Sheffield Hallam
Notional 2005 Results:
Liberal Democrat: 21574 (45.5%)
Conservative: 13852 (29.2%)
Labour: 9030 (19.1%)
Other: 2912 (6.1%)
Majority: 7722 (16.3%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 12028 (29.8%)
Labour: 5110 (12.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 20710 (51.2%)
BNP: 369 (0.9%)
Green: 1331 (3.3%)
UKIP: 438 (1.1%)
Other: 441 (1.1%)
Majority: 8682 (21.5%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 11856 (31%)
Labour: 4758 (12.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 21203 (55.4%)
UKIP: 429 (1.1%)
Majority: 9347 (24.4%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 15074 (33.1%)
Labour: 6147 (13.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 23345 (51.3%)
Referendum: 788 (1.7%)
Other: 125 (0.3%)
Majority: 8271 (18.2%)
Boundary changes: Numerous small changes due to wards split between constituencies, and two more substantial changes due to the abolition of Sheffield Hillsborough. Loses part of Beauchief & Greenhill to Sheffield Heeley, loses most of Broomhill and a handful of voters in Central and Nether Edge wards to Sheffield Central. Gains Stannington from Sheffield Hillsborough, parts of Crookes from Sheffield Central and Hillsborough, a tiny part of Dore & Totley from Sheffield Heeley and tiny parts of Ecclesall from Central and Heeley.
Profile: A largely rural seat covering the south-west corner of Sheffield. This is an affluent and wealthy seat, one of the richest outside of the south-east. The western part of the seat is within the Peak District and is largely desolate moorland, stretching up into the pennines, below that are small villages like like High and Low Bradfield, Dungworth, Worrall and Ringinglow. The seat when covers the westernmost fringes of Sheffield itself, including the richest and most affluent suburbs of the city like Ecclesall and the Conservative bastions of Totley and Dore.
A wealthy, middle-class and mostly owner-occupied seat this was a safe Conservative seat between the first world war and the 1990s. However, it fell to the Liberal Democrats` Richard Allen in the anti-Conservative landslide of 1997 and he successfully passed it onto the Lib Dem rising star Nick Clegg in 2005. The boundary changes are somewhat unhelpful for the Liberal Democrats, slightly reducing the still substantial numbers of students in the constituency, but it remains a tough call for the Conservatives.
Outgoing MP: Nick Clegg(Liberal Democrat) born 1967, Buckinghamshire. Educated at Westminster school and Cambridge university. Prior to his election worked for the European Commission, including as a speechwriter to Sir Leon Brittan. MEP for the East Midlands region 1999-2004. First elected as MP for Sheffield Hallam in 2005. Europe spokesman 2005-2006, Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary since 2006. He was touted as a possible leadership contender following Charles Kennedy`s resignation, though eventually he backed Sir Menzies Campbell. After Campbell`s own resignation the following year he defeated Chris Huhne to become leader of the Liberal Democrats from December 2007 (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Nicola Bates (Conservative) Educated at York university. PR consultant.
Jack Scott (Labour) Educated at Sheffield University. Executive Director with Sheffield Mental Health Citizen`s Advice Bureau.Nick Clegg(Liberal Democrat) born 1967, Buckinghamshire. Educated at Westminster school and Cambridge university. Prior to his election worked for the European Commission, including as a speechwriter to Sir Leon Brittan. MEP for the East Midlands region 1999-2004. First elected as MP for Sheffield Hallam in 2005. Europe spokesman 2005-2006, Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary since 2006. He was touted as a possible leadership contender following Charles Kennedy`s resignation, though eventually he backed Sir Menzies Campbell. After Campbell`s own resignation the following year he defeated Chris Huhne to become leader of the Liberal Democrats from December 2007 (more information at They work for you)
Steve Barnard (Green) Sheffield councillor 1996-2000. Contested Yorkshire and Humberside in 2009 European elections.
Nigel James (UKIP) Contested Sheffield Hallam 2005.David Wildgoose (English Democrat) Educated at Oakwood Comprehensive and Hull University. Contested Rotherham 1992, 1994 by-election, 1997, Wentworth 2001 for Liberal Democrats. Contested Yorkshire and Humberside in 2009 European elections.
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 84912
Male: 48.5%
Female: 51.5%
Under 18: 19.3%
Over 60: 23%
Born outside UK: 5.7%
White: 95.2%
Black: 0.6%
Asian: 2.1%
Mixed: 1.2%
Other: 0.8%
Christian: 70.5%
Hindu: 0.6%
Muslim: 1.3%
Full time students: 11.9%
Graduates 16-74: 35.6%
No Qualifications 16-74: 17%
Owner-Occupied: 79.6%
Social Housing: 10.4% (Council: 8.8%, Housing Ass.: 1.6%)
Privately Rented: 8%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 4.1%
“A little correction. Balfour didn’t come back in a by-election but in the same General Election.”
Nope – while occasionally candidates managed this, Balfour was re-elected in a by-election held a few weeks after the end of the general election.
I was just wondering what the safest Lib Dem seat is.
So if they were reduced to just one seat in the General Election, which it would be (sweet revenge for the 1993 County Council elections when the Tories were left with just Buckinghamshire).
But actually, it would be funnier if the one seat remaning was this one, after several recounts.
It may be Charles Kennedy’s seat – I think.
With shame I confess it:
Safest Libdem seat in the country is the one where I was born and brought up – Ross, Skye and Lochaber.
This is surely a comment on Charles Kennedy’s enduring popularity? And, of course, in both these seats’ cases, party leaders’ seats almost invariably increase their majority. It has certainly happened with Liberal and Lib Dem leaders over the years – and with other parties too.
I would expect that too, Tim.
However, one thing that I did notice yesterday for the first time was that Paddy Ashdown’s vote FELL by around 3% in 1997 to below 50%.
I know that he was starting from a high base, but that surprised me given his popularity in Yeovil, the certainty of him winning and how well the Lib Dems were generally doing in the south west in that election.
I believe David Steel also suffered a significant swing that made his seat look almost marginal in 992-but of course he’d given up the leadership by that point hadn’t he.
Being party leader doesn’t guarantee a boost in the polls – just ask David Trimble – but it often does, perhaps because opposition parties realise they can’t compete with the incumbent on name recognition and press coverage in the seat and are less inclined to put up a serious fight.
The drop in Ashdown’s share of the vote in 1997 looks to be related to the Referendum Party’s 6.6% share, although Labour also did quite well against him. He did actually increase his majority, as the Conservative share declined more rapidly.