Ashfield – As the country gets ready for the general election on 4 July, the voters in Ashfield prepare to cast their votes.
Ashfield – General Election 2024
Candidates:
Ashfield
Lee Anderson (Reform)
Alexander Coates (Green)
Daniel Holmes (Lib Dem)
Rhea Keehn (Lab)
Debbie Soloman (Con)
Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind)
Ashfield – Election Results 2019
In the 2019 general election, Lee Anderson, then of the Conservative Party won the Ashfield seat with a majority of 5,733 votes, maintaining party control with a turnout of 62.6%. The breakdown of votes for the top five parties was as follows:
Ashfield Overview
Ashfield has a population of 104,920 with a density of 971 people per square kilometer. The area covers 108 square kilometers, ranking it 322nd in size. The land use is diverse, with 28% built-up areas, 58% agricultural land, and 10% forest or semi-natural environments.
Ashfield Parliamentary Constituency Map
Unemployment Benefits
As of May 2024, Ashfield has a claimant rate of 3.8%, with 2,530 people claiming unemployment benefits. This rate reflects the proportion of residents aged 16-64 claiming benefits. The claimant rate saw a spike with the rollout of Universal Credit, requiring more claimants to actively seek employment.
House Prices
House prices in Ashfield have shown steady growth. As of September 2023, the median price paid for a house in the constituency was £174,000. This is lower compared to the regional average of £239,950 and the national average of £285,000. Over the past decades, house prices have generally trended upward.
School Funding
For the academic year 2022-23, funding per pupil in Ashfield was £5,430. This funding level places Ashfield at 237th out of 533 constituencies in England. The funding per pupil has remained consistent compared to the previous year.
Road Traffic Collisions and Casualties
In 2022, there was one fatal road traffic collision in Ashfield, along with 50 serious injuries. The constituency map highlights the locations of these accidents, showing a concentration of incidents in specific areas.
Demographics and Land Use
Ashfield has a population of 104,920 with a density of 971 people per square kilometer. The area covers 108 square kilometers, ranking it 322nd in size. The land use is diverse, with 28% built-up areas, 58% agricultural land, and 10% forest or semi-natural environments.
Population by Age
The population distribution in Ashfield is as follows:
- 0-17 years: 20%
- 18-24 years: 7%
- 25-34 years: 12%
- 35-49 years: 18%
- 50-64 years: 21%
- 65 and over: 21%
Country of Birth
According to the 2021 census data, the majority of Ashfield’s residents were born in the UK, with a small percentage from EU countries and the rest of the world.
Universal Credit Rollout
As of November 2023, 9,329 households in Ashfield claimed Universal Credit, with 73% of the caseload rollout complete. The number of claimants has seen a sharp increase since the introduction of Universal Credit, reflecting broader economic trends.
Child Poverty
Child poverty remains a significant issue in Ashfield. In 2021/22, 29.6% of children aged 0-15 were living in households with income below 60% of the median. This rate is higher than the regional average of 25.4% and the national average of 20.1%.
Voter Turnout and Candidate Demographics
In the most recent election, the voter turnout in Ashfield was 62.6%, slightly lower than the national average of 67.3%. The electorate numbered 78,204, with 48,980 valid votes cast. The candidates were evenly split by gender, with three female and three male candidates.
Broadband Coverage
Ashfield boasts significant broadband coverage, outpacing the national average in some areas. The availability of gigabit broadband in the constituency stands at 90.6%, compared to the UK average of 78.5%. Superfast broadband coverage is also robust, with 98.4% availability in Ashfield, slightly higher than the UK’s 96.8%.
Sources
- Population: Office for National Statistics, 2021 census, Table TS007: Age by single year; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 2021 census flexible table builder; National Records of Scotland, UK parliamentary constituency population estimates (2011 Data Zone based)
- Area: ONS, Standard Area Measurements for electoral areas in the United Kingdom, 2018 (area to mean high water)
- Land use: CORINE Land Cover inventory, 2018
- Country of birth: ONS, 2021 Census, Table TS004; Commons Library calculations
- House prices: ONS, House price statistics for small areas
- Wages: ONS, Employee earnings in the UK
- People claiming unemployment benefit: ONS Nomis; DWP StatXplore; House of Commons Library calculations
- Universal Credit rollout: HMRC, ONS and DWP; see our Universal Credit dashboard for details
- School funding: DfE, Dedicated Schools Grant: Various Years and Schools Block Funding Allocations: Various Years; GDP Deflators: December 2019, HM Treasury
- Traffic accidents: DfT, Road accidents and safety statistics; labelled with the stats19 R package (Lovelace et al., 2019)
- Broadband coverage: Ofcom, Connected Nations reports and data
