Tunbridge Wells
2010 Results:
Conservative: 28302 (56.24%)
Labour: 5448 (10.83%)
Liberal Democrat: 12726 (25.29%)
BNP: 704 (1.4%)
UKIP: 2054 (4.08%)
Green: 914 (1.82%)
Independent: 172 (0.34%)
Majority: 15576 (30.95%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Conservative: 23267 (51.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 11503 (25.2%)
Labour: 9147 (20.1%)
Other: 1653 (3.6%)
Majority: 11764 (25.8%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 21083 (49.6%)
Labour: 8736 (20.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 11095 (26.1%)
UKIP: 1568 (3.7%)
Majority: 9988 (23.5%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 19643 (48.9%)
Labour: 9332 (23.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 9913 (24.7%)
UKIP: 1313 (3.3%)
Majority: 9730 (24.2%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 21853 (45.2%)
Labour: 9879 (20.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 14347 (29.7%)
Referendum: 1858 (3.8%)
Other: 417 (0.9%)
Majority: 7506 (15.5%)
Boundary changes: Gains Hawkhurst and Sandhurst from Maidstone and the Weald.
Profile: A semi-rural and solidly Conservative seat in West Kent. Royal Tunbridge Wells is a spa town (and, along with Leamington Spa, one of only two towns in the UK granted the Royal prefix) associated in popular culture with the comfortable, curtain-twitching Middle classes and the mythical letters to the editor signed “Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells”. As well as the towns and villages surrounding Tunbridge Wells itself, such as Southborough, Pembury and Langton Green (birthplace of Subbuteo) the constituency stretches west across the Weald, taking in a swathe of rural villages like Goudhurst, Lamberhurst, Horsmonden, Hawkhurst and Sandhurst.
The seat has been Conservative since its creation in 1974, never having faced any serious challenge to their dominance at Parliamentary level (though the council was briefly controlled by the Liberal Democrats in the mid-90s). The seat was represented by Archie Norman between 1997 and 2005, the former Asda boss and sometime Chief Executive of the Conservative party who was expected to be a Tory highflier upon his election, but never really settled into the world of politics. He stood down in 2005 to be replaced by Greg Clark, the Conservative`s former head of policy.
Current MP: Greg Clark(Conservative) born 1967, Middlesborough. Educated at South Bank Comprehensive and Cambridge University. Doctorate from the LSE. Former special advisor to Ian Lang and Director of policy for the Conservative party. First elected as MP for Tunbridge Wells in 2005. Shadow minister for charities, voluntary sector and social enterprise 2006-2008, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 2008- (more information at They work for you)
Greg Clark(Conservative) born 1967, Middlesborough. Educated at South Bank Comprehensive and Cambridge University. Doctorate from the LSE. Former special advisor to Ian Lang and Director of policy for the Conservative party. First elected as MP for Tunbridge Wells in 2005. Shadow minister for charities, voluntary sector and social enterprise 2006-2008, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 2008- (more information at They work for you)Gary Heather (Labour) David Hallas (Liberal Democrat)Hazel Dawe (Green)Victor Webb (UKIP) Contested Tunbridge Wells 2001, 2005.Andrew McBride (BNP) Farel Bradbury (Independent)2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 94330
Male: 48.3%
Female: 51.7%
Under 18: 22.8%
Over 60: 21.2%
Born outside UK: 6.9%
White: 97.5%
Black: 0.3%
Asian: 0.6%
Mixed: 0.9%
Other: 0.6%
Christian: 74.9%
Muslim: 0.6%
Full time students: 2.2%
Graduates 16-74: 24.4%
No Qualifications 16-74: 21.8%
Owner-Occupied: 71.7%
Social Housing: 15.7% (Council: 0.6%, Housing Ass.: 15%)
Privately Rented: 9.8%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 7.1%
‘I think i’m probably somewhere in between’
Interesting comment Pete given that your neither ”delightful’, ‘amiable’ nor ‘old’!
LOL
Re the earlier discussion – It’s not just cynical that Labour aren’t a threat in Richmond.
I think it would still be difficult for Labour to get second place here in Tunbridge Wells (depending how it is drawn) but not out of the question.
PS I wasn’t implying anyone is thick, I was just merely voicing an opinion. Yes it is a tory stronghold but one that will be less strong after early May.
Suspending the former tory leader seems to me to indicate a party airing it’s greviances and dirty knickers in public.
The words taking for granted spring to mind and most voters are not stupid either.
Still we find out one month tomorrow.
2011 result councillor change:
Con -2
LibD -1
Lab +1
UKIP +1
Ind +1
So not a good result for the Conservatives but anything that gives Labour a boost in areas like this is excellent for them strategically.
A reference to Greg Clark in an article by Cameron in yesturday’s Yorkshire Post:
“Fourth, we need a powerful voice for Yorkshire right in the heart of Government. That’s why I have created the new job of Minister for Cities. The new Minister, Greg Clark MP, is going to be holding meetings with Ministers in charge of business, trade, transport and from the Treasury, to get things done for the biggest cities in our country – and two of the cities on his priority list are Leeds and Sheffield.”
So a powerful voice for YORKSHIRE will be the Minister for CITIES?
What is it with the Cameroons with their obsession with cities?
Has Cameron created a Minister for Industrial Towns or a Minister for Former Mining Areas or a Minister for Clapped Out Coastal Areas?
Can someone explain to Cameron that most people in Yorkshire do not consider themselves as being part of Leeds or Sheffield.
Or that Leeds and Sheffield have had more than enough money lavished on them by Labour.
And most of all that there is nothing to gain for the Conservatives by emphasising the needs of cities.
It really does make me wonder how much the Cameroons actually know about this country or whether they’ve learnt anything at all from the general election.
So the loss of just 2 seats is described by Richard as ‘not a good result for the Conservatives’? t was only a few weeks ago beofre the election that Gabriella was writing on hear that the Tories could suffer a huge backlash in the area as people are so unhappy with the way they are running the local council. So all in all, not a bad result then?
I was somehwat confused by Greg Clark’s recent appointment as ‘minister for cities’ however. I have no issue with him personally of course, but does he speak for many of the big cities as MP for Tunbridge Wells? Someone from a constituency a little closer to the areas in question might carry a bit more credibility frankly.
The truth is that this ‘minister for cities’ is plainly and simply a PR exercise that is not intended to be taken at all seriously in government. A little less of this sort of empty gesture politics a little more real work in government would go a long way to sorting out some of the problems we were left by the last Labour government!