Stourbridge
2010 Results:
Conservative: 20153 (42.67%)
Labour: 14989 (31.73%)
Liberal Democrat: 7733 (16.37%)
BNP: 1696 (3.59%)
UKIP: 2103 (4.45%)
Green: 394 (0.83%)
Independent: 166 (0.35%)
Majority: 5164 (10.94%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 18564 (42%)
Conservative: 17279 (39.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 7063 (16%)
Other: 1296 (2.9%)
Majority: 1285 (2.9%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 16682 (40%)
Labour: 17089 (41%)
Liberal Democrat: 6850 (16.4%)
UKIP: 1087 (2.6%)
Majority: 407 (1%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 15011 (37.6%)
Labour: 18823 (47.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 4833 (12.1%)
UKIP: 763 (1.9%)
Other: 494 (1.2%)
Majority: 3812 (9.5%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 17807 (35.8%)
Labour: 23452 (47.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 7123 (14.3%)
Referendum: 1319 (2.7%)
Majority: 5645 (11.4%)
Boundary changes: loses a small part of Belle Vale to Halesowen and Rowley Regis. Gains Dudley Wood and a sliver of Cradley.
Profile: A black country constituency, covering the South West of the borough of Dudley and taking in the towns of Stourbridge, Amblecote and Cradley. Stourbridge is a suburban dormitory area on the edge of the West Midlands conurbation – while the seat is mainly urban, it borders onto open countryside just over the border in South Staffordshire. Largely white, lower middle-class, owner-occupied former council houses and large scale new-build private estates, especially in Amblecote. A Labour/Conservative marginal.
Current MP: Margot James (Conservative) born 1958, Coventry. Educated at Millfield and the LSE. Self made millionaire and founder of the Shire Health Group, later sold to WPP. Kensington and Chelsea Councillor since 2006. Contested Holborn and St Pancras in 2005. Vice Chairman of the Conservative party. James is the first openly lesbian candidate to stand for the Conservative party at a general election.
Margot James (Conservative) born 1958, Coventry. Educated at Millfield and the LSE. Self made millionaire and founder of the Shire Health Group, later sold to WPP. Kensington and Chelsea Councillor since 2006. Contested Holborn and St Pancras in 2005. Vice Chairman of the Conservative party. James is the first openly lesbian candidate to stand for the Conservative party at a general election.
Lynda Waltho(Labour) born 1960, London. Educated at Keele University. Former schoolteacher, assistant to Sylvia Heal MP and advisor to Neena Gill MEP. Selected at short notice after Debra Shipley stepped down just prior to the 2005 election. Currently PPS to David Hanson (more information at They work for you)
Chris Bramall (Liberal Democrat) Born 1942, London, the son of Sir Ashley Bramall, former Labour MP for Bexley. Educated at Cambridge University. Semi-retired solicitor. Former member of the SWP and Green party, joined the Lib Dems in 1992. Dudley councillor 1995-2004.
Maddy Westrop (UKIP) 
Will Duckworth (Green) Robert Weale (BNP) Alun Nicholas (Independent) 2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 88069
Male: 49.3%
Female: 50.7%
Under 18: 22.1%
Over 60: 21.1%
Born outside UK: 3.7%
White: 94.8%
Black: 0.4%
Asian: 3.7%
Mixed: 0.7%
Other: 0.4%
Christian: 77.3%
Muslim: 3%
Full time students: 2.3%
Graduates 16-74: 15.1%
No Qualifications 16-74: 33.8%
Owner-Occupied: 75.3%
Social Housing: 17.6% (Council: 16.1%, Housing Ass.: 1.5%)
Privately Rented: 4.1%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 13.5%
Of course you’re right Pete, & if I do another table of that kind, I shall certainly mention UKIP if they’re competitive with or ahead of the LDs. I must say I was surprised at the figures overall, but Labour did win 5 of the 6 wards, which I suspect hasn’t happened for some years. I haven’t yet worked out whether Labour did as well as this, or the Tories as badly, in the other Dudley (or partly Dudley) seats. I can’t quite get my head around working out figures for proposed constituencies yet, it’s been a long day…..I certainly would do if the changes concerned are finalised though. I haven’t seen any results in any other Dudley wards yet which would be of any real comfort to the Conservatives, though Shaun is right about Birmingham; the Tories can be pleased with their results in Kingstanding, Erdington & Edgbaston for sure, though not too many others in the city.
It’s interesting how well Labour did in Dudley but did relatively badly in Walsall.
I very much suspect there are some good local reasons for that. Having said that, David Winnick’s very narrow hold in Walsall N in the general election was an unusually bad result for Labour in the West Midlands in 2010. Labour did do well in some wards in that borough this year – for example winning Rushall-Shelfield, and doing much better than last year in the 2 Bloxwich wards, but as you say the performance was extremely patchy.
Doesn’t Labour have a history of not doing particularly well in Walsall in local elections, even though they have usually run the council until a few years ago,
whereas Dudley, Wolverhampton and Birmingham (except where the demographics are transformed) are more swing voter?