City of Durham
2010 Results:
Conservative: 6146 (13.29%)
Labour: 20496 (44.31%)
Liberal Democrat: 17429 (37.68%)
BNP: 1153 (2.49%)
UKIP: 856 (1.85%)
Independent: 172 (0.37%)
Majority: 3067 (6.63%)
2005 Results:
Labour: 20928 (47.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 17654 (39.8%)
Conservative: 4179 (9.4%)
Other: 1603 (3.6%)
Majority: 3274 (7.4%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 7167 (17.3%)
Labour: 23254 (56.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 9813 (23.7%)
UKIP: 1252 (3%)
Majority: 13441 (32.4%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 8598 (17.5%)
Labour: 31102 (63.3%)
Liberal Democrat: 7499 (15.3%)
Referendum: 1723 (3.5%)
Other: 213 (0.4%)
Majority: 22504 (45.8%)
No Boundary Changes:
Profile: Co-terminous with the City of Durham itself, it includes Durham itself – a small medieval city dominated by its cathedral and ancient university – and the surrounding villages such as Waterhouses, Ludworth, Brandon, Coxhoe, Sherburn.
A Labour seat since 1935, but became a marginal seat with the SDP in the 1980s and, more recently from the Liberal Democrats. While Durham itself is strongly Liberal Democrat (and the City council is now controlled by the Lib Dems), the outlying villages are largely former mining areas and in many cases monolithically Labour.
Current MP: Roberta Blackman-Woods(Labour) born 1957, Belfast. Educated at the University of Ulster. Former lecturer and professor at the University of Northumberland. Former Oxford councillor and Newcastle councillor. PPS to Hilary Armstrong (more information at They work for you)
Nick Varley (Conservative) Student at the University of Hull.Roberta Blackman-Woods(Labour) born 1957, Belfast. Educated at the University of Ulster. Former lecturer and professor at the University of Northumberland. Former Oxford councillor and Newcastle councillor. PPS to Hilary Armstrong (more information at They work for you)Carol Woods (Liberal Democrat) born 1954. Educated at the University of Hull. Runs a holiday cottage business. Durham councillor since 2003. Contested Durham in 2001 and 2005.Nigel Coghill-Marshall (UKIP)Ralph Musgrove (BNP) Jonathan Collings (Independent)2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 87709
Male: 49.2%
Female: 50.8%
Under 18: 18.7%
Over 60: 19.5%
Born outside UK: 4.7%
White: 97.7%
Black: 0.2%
Asian: 0.7%
Mixed: 0.5%
Other: 0.8%
Christian: 79.7%
Muslim: 0.6%
Full time students: 14.5%
Graduates 16-74: 22%
No Qualifications 16-74: 27.1%
Owner-Occupied: 67.6%
Social Housing: 23.3% (Council: 20%, Housing Ass.: 3.3%)
Privately Rented: 6.6%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 1.7%
The BBC cut away for Gordon Brown’s result. I think having a split screen with the sound from Durham would have been the best solution since the result in Kirkcaldy wasn’t in any doubt of course.
No Andy JS, it is an unwritten rule on Election night broadcasts that the declarations for the three main party leaders (especially the PM’s count), take precedence over any other declarations which occurs at the same time. So it was right for the broadasters to cut away to Brown’s declaration considering he was the PM. If Blackman-Wood’s were the leader of the Opposition or the Lib Dem leader then it would have been appropriate for the broadcasters to split the screen with the sound from the Durham declaration.
In terms of Durham County Council wards, which ones make up this constituency? The boundary changes which are on electoralcalculus.co.uk list the now outdated district wards.
Now that the Lib Dems have formed a coalition with the Tories, I think this will now be a safe Labour seat. I know it’s far too early to predict the result here but I going to guess that Labour’s majoirty will increase to about 6000.
Looking back at the results from 1992 through to 2001 it clearly has the potential to go much higher than that.
Harry. This constituency is still coterminous with the boundaries of the old city of Durham district, therefore all the old county council wards of that district will now form the wards which make up this constituency. They are:
Belmont; Brandon; Coxhoe; Deerness Valley; Durham South; Elvet; Framwellgate Moor; Gilesgate; Nevilles Cross; Newton Hall; Sherburn
I was quite relieved the LDs flopped here,
but as I pointed out, the Returning Officer was waiting for some signal or something to declare, and kept me on the edge of the seat.
3.9% extra for the Conservatives – but still below 1997/2001.
Perhaps not surprisingly an easy Labour hold in Brandon last night, with a significant swing in their favour from the LDs.
Surprising it it may seem, the Conservatives were a distant second place to Labour in both 1992 and 1997 in Durham.
Not all that surprising really. Lots of demographically Tory voters in the city itself, plus many student rahs.
I’m guessing this constituency will go back to the 2001 result at the next ge.
Liberal Middle class intellectuals in the centre of durham won’t be happy with the coalition.
Lib Dem County Councillor for Framwellgate has defected to Labour.
Lib Dems are crumbling which was to be expected following Carol Woods failure to take the seat.
the lib dems are down to only 4% in the northeast
according to this poll.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8732892.Lib_Dems_crash_to_four_per_cent_in_North_East/
The 1980s pop rock band Prefab Sprout, led by Paddy Macaloon, hailed from this constituency- Specifically Witton Gilbert.
‘The 1980s pop rock band Prefab Sprout hailed from this constituency’
Good group
‘The King of Rock & Roll’ was one of last pop songs I genuinely liked – coming out just before the decades I listened to nothing other than hip hop
Like York, the City of Durham would seem an unlikely place to elect Labour MPs – especially with majorities exceeding 20,000
As to Anthony’s profile, it seems an odd call to name this seat the City of Durham if the bulk of voters come from the mining villages (surely ex-mining villages) on the peripheries
I’m sure there have been occasions when the city itself has voted Labour, though clearly it’s voted LD in recent years. Obviously it’s a Labour seat since the coalfield communities surrounding it have heavily outvoted it – it’s a small city.
Do you remember other guitar bands from the late 80s and early 90s Tim such as The Mighty Lemon Drops, The Lilac Time and The Railway Children? Brownie points if you can guess what constituencies the three bands came from…
Durham isn’t that small, its population is about 45,000 I believe
I would expect a strong Labour recovery here next election, majority of 10,000 at least
‘Durham isn’t that small, its population is about 45,000 I believe’
In which case it would form the bulk of the seat
‘Do you remember other guitar bands from the late 80s and early 90s Tim such as The Mighty Lemon Drops, The Lilac Time and The Railway Children?’
I’m afraid not.
I went straight from commercial pop to East Coast hip hop in 1988 but I do remember ‘The King of Rock & Roll’ being one of the last pop longs I really liked.
The video where they are in the manor house around the swimming pool doesn’t look very County Durhamish!
They did another tune – ‘Cars and Girls’ – which was good – and asre viewed by many as one of those groups that most deserved to break thriugh but never quite managed it
Im moving to this constituancy – the centre not one of the villages (thank god!)
I’m a musician and a music graduate & I have to say that I haven’t heard of any of those 3 bands, let alone say what constituency they were from. I do however remember both Prefab Sprout & the song mentioned, indeed I remember having the sheet music in stock in my shop. Perhaps Lilac Time sound vaguely familiar.
Do you have an online shop?
I used to have a website and a retail shop in a town centre. I went out of business in 2009.
The Mighty Lemon Drops came from Wolverhampton North East, The Lilac Time from what was then Leominster constituency (Now North Herefordshire) and The Railway Children came from Wigan.
I know all this has really got nothing to do with politics, but on a slightly different note there are was definitely one band who have had political members- First there was Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig, whose members Donnie Munro and Pete Wishart both pursued political careers. In Munro’s attempt as the Labour candidate against Charles Kennedy in 1997, he was narrowly unsuccessful in taking Ross, Skye and Inverness West. In Wishart’s case however, he was elected for the SNP to serve as the MP for North Tayside and then Perth and North Perthshire, where he remains to this day.
Will the Lib Dems hold any wards here next year?
Definatley.
The LDs won a parish by-election in Belmont, which is nowhere near as affluent as the posh bits of Durham City.
Labour 52
LD 30
Con 10
Other 8