Post by John Chanin on Dec 28, 2023 20:26:37 GMT
This is also based on the original profile by @europeanlefty , but contains more rewriting and revisions by me than the entry for North.
The Northampton seats were both undersized, but happily the town is now entitled to exactly 2 seats, and the Boundary Commission has acted accordingly. This seat has shifted substantially to the south, with the 3 southern wards of Northampton formerly outsourced to the South Northamptonshire seat returned, and 2 and a bit wards around the town centre shifted to the North seat. This has made quite a difference to the nature of the seat. The seat is based around the River Nene, which flows through the south part of the town, an obscure name which may be pre-celtic. Northampton is an old town, but most of this seat is much more modern. Northampton was designated a new town in 1968, and the housing development that followed was concentrated in the south of the city - but hold on, it has still not been designated as a city, despite the population reaching 250,000, and a number of attempts to apply for formal city status have all failed, so it remains technically a town.
The seat can be divided into 4 sections. Alongside the river Nene is the south side of the town centre, which includes the campus of Northampton University. The Delapre ward which contains it is 16% students, and a third private rented. This was the only ward won by Labour at the 2017 county council elections before the abolition of a separate Northampton Council. Up river to the west is Sixfields, which contains both the ground of Northampton FC, and the Franklin’s Gardens home of Northampton Rugby Club, rather more successful than the football club. The fate of the “loan” given to the football club by the borough council, which disappeared into space without any upgrade of the ground was part of the history which led to the abolition of the district councils, and the creation of the new unitaries, although the county council’s failure to fund its local services was the main cause of the effective bankruptcy. The surrounding ward has a lot of renting, both private and council, and Labour are competitive here, in a demographically average area.
There are two areas north of the Nene. On the west of the town is Duston. This is a middle-class area, mainly owner-occupied, and more up market the further you move from the centre. It has the lowest ethnic minority population in the town, and is solidly Conservative at local elections, and presumably at national elections too. On the east of the town are Rectory Farm, Billings, Bellinge, Standens and Weston Favell. There is substantial council housing in the Bellinge area, and this area is quite deprived, but is surrounded by modern owner-occupied estates. There is a minority Labour vote in the Billings & Rectory Farm ward that includes this area, but the Riverside Park ward is solidly middle-class and Conservative voting.
The fourth area is the south of the town, well away from the river. In the east is the large Brackmills industrial estate, which contains much of Northampton’s employment. But it is the new town development that predominates in Wootton, in the somewhat misnamed Nene Valley ward, and East Hunsbury ward to the west, alongside the M1, which is an important feature contributing to the economy of the town. Development here is all recent and private, and both wards are by far the most middle-class in the town, with over 45% in managerial jobs, and close to 80% owner-occupation, although the ethnic minority population is a little higher than in Duston. Hardingstone, one of the older areas here, is one of twelve sites to have had an Eleanor Cross constructed, and one of only three where the memorial is still standing. The Eleanor Crosses were constructed between 1291 and 1295 by Edward I in memory of his wife, Eleanor of Castile after her sudden death in 1290 at Harby in Nottinghamshire. A cross was built in every place where the procession rested overnight as her body was carried from Lincoln back to Westminster for burial. The only piece of industrial history in the area is the site of the former iron works at Hunsbury, and the Iron quarrying at Hardingstone. However, the Hunsbury ironworks closed down in 1921 and the quarrying ceased in the mid-19th century. Both wards are overwhelmingly Conservative.
In summary, as the 2021 census data below shows, this is a pretty average constituency demographically, but with a higher than average ethnic minority population, including a large eastern european component, and a low social housing percentage. Northampton as a whole voted 58% Leave at the referendum, and the relatively low educational qualifications have contributed to the Conservative bias here. This used to be a bellwether seat, very similar to Northampton North prior to 1983 and since 2010 (although not between 1983 and 2010 when it included parts of South Northamptonshire), remaining marginally Conservative in 1974. Labour did nonetheless win it during the 1997 landslide, but it returned to the Conservatives in 2005. The most recent election results shown below are however very similar, but it has been changed out of all recognition by the boundary changes. The area lost around the town centre was some of the most Labour voting in the town, while the three wards coming in from South Northamptonshire (Sixfields, Nene Valley, and East Hunsbury) include two of the most Conservative in the town. The new seat will be vulnerable to Labour only in landslide conditions. Current MP first elected in 2017 is Andrew Lewer, former leader of Derbyshire county council and Euro MP.
Census data: Owner-occupied 68% (230/575 in England & Wales), private rented 20% (231st), social rented 12% (411th).
: White 82%(391st), Black 7%(98th), South Asian 5%(192nd), Mixed 3%(168th), Other 3%(241st)
: Managerial & professional 38% (302nd), Routine & Semi-routine 29% (271st)
: Degree level 31%(302nd), Minimal qualifications 29%(254th)
: Students 8% (169th), Over 65- 15% (434th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 61% from Northampton S, 36% from Sth Northamptonshire, and 3% from Northampton N
70% of the old seat is in the new one, with 30% going to Northampton N
The Northampton seats were both undersized, but happily the town is now entitled to exactly 2 seats, and the Boundary Commission has acted accordingly. This seat has shifted substantially to the south, with the 3 southern wards of Northampton formerly outsourced to the South Northamptonshire seat returned, and 2 and a bit wards around the town centre shifted to the North seat. This has made quite a difference to the nature of the seat. The seat is based around the River Nene, which flows through the south part of the town, an obscure name which may be pre-celtic. Northampton is an old town, but most of this seat is much more modern. Northampton was designated a new town in 1968, and the housing development that followed was concentrated in the south of the city - but hold on, it has still not been designated as a city, despite the population reaching 250,000, and a number of attempts to apply for formal city status have all failed, so it remains technically a town.
The seat can be divided into 4 sections. Alongside the river Nene is the south side of the town centre, which includes the campus of Northampton University. The Delapre ward which contains it is 16% students, and a third private rented. This was the only ward won by Labour at the 2017 county council elections before the abolition of a separate Northampton Council. Up river to the west is Sixfields, which contains both the ground of Northampton FC, and the Franklin’s Gardens home of Northampton Rugby Club, rather more successful than the football club. The fate of the “loan” given to the football club by the borough council, which disappeared into space without any upgrade of the ground was part of the history which led to the abolition of the district councils, and the creation of the new unitaries, although the county council’s failure to fund its local services was the main cause of the effective bankruptcy. The surrounding ward has a lot of renting, both private and council, and Labour are competitive here, in a demographically average area.
There are two areas north of the Nene. On the west of the town is Duston. This is a middle-class area, mainly owner-occupied, and more up market the further you move from the centre. It has the lowest ethnic minority population in the town, and is solidly Conservative at local elections, and presumably at national elections too. On the east of the town are Rectory Farm, Billings, Bellinge, Standens and Weston Favell. There is substantial council housing in the Bellinge area, and this area is quite deprived, but is surrounded by modern owner-occupied estates. There is a minority Labour vote in the Billings & Rectory Farm ward that includes this area, but the Riverside Park ward is solidly middle-class and Conservative voting.
The fourth area is the south of the town, well away from the river. In the east is the large Brackmills industrial estate, which contains much of Northampton’s employment. But it is the new town development that predominates in Wootton, in the somewhat misnamed Nene Valley ward, and East Hunsbury ward to the west, alongside the M1, which is an important feature contributing to the economy of the town. Development here is all recent and private, and both wards are by far the most middle-class in the town, with over 45% in managerial jobs, and close to 80% owner-occupation, although the ethnic minority population is a little higher than in Duston. Hardingstone, one of the older areas here, is one of twelve sites to have had an Eleanor Cross constructed, and one of only three where the memorial is still standing. The Eleanor Crosses were constructed between 1291 and 1295 by Edward I in memory of his wife, Eleanor of Castile after her sudden death in 1290 at Harby in Nottinghamshire. A cross was built in every place where the procession rested overnight as her body was carried from Lincoln back to Westminster for burial. The only piece of industrial history in the area is the site of the former iron works at Hunsbury, and the Iron quarrying at Hardingstone. However, the Hunsbury ironworks closed down in 1921 and the quarrying ceased in the mid-19th century. Both wards are overwhelmingly Conservative.
In summary, as the 2021 census data below shows, this is a pretty average constituency demographically, but with a higher than average ethnic minority population, including a large eastern european component, and a low social housing percentage. Northampton as a whole voted 58% Leave at the referendum, and the relatively low educational qualifications have contributed to the Conservative bias here. This used to be a bellwether seat, very similar to Northampton North prior to 1983 and since 2010 (although not between 1983 and 2010 when it included parts of South Northamptonshire), remaining marginally Conservative in 1974. Labour did nonetheless win it during the 1997 landslide, but it returned to the Conservatives in 2005. The most recent election results shown below are however very similar, but it has been changed out of all recognition by the boundary changes. The area lost around the town centre was some of the most Labour voting in the town, while the three wards coming in from South Northamptonshire (Sixfields, Nene Valley, and East Hunsbury) include two of the most Conservative in the town. The new seat will be vulnerable to Labour only in landslide conditions. Current MP first elected in 2017 is Andrew Lewer, former leader of Derbyshire county council and Euro MP.
Census data: Owner-occupied 68% (230/575 in England & Wales), private rented 20% (231st), social rented 12% (411th).
: White 82%(391st), Black 7%(98th), South Asian 5%(192nd), Mixed 3%(168th), Other 3%(241st)
: Managerial & professional 38% (302nd), Routine & Semi-routine 29% (271st)
: Degree level 31%(302nd), Minimal qualifications 29%(254th)
: Students 8% (169th), Over 65- 15% (434th)
Boundaries : The new seat is made up of 61% from Northampton S, 36% from Sth Northamptonshire, and 3% from Northampton N
70% of the old seat is in the new one, with 30% going to Northampton N
2017 | % | 2019 | % | Notional | % | |
Conservative | 19,231 | 46.9 | 20,914 | 51.2 | 28,652 | 57.8 |
Labour | 18,072 | 44.0 | 16,217 | 39.7 | 15,328 | 30.9 |
Liberal Democrat | 1,405 | 3.4 | 2,482 | 6.1 | 3,931 | 7.9 |
UKIP | 1,630 | 4.0 | ||||
Green | 696 | 1.7 | 1,222 | 3.0 | 1,697 | 3.4 |
| Majority | 1,159 | 2.8 | 4,697 | 11.5 | 13,324 | 26.9 |
