Birmingham Ladywood
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 15216 (50%)
Liberal Democrat: 9002 (29.6%)
Conservative: 2683 (8.8%)
Other: 3541 (11.6%)
Majority: 6215 (20.4%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 3515 (10.6%)
Labour: 17262 (51.9%)
Liberal Democrat: 10461 (31.5%)
UKIP: 2008 (6%)
Majority: 6801 (20.5%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 3551 (11.3%)
Labour: 21694 (68.9%)
Liberal Democrat: 2586 (8.2%)
UKIP: 283 (0.9%)
Other: 3379 (10.7%)
Majority: 18143 (57.6%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 5052 (13.3%)
Labour: 28134 (74.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 3020 (8%)
Referendum: 1086 (2.9%)
Other: 685 (1.8%)
Majority: 23082 (60.8%)
Boundary changes: Extensive changes to local government boundary changes in Birmingham and the large size of council wards in the city mean that most of Birmingham`s consitutencies underwent many small changes to bring them into line with local government ward boundaries. Ladywood gains part of Aston from Perry Barr, part of Ladywood itself from Edgbaston and part of Nechells from Sparkbrook & Small Heath while losing part of Bordesley Green to Hodge Hill, Lozells to Perry Barr and part of Washwood Heath to Hodge Hill.
Profile: Ladywood consists of Aston, Nechells, Ladywood and Soho wards and covers the city centre of Brimingham. Ladywood has traditionally been one of the most deprived seats in the country, with one of the highest levels of unemployment, highest numbers of lone parents and very low levels of home and car ownership. It also has one of the highest proportions of non-white voters, with well over half the population from an ethnic minority. Soho ward to the West has a higher proportion of home ownership and has a high Sikh population, Aston and Nechells are more Muslim and more dominated by council housing. The seat includes HMP Birmingham at Winson Green, Aston University and both Aston Villa and Birmingham City football clubs.
Ladywood ward itself is underdergoing massive regeneration. In the city centre the Bullring shopping centre was demolished and replaced with a new modern shopping centre in 2003. The rest of Ladywood ward is still being redevloped, with entire high rise estates in Lee Bank being demolished and replaced with modern housing. Similar redevelopment in planned in Nechells with the demolition and replacement of large areas of Digbeth and Deritend as part of the Eastside development.
Current MP: Clare Short (Independent) born 1946, Birmingham to Irish Catholic parents. Educated at St Paul`s Grammar and the University of Leeds. Prior to her election she worked as a civil servant. First elected to Birmingham Ladywood as a Labour MP in 1983. Achieved public prominence by campaigning against Page 3 models in the Sun (which has ever since been particularly hostile towards her). Served as a shadow minister under Kinnock, Smith and Blair (though she temporarily resigned from the front bench over the Gulf War). Was appointed as the first Secretary of State for International Development in 1997. Despite her opposition to the Iraq war she remained a member of the government until after the initial conflict, finally resigning from the government in May 2003. Since then she has been highly critical of Tony Blair`s leadership. In September 2006 she said she would not stand again as a Labour MP and hoped for a hung Parliament after the next election. In October 2006 she resigned the Labour whip to sit as an independent (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Shabana Mahmood (Labour) Born Small Heath. Barrister. 
Ayoub Khan (Liberal Democrat) Birmingham Councillor since 2003. Contested Birmingham Ladywood in 2005. 
Lynette Afshar (UKIP) Contested Birmingham Ladywood 2005, Yorkshire & Humberside 2009 European elections.
Peter Beck (Green) Born West Bromwich. Retired library assistant and teacher. Former member of the Labour party. Contested Birmingham Edgbaston 2005.
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 94538
Male: 49.7%
Female: 50.3%
Under 18: 29%
Over 60: 13.7%
Born outside UK: 30.9%
White: 36%
Black: 18.6%
Asian: 37.9%
Mixed: 5.3%
Other: 2.3%
Christian: 40.1%
Hindu: 3.2%
Muslim: 28.7%
Sikh: 5.4%
Full time students: 12.3%
Graduates 16-74: 13.6%
No Qualifications 16-74: 43.2%
Owner-Occupied: 35.2%
Social Housing: 49.6% (Council: 31.6%, Housing Ass.: 18%)
Privately Rented: 9.8%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 20.3%
The current Birmingham Perry Barr has now annexed almost all of the old Handsworth constituency to.
Both seats were won by the Conservatives in 1970, but now the Conservatives come no where near in the combined seat.
Demographic change hit the North Birmingham seats of Handsworth and Perry Barr long before South Birmingham seats like Selly Oak or Hall Green.
The Conservative should get Edgbaston back but it will be a bell weather seat.
“Clare Short stands as an Independent - has she said she might?”
See above, we’ve had this discussion and the answer is no.
“The Conservative result in the old Birmingham Ladywood was rather disappointing in 1983, down -10.6% notionally against 1979.”
Doubtless demograpic change played a part but wasn’t the Conservative stronghold in this constituency in those days the Sandwell / Handsworth Wood area? Wasn’t that previously in the old Handsworth constituency which was more marginal and so would have seen a bigger Conservative effort in 1979 than in 1983 when it was now in a safe Labour constituency?”
There was no Liberal candidate in Handsworth in 1979 which would probably account for that
In the euros the Tories beat the Lib Dems in 3 of the 4 wards and lost out by just 100 votes constituency wide. Absolutely no comfort there for the Lib Dem PPC.
Are the ward results available anywhere online?
It doesn’t appear so Pete, the Birmingham City Council website - despite saying that results are published online before anywhere else - hasn’t updated the results. The best available is a city wide result:
Birmingham
Labour - 54,415
Conservatives - 45,112
Liberal Democrats - 32,630
UKIP - 32,324.
Birmingham city council’s website is notoriously crap
Pete,
do you know roughly the position across Birmingham in May 2008?
%
Rgds
Joe
I have the exact figures. The Tories won a narrow plurality for the first time since 2000.
Con 30.2%
Lab 30.1%
L D 23.2%
BNP 6.9%
Grn 4.1%
Resp 3.3%
Thanks -
well that’s a bit disappointing,
we’ve gone backwards since 2008 against Labour.
Still local elections in the West Midlands can be unusually better for Cons as is well known.
Pete W - Can you mail me at praguetory at gmail dot com and I’ll send them to you? Bit unwieldy to type 60 figures into a comment box.
Here follows a list of euro votes as a % of 2008 Locals by major party in descending order.
Edgbaston Lib 157%
Ladywood Cons 139%
Sutton Coldfield Lib 124%
Northfield Lib 117%
Hodge hill Cons 112%
Yardley Cons 108%
Yardley Lab 104%
Perry Barr Lab 98%
Hall Green Cons 94%
Perry Barr Cons 92%
Ladywood Lab 89%
Selly Oak Lib 88%
Hall Green Lab 87%
Hall Green Lib 78%
Selly Oak Lab 78%
Edgbaston Lab 75%
Erdington Lab 73%
Hodge hill Lab 71%
Sutton Coldfield Lab 71%
Perry Barr Lib 66%
Sutton Coldfield Cons 65%
Northfield Lab 57%
Edgbaston Cons 55%
Erdington Lib 54%
Erdington Cons 52%
Selly Oak Cons 51%
Northfield Cons 49%
Ladywood Lib 45%
Yardley Lib 43%
Hodge hill Lib 38%
“I have the exact figures. The Tories won a narrow plurality for the first time since 2000. ”
I know 2004 was somewhat disappointing for Tories in Birmingham (8% Lab lead) as it didn’t give us as much progress as we hoped, given the all out opportunity following rewarding.
Looks like some of us weren’t grateful enough to William Hague for the results in May 2000.
Now….on Clare Short and Ladywood….
I asked this question further up the thread and not many people replied. She had an anti Iraq War stance, and whether one agrees with her or not, she is a political heavyweight, yet she too suffered a large negative swing in 2005? WHY???