town of Studley, which is over the boundary in Warwickshire. This area is also Labour. West of the town centre is Batchley, with older housing along the Bromsgrove Road, but many new town estates in the hinterland. This has the highest level of council housing in the town, alongside some smart private housing, and is a politically competitive area. West of the main A448/A441 corridor are the old villages absorbed by the town. The core of these consists of small terraced houses, rather rundown, but the bulk of the housing is modern private estates - 75% owner-occupied, and with a much higher proportion of managerial workers. The three wards covering this area are normally Conservative.
Overall as the statistics show this seat is below average in occupational and educational terms. Although there is quite a lot of light industry, as in other new towns, there is also extensive commuting to Birmingham, as Redditch station is the southern terminus of Birmingham’s main commuter railway line. Politically the town itself is very marginal, although you wouldn’t know it from the 2019 election result. Redditch was 62% Leave at the referendum and this no doubt made a difference. Locally it is very volatile like other new towns. Labour won the majority of seats in 2022 and 2023 after being entirely wiped out in 2021. In an average year Conservatives have perhaps a slight edge in the town, but the added rural areas tip the balance to the Conservatives. The addition of 4000 rural voters from Mid Worcestershire will make Labour’s task a little harder. Redditch got a seat of its own in 1997 (although it formed the bulk of the previous Mid Worcestershire seat), when it was won by Labour. They held on narrowly in 2005, probably aided by the high profile of local MP Jacqui Smith who was Home Secretary, and continued to live in the constituency, but lost in 2010. Present MP since 2017 is banker Rachel Maclean.
Census data: Owner-occupied 67% (269/575 in England & Wales), private rented 14% (478th), social rented 19% (170th).
: White 91%(286th), Black 1%(313th), South Asian 5%(211th), Mixed 3%(260th), Other 1%(437th)
: Managerial & professional 35% (354th), Routine & Semi-routine 32% (185th)
: Degree level 27%(428th), Minimal qualifications 32%(156th)
: Students 5% (413th), Over 65: 20% (278th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 94% from Redditch and 6% from Mid Worcestershire
The whole of the old seat is in the new one.
2017 | % | 2019 | % | Notional | % | |
Conservative | 23,652 | 52.3 | 27,907 | 63.3 | 30,719 | 64.7 |
Labour | 16,289 | 36.0 | 11,871 | 26.9 | 12,296 | 25.9 |
Liberal Democrat | 1,173 | 2.6 | 2,905 | 6.6 | 3,039 | 6.4 |
UKIP | 1,371 | 3.0 | ||||
Green | 380 | 0.8 | 1,384 | 3.1 | 1,447 | 3.1 |
Other | 2,338 | 5.2 | ||||
| Majority | 7,363 | 16.3 | 16,036 | 36.4 | 18,423 | 38.8 |