Ashton under Lyne
2010 Results:
Conservative: 9510 (24.75%)
Labour: 18604 (48.41%)
Liberal Democrat: 5703 (14.84%)
BNP: 2929 (7.62%)
UKIP: 1686 (4.39%)
Majority: 9094 (23.66%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 20106 (57.9%)
Conservative: 6902 (19.9%)
Liberal Democrat: 4571 (13.2%)
Other: 3137 (9%)
Majority: 13203 (38%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 7259 (19.6%)
Labour: 21211 (57.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 5108 (13.8%)
BNP: 2051 (5.5%)
UKIP: 768 (2.1%)
Other: 570 (1.5%)
Majority: 13952 (37.7%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 6822 (19.1%)
Labour: 22340 (62.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 4237 (11.8%)
Green: 748 (2.1%)
BNP: 1617 (4.5%)
Majority: 15518 (43.4%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 8954 (18.9%)
Labour: 31919 (67.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 4603 (9.7%)
Referendum: 1346 (2.8%)
Other: 458 (1%)
Majority: 22965 (48.6%)
Boundary changes: Initial recommendations for boundary changes in Ashton were drastic – seeing the seat lose Droylsden to the Denton seat and gain an extra four wards from the Borough of Oldham. At review these proposals were reversed, and the revised proposals for Ashton are only to bring the constituency into line with the ward boundaries.
Profile: A solid Labour seat since before the war, Ashton is in the borough of Tameside, to the East of Manchester, though also takes in two wards from Oldham council. Ashton itself was dominated by the textile industry and, since its decline, has suffered from high unemployment. The seat also includes Failsworth and Droylsden. The area continues to rely upon manufacturing, though significant retail development is also taking place with the opening of the Ashton Retail Park in 2003 and the redevelopment of the centre of Failsworth based around a new Tesco supersto/p>
Current MP: David Heyes(Labour) born 1946, Manchester. Educated at Blackley Technical High School and the Open University. Former manager for Manchester Citizen`s Advice Bureau and Oldham Borough Councillor. Active trade unionist and member of UNISON. Generally a low profile MP, Heyes rebelled against the government over the Iraq war and the 2006 Education Act (more information at They work for you)
Seema Kennedy (Conservative)David Heyes(Labour) born 1946, Manchester. Educated at Blackley Technical High School and the Open University. Former manager for Manchester Citizen`s Advice Bureau and Oldham Borough Councillor. Active trade unionist and member of UNISON. Generally a low profile MP, Heyes rebelled against the government over the Iraq war and the 2006 Education Act (more information at They work for you)
Paul Larkin (Liberal Democrat)
Angela McManus (UKIP) David Lomas (BNP) 2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 89235
Male: 48.6%
Female: 51.4%
Under 18: 24.1%
Over 60: 20%
Born outside UK: 5.9%
White: 92.3%
Black: 0.4%
Asian: 6%
Mixed: 0.8%
Other: 0.5%
Christian: 75.8%
Hindu: 2.5%
Muslim: 3.3%
Full time students: 2.6%
Graduates 16-74: 10.3%
No Qualifications 16-74: 37.2%
Owner-Occupied: 68.7%
Social Housing: 20.4% (Council: 9.2%, Housing Ass.: 11.2%)
Privately Rented: 7.5%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 10.9%
David Heyes has been officially reselected by the Ashton under Lyne CLP this month
Labour have a very safe seat here. The boundary changes have slightly reduced the electorate.
The Conservatives have 19.9% but if turnout rises a bit,
Labour are likely to pile up around a 14,000 majority, even if there’s some relatively small % swing against them, as seems highly likely.
Margaret Beckett comes from this area.
It was silly that this seat included Holinwood which is an integral part of the town of Oldham and that has now been put back in Oldham West. Ths seat still takes in Failsworth which is in Oldham borough but that is fair enough – it is a seperate town from Oldham and used to be in the Manchester Openshaw seat prior to 1983.
The other town here Droylesden briefly lent its name to a constituency (1950-55) which was also safely Labour. Conservative strength, such as it is, is mostly in Ashton itself. They won a number of the wards within the town in 1992 for example but ordinarily Labour can count on every ward in this conctituency these days. It may infact be that at present Labour have every councillor within this constituency which is rare indeed at present.
Infact the Conservatives hold two of the three seats in Ashton Hurst.
Glad to see that UKIP have put the record straight – the Tories have gained two very close wins in Ashton Hurst in the past few years. That ward must be one of the most marginal in the country for the past three years (if not the most marginal) – with majorites of Con 12 (2004), Con 19 (2006) and Lab 14 (2007). Makes for ‘interesting’ counts on election day.
Labour should hold this seat very comfortably at the next election – but I predict that the Tories will increase their share of the vote now that they have some elected presence in the seat and other local seats are quite marginal (St Michaels and Failsworth West). A Labour majority of around 10,000 to 11,000.
“Glad to see that UKIP have put the record straight ”
Funny that Justin Hinchcliffe ahd to point out to me today that he posts in a personal capacity and now I have to do the same. I am a member of UKIP but not active and certainly not a spokesman.
And I wish the Tory activists who clearly post here in an organised way would stop doing so!
Aggregate vote from the 2008 local elections;
Lab 9517 43.3%
C 7530 34.3%
LD 1067 4.9%
Oth 3864 17.6%
A bit closer than I thought it would be. I’m also surprised how low the LibDem figure is.
Tameside must be the most obscure of all the metropolitan boroughs, perhaps because of the lack of sports teams from there. The name doesn’t help either – I take it the Tame is a river? If it is it’s certainly not in the same league as the Mersey, Tyne or even Calder.
I wonder why it was ever created, I would have thought it might have been better being split between Stockport, Oldham and Manchester.
I agree its a poxy borough. I think the river Tame was the boundary between Lancashire and Cheshire in these parts and this borough takes areas from both counties which proves the point even more that there is no logic behind it or need for it
Heyes did agreat job in this constituency and the two neighbouring ones in covering up and stifling widespread popular outrage at the shortcomings of the local Tameside General Hospital.He took over and buried the locally organised protest group to help out the then Health Minister Patricia Hewitt – the Regional HA sacked the chairman of the Acute trust but kept on the incompetent Chief executive because of the large expense that would have been entailed by sacking her.The local Tories had a great opportunity here to score over Labour but sadly their geriatric leadership ignored the issue.
Does anyone know if the BNP are active here in any significant way? I’m a journalist and been tasked with drafting a piece on some seats where they held their deposits in the NW in 2005 or are likely to in 2010. Many Thanks, Simon.
A little update since my lastpost in November 2007.
Hurst ward was successfully defended (the first time the Conservatives have successfully defended a ward in Ashton since the inception of Tameside in 1974). The majority went from 12 to 784.
The Conservatives also won Failsworth East (by 8 votes) and Failsworth West (by 92 votes) wards. They lost St Michael’s by just 6 votes and Waterloo by 288 votes. They also had their best result in years in St Peter’s and the two Droylsden wards.
The Conservatives have continually shown to be working the constituency well and I believe the result at the next General Election will reflect the hard work that has been put in over the past few years (although I still predict a Labour win here).
Lancs Observer – as for the BNP. They were particularly active in the Waterloo ward a few years back (I believe the candidate was a regional officer of the party or something like) but due to his ill health and splits within the party the activity from the BNP has dropped back considerably. The Conservative candidate only just beat the BNP candidate (by 12 votes) in 2006, but this year the Conservative candidate was nearly 400 votes ahead of the BNP. The BNP did not stand a candidate in Hurst, St Michael’s or St Peter’s wards in 2008. However, they came a good second in Droylsden East (with 1000 votes) and not far behind the Conservative candidate in Droylsden West (with 601 to the Conservative 651). In 2007 the BNP had stood a candidate in Hurst and beat the Conservatives in Droylsden West by over 300 votes.
I predict that the BNP will fall back in the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency at the next General Election, with the BNP focusing their efforts on wards like Dukinfield (Denton & reddish constituency) and Hyde, Newton (Stalybridge & Hyde).
Seema Kennedy has been selected as the Conservative Party candidate here.
She was, until recently, the Chairman of St. Albans Conservative Association. She stood down after her attempt to deselect Anne Main MP failed.
Lab Hold= 9,000 maj
LAB 6200
I think David Lomas is the BNP candidate here
Lab hold maj 7000
Lab Hold
Maj 9 000
Your information about the boundary change is inaccurate. Part of the Oldham ward of Hollinwood has been in the A-u-L constituency for the last 13 years and in this election moves back to Oldham West and Royton.
Labour Hold – Maj 12490
Lab maj 8,000
Lab Hold Maj ~ 9,000
LAB HOLD
Which seats have included Hollinwood? I think Pete said upthread that it WAS in this seat but now in Oldham W and Saddleworth
It was in this seat from 1997-2010 only otherwise it has always been in the various Oldham West seats
(obviously in the unified 2 member Oldham seat prior to 1950)
Paul Buckley – your Lab maj prediction wasn’t bad, but the BNP did rise here. Incidentally, Failsworth Cllr Barker is now an Ind. He was a Tory, then a Green.
Quite a drop in Labour’s massive hold in 2001 here – although mainly turnout.
Robert Sheldon retired.