Old Bexley and Sidcup
Notional 2005 Results:
Conservative: 21149 (49.8%)
Labour: 11689 (27.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 6258 (14.7%)
BNP: 1060 (2.7%)
Other: 2210 (5.2%)
Majority: 9460 (22.3%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 22191 (49.8%)
Labour: 12271 (27.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 6564 (14.7%)
BNP: 1227 (2.8%)
UKIP: 2015 (4.5%)
Other: 304 (0.7%)
Majority: 9920 (22.3%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 19130 (45.4%)
Labour: 15785 (37.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 5792 (13.7%)
UKIP: 1426 (3.4%)
Majority: 3345 (7.9%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 21608 (42%)
Labour: 18039 (35.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 8284 (16.1%)
Referendum: 2457 (4.8%)
Other: 1003 (2%)
Majority: 3569 (6.9%)
Boundary changes: loses part of Danson Park ward to Bexleyheath and Crayford.
Profile: Conservative voting suburbia in south-east London, largely made up of owner-occupied 1930s built private housing. The titular “Old Bexley” refers to the smaller village-like part of Bexley, close to the border with Dartford, as opposed to the more built up and suburban Bexleyheath. The constituency was once widely known for returning Sir Edward Heath to Parliament, he represented the seat and its predecessors for 50 years before his retirement in 2001. The seat is safely Conservative - in 1997 Labour cut Heath`s majority to only 6.9% with the help of the Referendum party, but Derek Conway has since seen his majority grow to over 20%.
Current MP: Derek Conway (Independent Conservative) born 1953, Newcastle upon Tyne. Educated at Beacon Hill Boys School, Gateshead Technical College and Newcastle Polytechnic. Gateshead councillor from 1974 until 1983 and Conservative group leader on Tyne & Wear Metropolitan Council from 1979 to 1982. Contested Durham in October 1974 and Newcastle East in 1979. MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham between 1983 and 1997. Returned as MP for Old Bexley & Sidcup in 2001. Government whip from 1994 to 1997. Between his two periods in Parliament he served as Chief Executive of the Cats Protection League. In 2003 he was the first MP to publically announce he had written to the Chair of the 1922 Committee to ask for a vote of confidence in Iain Duncan Smith`s leadership and later became a key supporter and ally of David Davis in his 2005 leadership campaign. Had the Conservative whip suspended in 2008 after it was found he had paid his son to work for him while he was actually away at university (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
James Brokenshire (Conservative) born 1968, Southend. Educated at Davenant Foundation School and the University of Exeter. Prior to his election worked as a corporate lawyer. MP for Hornchurch since 2005, his seat is due to be abolished in the next round of boundary changes. Shadow minister for Home Affairs.
Duncan Borrowman (Liberal Democrat) Former National Campaigns officer for the Liberal Democrats. Contested Bexley and Bromley in 2000 and 2004 London Assembly elections. Will contest London elections as list candidate in 2008.
John Hemming-Clark (Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital) born 1960. Publisher. Contested Bromley and Chislehurst by-election 2006.
Michael Barnbrook (BNP) Born Essex. Educated at Plaistow Grammar School. Retired policeman. Contested London in 2009 European elections.
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 82136
Male: 48%
Female: 52%
Under 18: 21.8%
Over 60: 23.3%
Born outside UK: 6.8%
White: 94.3%
Black: 1.2%
Asian: 2.6%
Mixed: 1.1%
Other: 0.8%
Christian: 75.9%
Hindu: 1%
Muslim: 1.4%
Sikh: 0.6%
Full time students: 2.5%
Graduates 16-74: 14.9%
No Qualifications 16-74: 26.9%
Owner-Occupied: 85.3%
Social Housing: 8.4% (Council: 1.4%, Housing Ass.: 7%)
Privately Rented: 4.8%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 6.6%
This, courtesy of Peter Golds from Vote 2007;
Some extracts from East Wickham Focus no 125 (A3)
It’s neck and neck in Thursday’s East Wickham by-election between experienced councillor and community champion Grace Goodlad, and the Conservative candidate.
Then in great big letters
Grace Goodlad set to win !
There are sub headings Labour third and a call for Labour voters to switch to GG to ensure she wins
and of course Conservative struggle
“the Conservative candidate has struggled to gain support”
Indented on the bottom is It’s a two-horse-race on Thursday. Are you backing the winner?
These are the East Wickham figures I posted on Vote 2007 for the three elections of 1994/1998/2002
As you can see it has in recent years been a LD/Lab marginal
1994 result
LD; 1749, 1671, 1648
Lab; 1394, 1348, 1335
Con; 943, 907, 896
1998 result
LD 1143, Lab 1098, LD 1072 elected
Lab; 1068, 1060
LD; 1033
Con; 642, 609, 580
Ind; 76
2002 result
LD; 1059, Lab,1020, 961 elected
Lab; 945
LD;938, 923
Con; 733, 720, 682
UKIP; 136
Although not on teh scale of the effort put into Seven Sisters on Jan 15th, the LIberal Democrats certainly worked the ward, and were completely sidelined.
It was interesting to note that the electorate were able to ignore the “two horse race” ramping and the dubious “surveys” which they so often use.
As an aside, Steven Hall is an excellent candiate and will be an excellent councillor. The local team worked extremely hard and outside help was put to work most efficiently.
Both Liberal & Independents to Save Queen Mary’s Hospital candidates are gunning for the Conservative candidate after the Liberals nearly won the Bromley & Chislehurst by-election in 2006. This is from Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital’s website:
James Brokenshire - Conservative Carpetbagger for Old Bexley & Sidcup
Gone are the days of our elected representatives living in their ivory towers, miles from their constituencies. (At least London borough council candidates have to at least live or work in the borough that they’re standing in). How can someone represent their constituency with a passion if they have never lived in the constituency, have never worked in the constituency and have no connection with the constituency? It is one of ITSQMH’s aims that parliamentary candidates live in or near the constituency that they hope to represent. None of this, “I’ll move if I win” which was an attitude that nearly lost the Conservative candidate in Bromley and Chislehurst constituency a by-election in 2006 in a constituency that was previously thought of as a safe Conservative seat.
But then along comes James Brokenshire.
Mr Brokenshire was elected MP for Hornchurch & Rainham for the Conservatives in May 2005. However, as this seat will disappear at the next election, Essex-man Mr Brokenshire then decided that he would not hang around and fight in a new local constituency but he would go off traveling - traveling to wherever a local Conservative association would take him.
He started in mid-2007 at Grantham & Stamford in Lincolnshire, over 100 miles away from Hornchurch. He stood for selection…and lost.
By the end of 2007 he was at North East Cambridgeshire, over 50 miles away. He stood for selection again…and once again he lost.
At the beginning of 2008 he was at Maidstone & Weald. At least by now he’s in the same county but he’s still 40 miles away. Yet again he lost.
Then in mid-2008 he was selected to fight for the Conservatives in the Old Bexley & Sidcup constituency. Only 25 miles away but we ask this: What interest do you as a local Sidcup / Bexley / Chislehurst etc. resident in Hornchurch? The answer is about as much interest as Mr Brokenshire has in our area.
The only reason that Mr Brokenshire is standing in Old Bexley & Sidcup is because he is representing a party, putting the party first and not you.
Mr Brokenshire is a serial carpetbagger and the local electorate need to tell him loud and clear that carpetbaggers are no longer elected to parliament.
*Carpetbagger: One who seeks election in an area where they have no local connections.
Obviously there were major boundary changes in 1995/97 but I remain actually quite surprised E Wickham is in this seat, and not Bexleyheath and Crayford.
It is the area north of Welling High Street, up towards, I guess, the border of the Borough near the bottom of the Bostall woods.
I have been down this road a few times, and it still looks like a pretty heavily owner occupied area, in line with Bexley as a whole.
Steven R Davies
2 facts
1) James Brokenshire was MP for Hornchurch, not Hornchurch and Rainham
2) Before he contested any other seat, he stood for the nomination for Hornchurch & Upminster against Upminster MP Angela Watkinson, and lost.
I disagree with just about everything Steven R Davies posted.
As my father always said, a candidate who lived in the same area all his life also has his limitations. Travel can equally broaden the mind and extend experience. As the saying goes, the world is getting smaller.
“Obviously there were major boundary changes in 1995/97 but I remain actually quite surprised E Wickham is in this seat, and not Bexleyheath and Crayford”
I agree it isnt all that logical and East Wickham is far removed in every sense from either of the named parts of this constituency. Perhaps Danson Park would be slightly more logical, although that would leave East Wickham rather out on a limb in Bexleyheath & Crayford.
In some ways it fits better with the cross borough Erith & thamesmead seat though personally I always favoured the re-creation of the pre-1974 boundaries in Bexley and Bromley.
Not sure how it has escaped you guys’ attention, but Labour candidate is Rick Everitt, formerly a councillor in East Wickham ward (source: http://www.howarddawber.org.uk/?m=200807). Plus I am next to certain that Barnbrook will be the BNP candidate, but can’t track down a source just now.
Nice Steven R Davies, if you weren’t talking such rubbish. I happen to know of someone who was canvassed by Mr. Brokenshire recently. He asked him some very specific questions about issues related to Sidcup. The response he got was ‘I’ll look into it’. He then assumed he would never hear from Brokenshire again.
However, two days later a letter came through his door with a detailed report into the problems and what would be done about it.
I haven’t even seen any Labour or LD candidates around my area. Though to be honest Im not sure I’d like to.
Steven R Davies
You are John Hemmings Clark and I claim my £5.00
Still living in Chislehurst btw?