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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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Bristol West
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| Parents |
> United Kingdom > England > South West > South West
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| Established | November 24, 1885 |
| Disbanded | July 04, 2024 |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | IndyGeorgia May 26, 2024 09:17am |
| Description |
Even with the boundary changes just before the 1997 election, the Conservative's Chief Secretary to the Treasury seemed safe. William Waldegrave's notional majority was a comfortable 16%, up 4.4% from his 1992 majority following the additional 8,000 voters the seat gained from Bristol North West. In addition the Liberal Democrats required a swing of 8% to win the seat and Labour was at a safe distance in third place. However, Labour's Valerie Davey secured a surprising victory with a small but sufficient majority of 1,493 votes. Although it doesn't fit its generally affluent image, Bristol actually has one of the highest numbers of homeless people outside London - most of them in Bristol West. While the south of the constituency contains elegant architecture, good quality housing, shops and restaurants, the remainder includes most of the central city area and the troubled St Paul's district where there were serious riots in 1981. However, as the home of the city's two universities, Bristol Zoo, the Catholic cathedral and Clifton College School, Bristol West is by far the most middle-class of the city's constituencies. Valerie Davey rose through Avon City Council from 1981 to 1996, eventually becoming its leader. She is also one of Bristol's three female MPs. This is by some way the most marginal of the Bristol seats. In 2001, the Tories were pushed into third place, though this was only by 39 votes. With Valerie Davey's majority standing at 8%, this is genuinely a three-way fight.
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