Normanton Pontefract and Castleford
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 28283 (63.7%)
Conservative: 7591 (17.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 5529 (12.5%)
Other: 2974 (6.7%)
Majority: 20692 (46.6%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 5727 (17.4%)
Labour: 20973 (63.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 3942 (12%)
BNP: 1835 (5.6%)
Other: 470 (1.4%)
Majority: 15246 (46.3%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 5512 (17.6%)
Labour: 21890 (69.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 2315 (7.4%)
UKIP: 739 (2.4%)
Other: 935 (3%)
Majority: 16378 (52.2%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 5614 (13.6%)
Labour: 31339 (75.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 3042 (7.3%)
Referendum: 1401 (3.4%)
Majority: 25725 (62.1%)
Boundary changes
Current MP: Yvette Cooper (Labour) born 1969, Inverness. Educated at Eggar’s School and Oxford University. Former political advisor and journalist. MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. Under-seretary at the department of health 1999-2003 and the office of the deputy Prime Minister 2003-2005. Minister of State in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2005-2007, and for Housing 2007-2008. Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2008. She is married to Ed Balls, MP for Normanton (more information at They work for you)
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 101903
Male: 48.5%
Female: 51.5%
Under 18: 23.4%
Over 60: 21.1%
Born outside UK: 1.7%
White: 98.9%
Asian: 0.5%
Mixed: 0.3%
Other: 0.2%
Christian: 80.5%
Full time students: 1.5%
Graduates 16-74: 9.5%
No Qualifications 16-74: 43.4%
Owner-Occupied: 63.5%
Social Housing: 30.7% (Council: 28.6%, Housing Ass.: 2.1%)
Privately Rented: 4%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 6.1%
48 Responses
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Twickenham (& Richmond Park,Windsor)
I visited Castleford in 2003 and I didn’t think it was as run down as I expected. Leeds was all booked up that weekend - so had to search around on the outside.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:49 amPontefract in particular and Wakefield as a whole are examples of what have been called exurbs in the USA - new development areas along motorways.
There has been a movement of the private sector middle classes away from their traditional suburbs (Hallam, Leeds NW etc) to places with better communications.
Other examples include Bassetlaw, Rother Valley, Don Valley and Penistone. I’m sure there are similar places in Lancashire too, which might account for the improving Conservative results in Worsley and Wigan.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:55 pmShipley
I would include Keighley, Holmfirth and many other Yorkshire textile towns. However, the crucial issue is as much a rail link as it is access to the motorway - which partly explins why similar places in Barnsley district (other than Penistone which has always been a basically Tory town) have not ‘gentrified’ to the same extent.
It is interesting to note that the Conservative vote at these local elections was higher in Keighley (51%) than in Shipley (49%) probably for the first time ever. The demography of Shipley is getting worse for the Conservatives while that of Keighley - and especially towns like Haworth and Silsden - is getting better.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:56 pmPages: « 1 2 3 [4] Show All