Wansbeck
2005 Results:
Labour: 20315 (55.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 9734 (26.4%)
Conservative: 5515 (15%)
Other: 1245 (3.4%)
Majority: 10581 (28.7%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 4774 (12.8%)
Labour: 21617 (57.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 8516 (22.8%)
UKIP: 482 (1.3%)
Green: 954 (2.5%)
Other: 1076 (2.9%)
Majority: 13101 (35%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 6299 (13.9%)
Labour: 29569 (65.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 7202 (15.9%)
Referendum: 1146 (2.5%)
Other: 956 (2.1%)
Majority: 22367 (49.5%)
No Boundary Changes:
Profile:
Current MP: Denis Murphy(Labour) Will stand down at the next election (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: Campbell Storey (Conservative)
Simon Reed (Liberal Democrat) born 1969. Educated at Bexley Grammar and Newcastle University. Teacher and former army intelligence officer. Wansbeck councillor since 1999. Contested Wansbeck 2005, Tyneside North 2001.
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 80599
Male: 48.7%
Female: 51.3%
Under 18: 21.3%
Over 60: 23.5%
Born outside UK: 2.1%
White: 98.8%
Asian: 0.5%
Mixed: 0.3%
Other: 0.3%
Christian: 81.8%
Full time students: 2.3%
Graduates 16-74: 15.6%
No Qualifications 16-74: 34.7%
Owner-Occupied: 67.9%
Social Housing: 24.1% (Council: 20.8%, Housing Ass.: 3.3%)
Privately Rented: 5.3%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 1.8%
Strange that ConservativeHome have not mentioned this selection.
At first glance Eastleigh is a strange seat to have no Tory councillors.
I agree, especially when you consider that the likes of Blyth Valley, Rochdale and Hemsworth all have Conservative councillors.
Just for fairness sake you should add more information about the conservative candidate – Campbell Storey, with recent changes in national public opinion, perhaps it would be worth not discounting a conservative gain in this area against past trends…
Campbell Storey was born and brought up in Ashington and educated at the Hirst high school in Ashington.
Denis Murphy is standing down here
If this is an Open Shortlist, the the favourite would seem to be Ian Lavery, the President of the NUM
This contest will be between Ian Lavery and Neil Foster.
Green Party candidate for Wansbeck is Nic Best (http://neengland.greenparty.org.uk/region/northeast/euro-elections2009.html), I’ll post brief details over xmas.
The question may be if Ian Lavery will get shortlisted if it is done by the NEC in London
Why the doubt that Ian will be nominated Andrea? Ian is a respected trade union leader. Do you know something we don’t?
superstite
He doesn’t sound as the typical “on message” new labour candidate.
At the annual Miners’ Gala speech he seemed to suggest the call for a general strike of all workers.
http://www.num.org.uk/page/LatestMinerDownlaod (page 2)
And then there has been this gaffe http://northofwestminster.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/bnp-and-num-working-together/
Maybe the central party is not anymore in the position to “play” with shortlists as it has sometimes done in the past though (you can get members to accept this kind of things easily when you are overall popular than when you’re unpopular).
ops, superste, not superstite. sorry for the wrong spelling
(this comment will probably appear before the one with the main text which is awaiting moderation. However in the end it will all make sense!)
That’s interesting Andrea…
I’ve heard from a councillor that a bloke called Duncan Weldon is standing though he doesn’t live here. Plus someone called Cherie Murphy.