Norwich South
2010 Results:
Conservative: 10902 (22.93%)
Labour: 13650 (28.71%)
Liberal Democrat: 13960 (29.36%)
BNP: 697 (1.47%)
UKIP: 1145 (2.41%)
Green: 7095 (14.92%)
Others: 102 (0.21%)
Majority: 310 (0.65%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 15374 (37.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 12246 (30.1%)
Conservative: 8757 (21.5%)
Other: 4284 (10.5%)
Majority: 3129 (7.7%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 9567 (22.7%)
Labour: 15904 (37.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 12251 (29%)
Green: 3101 (7.4%)
UKIP: 597 (1.4%)
Other: 770 (1.8%)
Majority: 3653 (8.7%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 10551 (24.8%)
Labour: 19367 (45.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 9640 (22.6%)
UKIP: 473 (1.1%)
Green: 1434 (3.4%)
Other: 1127 (2.6%)
Majority: 8816 (20.7%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 12028 (23.7%)
Labour: 26267 (51.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 9457 (18.6%)
Referendum: 1464 (2.9%)
Other: 1585 (3.1%)
Majority: 14239 (28%)
Boundary changes: loses Cringleford to Norfolk South and gains a small area around the fringes of New Costessey. To the north it gains part of Thorpe Hamlet and loses part of Crome to Norwich North.
Profile: Norwich South covers the majority of the wards in Norwich City Council, including the town centre, along with the Norwich suburb of New Costessey which falls under South Norfolk District Council. The seat inclues the “Golden Triangle”, the south-western part of Norwich near the University of East Anglia consisting of victorian properties, with a large proportion of students and young professionals. Norwich Union is the largest local employer.
The seat has normally been Labour`s strongest seat in Norfolk due to the relatively high proportion of council tenants on estates like Lakenham, Bowthorpe and West Earlham. More recently the seat has swung towards the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, who currently (Nov 2006) hold nine seats on Norwich City Council.
Current MP: Simon Wright (Liberal Democrat) Educated at Imperial College London. Former teacher, currently campaigns and communications officer for Norman Lamb MP, the MP for Norfolk North. North Norfolk District Councillor.
Antony Little (Conservative) History teacher. Norwich councillor. Contested Norwich South 2005.
Charles Clarke(Labour) born 1950, London, the son of a Civil Service Permanent Secretary. Educated at Highgate School and Cambridge. President of the NUS from 1975-1977. Former Hackney Councillor. A senior advisor and eventually chief of staff to Neil Kinnock as Leader of the Labour party, after 1992 Clarke worked in public affairs consultancy before being elected as an MP in 1997. He was rapidly promoted, becoming a junior minister after less than a year as an MP and entering the cabinet as Party Chairman in 2001. He became education Secretary in 2002 and suceeded David Blunkett as Home Secretary in 2004. In April 2006 he offered his resignation over the release of over 1,000 foriegn prisoners who should have been considered for deportation. His resignation was refused, but he was sacked following Labour`s local government election losses in May 2006. He has subsequently been critical of Gordon Brown`s suitability to be Prime Minister (more information at They work for you)Simon Wright (Liberal Democrat) Educated at Imperial College London. Former teacher, currently campaigns and communications officer for Norman Lamb MP, the MP for Norfolk North. North Norfolk District Councillor.
Adrian Ramsay (Green) Educated at City of Norwich School and UEA. Norwich councillor since 2003. Deputy leader of the Green Party.
Stephen Emmens (UKIP) Len Heather (BNP) Gabriel Polley (Workers Revolutionary)2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 88174
Male: 48%
Female: 52%
Under 18: 18.5%
Over 60: 22.1%
Born outside UK: 7%
White: 96.4%
Black: 0.4%
Asian: 0.9%
Mixed: 1.1%
Other: 1.1%
Christian: 60.7%
Muslim: 0.8%
Full time students: 11.6%
Graduates 16-74: 23.5%
No Qualifications 16-74: 27.4%
Owner-Occupied: 50.6%
Social Housing: 34.1% (Council: 27.9%, Housing Ass.: 6.2%)
Privately Rented: 12.3%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 8%
One of the Green councillors for Thorpe Hamlet Ward on Norfolk County Council, , Philip Hardy , has defected to the Conservatives.
That’s particularly weird at this time when the Tories have rather put green issues on the back-burner, but it’s weird enough at any time.
Unusual.
Does the Green Party have a right wing faction disillusioned with Caroline Lucas’s leadership?
Especially in rural areas, I imagine there could be quite a big overlap between traditional small-c conservatism and old fashioned greenism.
Remember in the 1970s/80s the Greens were the “ecology party”….sadly they have morphed into a general left wing pressure group, away from focusing primarily on issues such as conservation and sustainable farming, where as I say they should get a sympathetic hearing from many rural Tories. From the other side the Thatcherisation of the Tory party over the past 30 years has also I guess reduced the common ground between the parties.
To add to the weirdness all seven of Norfolk’s Tory MP’s have signed a “letter of dissatisfaction” with the Tory Leader of Norfolk County Council.
A Green councillor has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for arson after an unsuccessful attempt to set himself on fire. According to the local paper a more serious charge was considered.