Northampton Liberal Democrats

Northampton's Liberal traditions

Charles Bradlaugh and the 19th century

Northampton has a long history of Liberalism. In 1880 the town elected Britain's first atheist MP, Charles Bradlaugh.

Parliament refused to let Bradlaugh take the customary oath on the Bible to be sworn in as a Member of Parliament. After a long and bitter campaign, and after three by-elections in which Northamptonians stuck by Bradlaugh, Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone introduced a non-religious oath. This allowed Bradlaugh to take his rightful place in Parliament as Northampton's MP.

[Pictured right: Charles Bradlaugh]

For much of the second half of the 19th Century, and through the early years of the 20th Century, Liberals dominated Northampton's local council. Liberal councillors such as Philip Manfield (shoe manufacturer) and Thomas Adams (baker) were important local figures, whose names are remembered in street names today.

Liberal councillors played an important part in founding Northampton's Freehold Land Association, a forerunner of the Nationwide Building Society. This allowed working people to build and own their houses, improving local housing and giving many Northamptonians the right to vote.

The Freehold Land Association built much of what is now Abington Ward, together with Freehold St. (one of its first developments), Poets corner, Holly Road and Ivy Road.

[Pictured left: Philip Manfield (Boot & Shoe Manufacturer)

The Rise and Fall of Northampton's Liberals.

The Liberal presence in Northampton declined steadily throughout the first half of the 20th Century. Northampton's last Liberal MP loses his seat in the 1923 and Percy Adams, Mayor of Northampton in 1953, is the town's last Liberal councillor for nearly 30 years.

[Pictured: Percy Adams (Baker) as Mayor of Northampton]

1971 - the Liberals adopt their Community Politics strategy, bringing politics back to local people. The move lays the foundations for the today's strong Liberal Democrat presence at local level.

1981 - the Liberals make a dramatic breakthrough on Northamptonshire County Council. Tony Rounthwaite (Kingsthorpe) and Gordon Lishman (Boughton Green) are joined by two more Liberals to form a group of 4, holding the balance between evenly matched Labour and Conservative groups.

Social Democratic Party (SDP)

1982 - the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is formed by the 'gang of four' Labour Ministers (Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams, David Owen and Bill Rogers). 3 Northampton Borough Councillors leave Labour for the SDP, but lose their seats in 1983. After the formation of the Alliance between the Liberals and the SDP, Northampton North is fought by the Liberals and Northampton South, by the SDP.

1983 Borough Elections

Sally Beardsworth, Tony Rounthwaite, Christine Teulon & Richard Church in 1983

1983 - the Liberals win Kingsthorpe and Boughton Green again, this time holding the balance of power on the Borough Council. Tony Rounthwaite and Christine Teulon are joined by Richard Church and Sally Beardsworth. Abington goes Liberal in 1985 with the election of Brian Markham, but is lost in 1989. Boughton Green is lost in 1987.

The Merger

The Liberal Party and the SDP merge to form the Liberal Democrats on 2nd March 1988.

The 1990s - A decade of steady growth

• 1991 - Boughton Green is regained by Carl Squires and Martin Hanly.
• 1993 - Jamie Cramp wins St George. In a sensational Autumn by-election, local Lib Dem Brian Markham comes from nowhere to take Headlands, then the Tories' safest seat.
• 1995 - Andrew Simpson and Rob Atkins win St George. Brian Markham and Whitney Greye win Headlands, making the Lib Dems the Official Opposition on Northampton Borough Council for the first time.
• 1997 - Stephen O'Hare wins Headlands. Richard Church is the first Liberal Democrat Mayor of Northampton. Robina Foot (Boughton Green) defects to Labour, after only 6 months as a Lib Dem Councillor.
• 1998 - Rob Atkins leaves the Lib Dems to sit as an independent.
• 1999 - boundary changes, plus two defections earlier in the year make this a challenging year for the party. Despite the pressures, the Borough Council elections turn out to be the party's best result in Northampton for 60 years. Both seats lost by defections are regained, plus an extra seat in the new 3-member ward of Boughton Green. The party also makes its first breakthrough in the South of the town, with Jill Hope and Richard Matthews winning the new ward of West Hunsbury. The results leave the Liberal Democrats with 11 seats on Northampton Borough Council and 3 more on Northamptonshire County Council. The Lib Dem vote across Northampton North tops 34%, well ahead of the Tories.

The 21st Century

• 2000 - No elections, but local Lib Dem membership grows by over 30%. New members included local campaigner Brendan, now Leader of the Opposition on Northamptonshire County Council. The local party chooses Richard Church as its Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton North and Andrew Simpson for Northampton South
• 2001 - the General Election sees the Lib Dem vote go up in both Northampton North and Northampton South, but disappointing results in the County Council elections see the party holding just one seat - Sally Beardsworth in Kingsthorpe.
• 2003 - former Labour Mayor of Northampton John Rawlings crosses the floor to join the Liberal Democrats. The Borough Council elections of the same year produce one of the biggest upsets in history. Labour loses half their seats as both the Lib Dems and the Tories gain. The new composition of the Council is Conservative (19), Lib Dem (17) and Labour (11). The Lib Dems hold all the seats they are defending, some with record majorities, and win Delapre, St. Davids and Abington. The Lib Dems' offer of a coalition is rejected by the other parties, leading to a weak minority Conservative administration
• 2005 - after a setback of at beginning of the year with the defection of Delapre councillor Michelle Hoare, the Lib Dem advance continues in May. In Northampton North, Andrew Simpson takes 24% of the vote at the General Election. At the County Council elections, the party wins 7 seats. As well as holding Kingsthorpe, the party retains Kingsley, Headlands and Boughton Green, regains Abington and wins St Davids and Delapre. The result puts the Lib Dems in first place in the new parliamentary seat of Northampton North. Sally Beardsworth becomes the second Lib Dem Mayor of Northampton.
• In the Autumn, Labour Councillor for Spencer, Paul Concannon, joins the Liberal Democrats. In December, he resigns his seat citing health reasons.
• Early in the New Year, Labour Councillor for Spencer, Mel De Cruz, defects to the Liberal Democrats bringing the party's Group in County Hall up to 8 Councillors.
• 2006 - a by-election called after the resignation of Paul Concannon sees Roger Conroy win Spencer for the Lib Dems for the first time.
• May 2006 - Andrew Simpson is reselected as Lib Dem Propsective Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton North.
• May 2007 - Northamptonians vote overwhelmingly to elect the Borough's first Liberal Democrat Council on May 3rd. The party wins 26 of the Guildhall's 47 seats - winning five from Labour and four from the Conservatives.
• In September 2008, Cllr Paul Varnsverry, Borough Councillor for West Hunsbury, is selected as Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton South.
• In December 2008, Cllr Maureen Hill crosses the floor from the Conservatives, giving the Liberal Democrats a Group of 9 County Councillors.
• 2009 - the Liberal Democrats win 8 Northampton seats in the County Council elections on June 4th. Thorplands, Lumbertubs and Spencer are gained from Labour, but Boughton Green and Abington are lost to the Conservatives. With an extra win in Corby Danesholme, the Lib Dems have a record 9 seats and become the Official Opposition on the County Council for the first time.
• May 2010 - Lib Dems get their best ever result in the general election, which saw the party back in government in coalition with the Conservatives. Andrew Simpson misses winning Northampton North by just 2,485 votes, while Paul Varnsverry achives a big swing to the Lib Dems in Northampton South.