Croydon South
Notional 2005 Results:
Conservative: 26617 (51.9%)
Labour: 12374 (24.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 10415 (20.3%)
Other: 1853 (3.6%)
Majority: 14243 (27.8%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 25320 (51.8%)
Labour: 11792 (24.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 10049 (20.6%)
UKIP: 1054 (2.2%)
Other: 682 (1.4%)
Majority: 13528 (27.7%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 22169 (49.2%)
Labour: 13472 (29.9%)
Liberal Democrat: 8226 (18.3%)
UKIP: 998 (2.2%)
Other: 195 (0.4%)
Majority: 8697 (19.3%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 25649 (47.3%)
Labour: 13719 (25.3%)
Liberal Democrat: 11441 (21.1%)
Referendum: 2631 (4.9%)
Other: 759 (1.4%)
Majority: 11930 (22%)
Boundary changes: Gains part of Selsdon & Ballards, part of Croham and a small part of Waddon.
Profile: A seat in the far south of London that has more in common with residential Surrey than the inner city. Apart from Waddon in the north of the seat, which contains a large council estate and tower blocks and sometimes returns Labour councillors, this seat consists of affluent, leafy dormitory suburbs for Croydon and London, places like Coulson, Purley, Sanderstead and Selsdon (the site of the 1969 meeting that set free-market policies for the Conservative party and lead to the phrase “Selsdon man” and the later founding of the Selsdon Group).
This is a safe Conservative seat, held by the Tories since its creation in 1974 (the previous Croydon South seat, once held by Labour`s David Winnick, is a different seat that corresponds to what is now Croydon Central).
Outgoing MP: Richard Ottaway(Conservative) born 1945, Bristol. Educated at Backwell School and Bristol University. Former Royal Naval Officer and solicitor. MP for Nottingham North 1983-1987. First elected as MP for Croydon South in 1992 (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: Richard Ottaway(Conservative) born 1945, Bristol. Educated at Backwell School and Bristol University. Former Royal Naval Officer and solicitor. MP for Nottingham North 1983-1987. First elected as MP for Croydon South in 1992 (more information at They work for you)
Jane Avis (Labour) 
Simon Rix (Liberal Democrat) Book publisherGordon Ross (Green)Martin Ferguson (UKIP)
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 103848
Male: 48.5%
Female: 51.5%
Under 18: 23%
Over 60: 19.9%
Born outside UK: 14.2%
White: 84.9%
Black: 4.4%
Asian: 6.4%
Mixed: 2.7%
Other: 1.6%
Christian: 70.8%
Hindu: 3.1%
Muslim: 2.6%
Full time students: 3%
Graduates 16-74: 25.5%
No Qualifications 16-74: 19.3%
Owner-Occupied: 79.5%
Social Housing: 9.9% (Council: 6.4%, Housing Ass.: 3.4%)
Privately Rented: 8.7%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 5.7%
By my reckoning there are 102 seats the Conservatives have not selected in (almost all of them being in the former Metropolitan Counties or Wales). This also includes the dozen or so Consrervative-held seats where the Conservative MP has stood down.
To compare, Labour have 53 seats left to select (around half being Labour-held seats), and the Lib Dems still have 247 seats to select!!
As for the Greens, they have candidates in 110 seats in total – I would expect them to end up with more like 300 candidates. Being realistic, what targets have the Greens got other than Brighton Pavilion, and possibly Lewisham Deptford?
Brighton Hove, Brighton Kempton, Oxford East, Norwich South and Glasgow North are all very very very long longshots.
Croydon Advertiser reports that Winston McKenzie has abandooned his “Unity Party” so presumably Marianne Bowness is no longer its PPC.
“Former lovers Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito have been found guilty of cutting British student Meredith Kercher’s throat after she refused to take part in a drug-fuelled sex session at her flat in Italy in November 2007.” BBC Website.
I think the verdict and the sentences were right. Aiding and abeting in murder is as dreadful and nasty as murder itself.
The Lib Dems have selected Simon Rix here
I’m pleased to confirm that Gordon Ross has been selected as Green Party candidate for this seat. I’ve stepped down to focus on the local elections in Lewisham where I am standing for re-election, as well as our campaign to elect Darren Johnson as Green MP in Lewisham Deptford.
Which seats have included Selsdon?
Selsdon has been in Croydon South ever since the constituency was created in 1974. Before that, what is now Croydon South was in one of the Surrey constituencies, and what is now Croydon Central was called Croydon South.
That would have been East Surrey, before Sir Geoffrey Howe represented it.