Post by John Chanin on Oct 12, 2023 13:40:03 GMT
Harborough District is exactly the right size for a parliamentary seat, and indeed in its initial proposals that is what the Boundary Commission suggested. Not only did this pay proper attention to local government boundaries, but it also led to a much more sensible pattern of seats in the Leicester suburbs and exurbs. However in the final proposals commitment to minimum change won out, and the only change to the seat has been the reduction from 80,000 voters to bring it within the present limits, by the removal of some rural territory to the south west.
Market Harborough as its name suggests is an old market town rather different from the industrial towns of the Midlands to the south and west. It sits alongside the river Welland and the Grand Union Canal, close to the Northamptonshire border, and has a population of 25,000 and accounts for a quarter of the seat named after it. It is the administrative centre for Harborough District which covers the south-east of Leicestershire, and it is decidedly middle class, with managerial jobs twice routine jobs, 40% with degrees, and 75% owner-occupied. Local politics consists of close contests between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
The majority of the seat however is very different. It consists of the Leicester suburbs of Oadby and Wigston, which form their own pocket borough, with a population of around 55,000. The two suburbs are separated by the Wash Brook, a tributary of the Soar, and both have substantial suburban shopping centres. Both are predominantly post-war, building on some inter-war expansion, and blend indistinguishably into Leicester to the north. Oadby, bisected by the A6, is slightly smaller and more middle-class, with over 45% in managerial jobs, and virtually no social housing. In the north is leafy Victoria Park surrounded by the student village of Leicester University - the Grange ward is more than a third students. Its most distinctive characteristic though is that it is nearly half south asian, part of predominantly Hindu east Leicester. Wigston is decidedly more down market, with as many routine as managerial workers, particularly in the slightly detached South Wigston area. It is also predominantly white, with just a small but growing south asian population in the north adjoining the south Leicester district of Knighton. Politically at a local level the borough council is overwhelmingly Liberal Democrat - Oadby is competitive, and the Conservatives have councillors here. In Wigston the Liberal Democrats are so dominant that other parties don’t even bother to put up a complete slate of candidates. Labour had no candidates at all here in 2023, although there must be Labour voters in Wigston at parliamentary elections.
The remaining part of the seat is rural, only accounting for a sixth now following the transfer of two wards to South Leicestershire. Between Oadby & Wigston and Market Harborough are the two large villages of Great Glen and Kibworth on the A6 - the latter in more hilly country as the land rises up towards the northern extension of the Jurassic Northamptonshire highlands, but most of this hill country, although in Harborough District is included in the Rutland & Stamford constituency. Great Glen and neighbouring villages also now have a significant asian population as people continue to move out from Leicester. Like most rural areas this is middle class and very Conservative. The land to the west of Market Harborough is flatter and very sparsely populated, with no large villages.
Harborough constituency has been largely unchanged since Blaby was hived off in 1974, and has one of the highest proportions of owner-occupation in the country. The Boundary Commission have now recognised the majority of the seat by adding Oadby & Wigston to its name. Overall the constituency is safely Conservative, despite the predominance of the Liberal Democrats at local level. They did however come much closer to winning the seat in earlier years, reducing the Conservative majority to less than 10% in 2005. However there has been little recovery since the post-coalition crash, and Labour retained a comfortable second place in 2019. The boundary changes will reduce the Conservative majority a little. The MP here is Neil O’Brien, a SPAD from Yorkshire originally, first elected in 2017.
Census data: Owner-occupied 76% (45/575 in England & Wales), private rented 16% (409th), social rented 9% (552nd).
: White 75%(440th), Black 2%(267th), South Asian 16%(55th), Mixed 3%(231st), Other 4%(208th)
: Managerial & professional 43% (176th), Routine & Semi-routine 25% (356th)
: Degree level 35%(196th), Minimal qualifications 26%(364th)
: Students 7% (176th), Over 65- 22% (173rd)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 100% from Harborough
92% of the old seat is in the new one, with 8% going to South Leicestershire
Market Harborough as its name suggests is an old market town rather different from the industrial towns of the Midlands to the south and west. It sits alongside the river Welland and the Grand Union Canal, close to the Northamptonshire border, and has a population of 25,000 and accounts for a quarter of the seat named after it. It is the administrative centre for Harborough District which covers the south-east of Leicestershire, and it is decidedly middle class, with managerial jobs twice routine jobs, 40% with degrees, and 75% owner-occupied. Local politics consists of close contests between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
The majority of the seat however is very different. It consists of the Leicester suburbs of Oadby and Wigston, which form their own pocket borough, with a population of around 55,000. The two suburbs are separated by the Wash Brook, a tributary of the Soar, and both have substantial suburban shopping centres. Both are predominantly post-war, building on some inter-war expansion, and blend indistinguishably into Leicester to the north. Oadby, bisected by the A6, is slightly smaller and more middle-class, with over 45% in managerial jobs, and virtually no social housing. In the north is leafy Victoria Park surrounded by the student village of Leicester University - the Grange ward is more than a third students. Its most distinctive characteristic though is that it is nearly half south asian, part of predominantly Hindu east Leicester. Wigston is decidedly more down market, with as many routine as managerial workers, particularly in the slightly detached South Wigston area. It is also predominantly white, with just a small but growing south asian population in the north adjoining the south Leicester district of Knighton. Politically at a local level the borough council is overwhelmingly Liberal Democrat - Oadby is competitive, and the Conservatives have councillors here. In Wigston the Liberal Democrats are so dominant that other parties don’t even bother to put up a complete slate of candidates. Labour had no candidates at all here in 2023, although there must be Labour voters in Wigston at parliamentary elections.
The remaining part of the seat is rural, only accounting for a sixth now following the transfer of two wards to South Leicestershire. Between Oadby & Wigston and Market Harborough are the two large villages of Great Glen and Kibworth on the A6 - the latter in more hilly country as the land rises up towards the northern extension of the Jurassic Northamptonshire highlands, but most of this hill country, although in Harborough District is included in the Rutland & Stamford constituency. Great Glen and neighbouring villages also now have a significant asian population as people continue to move out from Leicester. Like most rural areas this is middle class and very Conservative. The land to the west of Market Harborough is flatter and very sparsely populated, with no large villages.
Harborough constituency has been largely unchanged since Blaby was hived off in 1974, and has one of the highest proportions of owner-occupation in the country. The Boundary Commission have now recognised the majority of the seat by adding Oadby & Wigston to its name. Overall the constituency is safely Conservative, despite the predominance of the Liberal Democrats at local level. They did however come much closer to winning the seat in earlier years, reducing the Conservative majority to less than 10% in 2005. However there has been little recovery since the post-coalition crash, and Labour retained a comfortable second place in 2019. The boundary changes will reduce the Conservative majority a little. The MP here is Neil O’Brien, a SPAD from Yorkshire originally, first elected in 2017.
Census data: Owner-occupied 76% (45/575 in England & Wales), private rented 16% (409th), social rented 9% (552nd).
: White 75%(440th), Black 2%(267th), South Asian 16%(55th), Mixed 3%(231st), Other 4%(208th)
: Managerial & professional 43% (176th), Routine & Semi-routine 25% (356th)
: Degree level 35%(196th), Minimal qualifications 26%(364th)
: Students 7% (176th), Over 65- 22% (173rd)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 100% from Harborough
92% of the old seat is in the new one, with 8% going to South Leicestershire
2017 | % | 2019 | % | Notional | % | |
Conservative | 30,135 | 52.3 | 31,698 | 55.3 | 28,636 | 54.5 |
Labour | 17,706 | 30.7 | 14,420 | 25.2 | 13,028 | 24.8 |
Liberal Democrat | 7,286 | 12.6 | 9,103 | 15.9 | 8,911 | 17.0 |
UKIP | 1,361 | 2.4 | ||||
Green | 1,110 | 1.9 | 1,709 | 3.0 | 1,621 | 3.1 |
Other | 389 | 0.7 | 389 | 0.7 | ||
| Majority | 12,429 | 21.6 | 17,278 | 30.1 | 15,608 | 29.7 |