Fylde
Notional 2005 Results:
Conservative: 20351 (52.4%)
Labour: 10343 (26.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 6701 (17.3%)
Other: 1411 (3.6%)
Majority: 10008 (25.8%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 24287 (53.4%)
Labour: 11828 (26%)
Liberal Democrat: 7748 (17%)
Other: 1647 (3.6%)
Majority: 12459 (27.4%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 23383 (52.3%)
Labour: 13773 (30.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 6599 (14.8%)
UKIP: 982 (2.2%)
Majority: 9610 (21.5%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 25443 (48.9%)
Labour: 16480 (31.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 7609 (14.6%)
Referendum: 2372 (4.6%)
Other: 163 (0.3%)
Majority: 8963 (17.2%)
Boundary changes:
Profile:
Outgoing MP: Michael Jack(Conservative) Born 1946, Folkestone. Educated at Bradford Grammar School and Leicester University. Former director LO Jeffs. Contested Newcastle Central F1974. MP for Fylde since 1987. Junior minister at the DSS 1990-1992, Home Office 1992-1993, MAFF 1993-1995. Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1995-1997. Shadow Secretary of State for Agriculture 1997-1998. Will stand down at the next election (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Mark Menzies (Conservative) born 1971, Ayrshire. Educated at Keil School and Glasgow University. Contested Glasgow Govan 2001, Selby 2005.
Liam Robinson (Labour) Railway station manager.
Bill Winlow (Liberal Democrat) born 1945. Educated at Newcastle University and St Andrews University. Medical writer and retired professor. Leeds councillor 1986-1999, former leader of the Lib Dem group on Leeds council. Contested Fylde 2005.
Philip Mitchell (Green)
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 79179
Male: 48.1%
Female: 51.9%
Under 18: 20.3%
Over 60: 27.6%
Born outside UK: 4.2%
White: 98.4%
Asian: 0.6%
Mixed: 0.6%
Other: 0.4%
Christian: 82.5%
Full time students: 2.3%
Graduates 16-74: 22.3%
No Qualifications 16-74: 24.8%
Owner-Occupied: 79.7%
Social Housing: 7.3% (Council: 2.1%, Housing Ass.: 5.3%)
Privately Rented: 9.9%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 7.5%
They have whittled down to 8 from well over 100. There’s a few details (but no names yet) on Cllr Simon Renwick’s blog. I would post the link but I tried that before and it got swallowed in the spam trap.
Over 100 applications is fairly healthy a number. It may not surprise you to learn how small a percentage of that 100 was the number of LibDem applicants for Fylde….
According to ConHome, the final eight for Fylde are:
John Coombes
Mark Menzies
Andrew Loftus
Dr Fiona Kemp
Jonathan Lord
Kay Mason
Mary Robinson
and Janet Clowes
I don’t know of any of them.
It’s quite a prize Tory seat, although I guess the majority won’t go up much with Michael Jack retiring.
Probably about 55-25-16.
John Coombes (the favourite) is leader of Fylde Council, and stood in Wigan in 2005. Mark Menzies stood in Glasgow Govan in 2001 and Selby in 2005. Dr Fiona Kemp stood in Truro in 2005. Kay Mason stood in Norwich North in 2005. Mary Robinson hails from South Ribble. Not sure about the others though.
A collection of comments I’ve nicked word-for-word from ConHome (well somebody’s got to, haven’t they
)
“Mary Robinson hails from South Ribble and is a Lorraine Fullbrook protege. She has obviously sharpened up her previous performances to do so well in this safe seat selection.
Jonathan Lord – Chairman of Guildford Conservatives, used to be councillor in Westminster (was Deputy Leader of Council at one point) – good guy.
Andrew Loftus was once on the local council, and his family have had a dairy business in the Fylde constituency for quite a few generations. He’s currently the MD for ‘Weetons’, a grocery business which sources high-end food’s from local farms.
Janet Clowes was on the Chorley list a few weeks ago.”
Janet Clowes hails from Crewe and Nantwich, if I recall a message from ConHome referring to the Chorley selection.
According to ConHome, Mark Menzies has been adopted as the Tory candidate.
It seems John Coombes didn’t make the final four.
Someone on ConHome has kindly provided the following biographical information about Mark Menzies:
He was born in Ayshire; graduated from Glasgow University ( Politics, Economy) with Honours. Currently (at the time of his selection) he lives in Leeds. And, as was mentioned upthread, he fought Glasgow Govan in 2001 and Selby in 2005.
I worked with Mark when he was the candidate in Selby – in fact I was a member at the selection meeting there when he was adopted (I was a student at the University of York at the time). He was desperately unlucky in Selby and I know he’ll be an excellent candidate and hopefully MP for Fylde.
I’m glad to here that Mark Menzies has been selected.
He fought Glasgow Govan in 2001 then Selby in 2005.
philip mitchell is green party candidate in fylde
See posts two years ago: this seat is particularly environmentally challenged, so Philip Mitchell ought to be able to find some issues to pursue (the problems that arise from having atomic plants on the Irish Sea coast might provide some more). But I am afraid that image wise this is not the Greens’ best prospect, particularly now that they seem to have swung to the left and concentrated on middle class urban voters.
Which seats have included Lytham St Annes?
Until 1983 Lytham St. Annes was in South Fylde.