Rugby Liberal Democrats
Campaigning for a fresh start
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Rugby Liberal Democrats Campaigning for a fresh start |
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| Rugby Liberal Democrats | <info@rugbylibdems.org.uk> | 11th March 2010 |
Rugby
Constituency Profile
General
The Rugby Constituency comprises that part of
the Rugby Borough [District] Council area which falls approximately within the
triangle formed by the A45/M45 in the south, the A5 in the east and north and
the A46/M69 in the west, plus the Bulkington Ward of the Nuneaton and Bedworth
Borough [District] Council which is at the north-west corner of the
constituency. Three Rugby Borough Wards, Dunchurch and Knightlow, Leam Valley
and Ryton on Dunsmore that mostly lie south of the A45, are in the neighbouring
Kenilworth and Southam constituency. The Rugby Constituency lies on the eastern
boundary of both Warwickshire and the West Midlands Region. Coventry is its largest neighbour which lies
to the west of the Constituency. Other
large towns within a 25 mile radius include Stratford Upon Avon, Northampton
and Leicester. Most of the population is
concentrated in Rugby town but there is also a large rural area to the north
and west of the constituency. The total electorate numbers around 65,000. Approximately 61,000 in the urban area of
Rugby and 14,000 in the surrounding rural area which includes a number of major
villages - Wolston, Long Lawford, Binley Woods, Brandon, Clifton-upon-Dunsmore,
Brinklow, Pailton, Monks Kirby, Wolvey and Bulkington. Rugby is growing fast. Two large developments at
Cawston on the south west boundary of the town and at Coton to the north near
M6 junction 1 are currently under construction and two further developments
comprising a total of 800+ dwellings, commercial property and the re‑located
FE College are planned for a former industrial site and the former Cattle
Market site which are respectively to the north and south of the railway
station. A major redevelopment of the
town centre which has been talked about for the past 30 years commenced in July
2007. This will replace the old Co-op
premises with an ASDA supermarket and several other new shops. Also in July work started on the construction
of the Western Relief Road which is hoped will divert many heavy trucks away
from the town centre. Negotiations for
the development of a 100 bed hotel in the town centre are well advanced. The
rural area and the villages are linked to Rugby urban area by public
transport. The village residents shop in
Rugby and the children attend secondary schools in the town. Village residents also visit Rugby for
leisure facilities and night-time entertainment. Sociological
The following is an extract from the draft
Sustainability Strategy recently published by the Borough Council - "The
overall population level remained steady from 1971 to 2001, but has risen over
the last five years, and is expected to increase to well over 100,000 by 2026,
largely due to people coming to live here and partly due to people living
longer. Numbers of over 50s are beginning to increase sharply, while numbers of
young people decline. The number of households has risen faster than the
population, and around a quarter of Rugby's 39,000 households now have a single
occupant. The
West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) was adopted in 2004 and has been
subject to immediate partial review. Regional Housing allocations have been a
feature of this partial review and will, when adopted, have a significant
impact on the Borough and the surrounding areas. The current proposals indicate
an upper limit of 23,000 houses for the Borough and this will need to be
balanced with the necessary infrastructure and employment and retail
opportunities. There is the potential, through the RSS, for the urban area of
Rugby to double by 2026. Rugby
has settled and well-established minority ethnic communities, making up around
7% of the total population, the largest being Indian and Black Caribbean. Over
the last couple of years, there has been a significant increase in the number
of migrant workers from Eastern European countries, particularly Poland, with
over 1,000 new workers in the last year alone. Sitting
on the West Coast Main Line and close to the M6 and M1 motorway network, the
Borough has good transport links. However, this convenience brings its own
challenges in terms of traffic movement, inward investment, and community
identity, as many residents travel out of the Borough to work or shop. Quality
Of Life
Quality
of life for most people in the Borough is good. Average household income is
higher and rising faster than national and regional averages, and employment
levels are high. However,
more than one in ten households have an income of less than £10,000 per year,
and Rugby's traditional employers - manufacturing and agriculture - are in
decline. The
Index of Multiple Deprivation (2004) - which measures a range of factors
including income, education, employment, health, crime, amenities, housing and
the environment - identifies some significant 'pockets of deprivation': ·
One neighbourhood (in Brownsover South) is in the 20% most deprived
areas in England, and a further three areas (in Overslade, Newbold-On-Avon, and
Newbold Town Centre) are in the bottom 30%. ·
Areas within Benn and New Bilton are amongst the worst 10 in
Warwickshire with regard to crime and the quality of the living environment
(both indoors and outdoors) ·
A number of villages feature in the bottom 10% in England with regard to
access to services." Economics / Employment
Rugby was traditionally a Heavy Engineering and
Railway town but with the downturn in UK manufacturing, employment in Heavy
Engineering has declined significantly but still provides the largest single
type of employment. In recent years
there has been an increase in logistics bases and major business development
adjacent to the M6 Junction 1 Following the recent closure of the Peugeot plant
at Ryton, the major employers in the Borough are, ALSTOM, Rolls Royce, CEMEX
and Local Authorities. Local Government
The constituency is in Warwickshire with County,
Borough and Parish Councils. Rugby Borough Council is elected by thirds,
Warwickshire County, Bulkington Ward and all the Parish Councils are elected
every four years. Rugby Borough
Council Following the 2007 election the make-up is as
follows - Total In the Rugby Constituency Conservative 27 23 Labour 11 11 Liberal Democrat 10 9 Rugby Borough had been 'No Overall Control' for
about 30 years although the Conservatives have had effective control following
the resignation of a Labour Councillor in September 2006 and have held all the
seats on the Cabinet since 2004 when Labour decided to stop supporting a mixed
Cabinet. Borough Council Wards are of varying size and have
one, two or three members and are contest by the three main parties. Independent candidates stand for election in
some wards but since 2007 there are no Independent members of the Borough
Council. Also in 2007 there were Green
Party Candidates in four Wards but they all came bottom of the poll. To date there have been no BNP candidates. Within the Rugby Constituency there are ten
three-member wards, which have contests in three out of every four years, six
two-member wards and one single-member ward.
In the rural wards the elections in one & two members wards are
aligned with the Parish Council Elections. The Bulkington Ward of the Nuneaton and Bedworth
Borough Council is also a single-member ward, currently held by the
Conservatives. There has been steady growth in Liberal Democrat
support in Council elections over the past years. The first Liberal Democrat Councillor was
elected in Rugby in 1990 and we reached a total of 10 Councillors in 2002. Although we have not increased our number of seats
in recent Borough elections our overall vote has been similar to Labour and on
more than one occasion we polled more in total than Labour.
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