Post by John Chanin on Oct 22, 2023 15:02:24 GMT
This is a bits left over seat, taking the surplus from three district councils. However there are really only two parts to it, as described rather clumsily in the seat title.
55% of the seat is central Suffolk. This is an extensive sparsely populated rural area, with the rolling countryside filled with fields of wheat, oilseed rape, and sugar beet. The only sizeable town is Stowmarket, administrative centre of the mid-Suffolk District, but this was hived off by the Boundary Commission into Bury St Edmunds in 1997, when Suffolk gained a seat, leaving nothing more than villages. However although with small populations, in such rural areas some of them have the commercial amenities of towns to support the surrounding villages. There are 4 of these. In the north is Debenham, which is a very pretty village. To the east, in East Suffolk District is Framlingham, with its spectacular and well-preserved castle. South of Framlingham is Wickham Market, which is on the main A12 road, and the railway to Norwich, and which has rather more social housing. To the west, and brought in in the quite substantial boundary changes, is Needham Market, which is a little down market. None of these places have a population of more than 5000. All the rest are tiny villages nestled on country lanes, many working agricultural places, but with plenty of retirees these days, and commuters to Ipswich in the south. Managerial occupations are around 40% throughout, with around a third educated to degree level, and high levels of owner-occupation. Politically at local level this has been recently one of the most successful areas for the Green Party, who have taken control of Mid Suffolk District, although their strength wanes as the environment of Ipswich approaches. However at parliamentary elections it is rock solid for the Conservatives.
The remaining 45% is urban Ipswich. This includes three wards from the borough - middle-class and Conservative Castle Hill (disappointingly there is no castle any more), and working class and Labour Whitton and Whitehouse where more than a quarter of households are social housing tenants. On the east of the town, and part of its built-up area, Kesgrave is in East Suffolk District. This is middle-class owner-occupied territory, and votes Conservative, with a reasonable Labour minority at local elections. There are a few ethnic minorities in the Ipswich section, unlike the rest of Suffolk, although still only 10%.
This seat, like most Suffolk seats, was oversized. The whole rural north of the seat (in Mid Suffolk district), some 15,000 voters, has been moved to a new cross-county Waveney Valley seat, offset by the small town of Needham Market. This will significantly reduce the Conservative majority. However Labour can only get a majority in the Ipswich section in a good year, and this is far outweighed by the deep Conservatism of the rural countryside, and this therefore remains a very safe Conservative seat. The MP since 2010 was doctor Dan Poulter, who stood down and defected to Labour. The new MP is Patrick Spencer, a think tanker and son of a rich and ennobled businessman.
Census data: Owner-occupied 74% (75/575 in England & Wales), private rented 14% (483rd), social rented 12% (425th).
: White 93%(230th), Black 1%(299th), South Asian 1%(372nd), Mixed 2%(261st), Other 2%(352nd)
: Managerial & professional 39% (264th), Routine & Semi-routine 26% (340th)
: Degree level 30%(346th), Minimal qualifications 28%(263rd)
: Students 5% (382nd), Over 65: 23% (119th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 90% from Suffolk Central, 8% from Bury St Edmunds, and 2% from Suffolk Coastal
81% of the old seat is in the new one, with 19% going to Waveney Valley
55% of the seat is central Suffolk. This is an extensive sparsely populated rural area, with the rolling countryside filled with fields of wheat, oilseed rape, and sugar beet. The only sizeable town is Stowmarket, administrative centre of the mid-Suffolk District, but this was hived off by the Boundary Commission into Bury St Edmunds in 1997, when Suffolk gained a seat, leaving nothing more than villages. However although with small populations, in such rural areas some of them have the commercial amenities of towns to support the surrounding villages. There are 4 of these. In the north is Debenham, which is a very pretty village. To the east, in East Suffolk District is Framlingham, with its spectacular and well-preserved castle. South of Framlingham is Wickham Market, which is on the main A12 road, and the railway to Norwich, and which has rather more social housing. To the west, and brought in in the quite substantial boundary changes, is Needham Market, which is a little down market. None of these places have a population of more than 5000. All the rest are tiny villages nestled on country lanes, many working agricultural places, but with plenty of retirees these days, and commuters to Ipswich in the south. Managerial occupations are around 40% throughout, with around a third educated to degree level, and high levels of owner-occupation. Politically at local level this has been recently one of the most successful areas for the Green Party, who have taken control of Mid Suffolk District, although their strength wanes as the environment of Ipswich approaches. However at parliamentary elections it is rock solid for the Conservatives.
The remaining 45% is urban Ipswich. This includes three wards from the borough - middle-class and Conservative Castle Hill (disappointingly there is no castle any more), and working class and Labour Whitton and Whitehouse where more than a quarter of households are social housing tenants. On the east of the town, and part of its built-up area, Kesgrave is in East Suffolk District. This is middle-class owner-occupied territory, and votes Conservative, with a reasonable Labour minority at local elections. There are a few ethnic minorities in the Ipswich section, unlike the rest of Suffolk, although still only 10%.
This seat, like most Suffolk seats, was oversized. The whole rural north of the seat (in Mid Suffolk district), some 15,000 voters, has been moved to a new cross-county Waveney Valley seat, offset by the small town of Needham Market. This will significantly reduce the Conservative majority. However Labour can only get a majority in the Ipswich section in a good year, and this is far outweighed by the deep Conservatism of the rural countryside, and this therefore remains a very safe Conservative seat. The MP since 2010 was doctor Dan Poulter, who stood down and defected to Labour. The new MP is Patrick Spencer, a think tanker and son of a rich and ennobled businessman.
Census data: Owner-occupied 74% (75/575 in England & Wales), private rented 14% (483rd), social rented 12% (425th).
: White 93%(230th), Black 1%(299th), South Asian 1%(372nd), Mixed 2%(261st), Other 2%(352nd)
: Managerial & professional 39% (264th), Routine & Semi-routine 26% (340th)
: Degree level 30%(346th), Minimal qualifications 28%(263rd)
: Students 5% (382nd), Over 65: 23% (119th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 90% from Suffolk Central, 8% from Bury St Edmunds, and 2% from Suffolk Coastal
81% of the old seat is in the new one, with 19% going to Waveney Valley
| 2017 | % | 2019 | % | Notional | % | 2024 | % | |
| Conservative | 33,992 | 60.1 | 35,253 | 62.7 | 31,222 | 61.9 | 15,144 | 32.6 |
| Labour | 16,807 | 29.7 | 11,862 | 21.1 | 11,009 | 21.8 | 10,854 | 23.4 |
| Liberal Democrat | 2,431 | 4.3 | 6,485 | 11.5 | 5,365 | 10.6 | 5,407 | 11.6 |
| UKIP/Reform | 1,635 | 2.9 | 8,806 | 19.0 | ||||
| Green | 1,659 | 2.9 | 2,650 | 4.7 | 2,816 | 5.6 | 5,652 | 12.2 |
| Other | 560 | 1.2 | ||||||
| Majority | 17,185 | 30.4 | 23,391 | 41.6 | 20,213 | 40.1 | 4,290 | 9.2 |