Election Diaries - Focus On Wokingham
7 min read
PoliticsHome / The House in partnership with Thinks Insight & Strategy will be tracking reactions from swing voters in five key battlegrounds throughout the general election campaign.
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For our penultimate constituency deep dive, we took a closer look at Wokingham, Berkshire. Conservative Sir John Redwood has been its MP since 1987, before stepping down at this election. In addition, the constituency boundaries have undergone significant changes ahead of this election.
As in the other English constituencies included in the Election Diaries, Wokingham diarists all voted Conservative in 2019 but are now undecided. The seat is a key target for the Liberal Democrats and local candidate Clive Jones, who would need an 11.59 per cent swing to win, and latest projections suggest they are neck on neck with the Conservatives.
We asked diarists how they feel about the local area, what their key issues are, and to what extent they might be voting tactically in this election.
What diarists value most about Wokingham
As in other suburban constituencies, Wokingham residents value easy access to green space, as well as the town centre, as a key benefit.
“This pic highlights the main thing I love about my area. The amount of green space and places to explore and walk around is amazing! Really clears the mind and is great after a long day’s work.” – Ellen, Wokingham
Wokingham residents are also aware that they have it relatively good – the area is seen as affluent and a desirable place to live (which brings its own problems).
“The thing I like most about Wokingham is that it is affluent. This means they there are fewer social issues, higher standards in schools, etc. The biggest issue seems to be NHS waiting times. I can't get a GP appointment for love nor money!” – Peter, Wokingham
“The thing I like most about our area is it is semi-rural, it has transport links, low crime rates and access to main hospitals within a 15/20 minute drive.” – Claire, Wokingham
What are the biggest issues in Wokingham?
More than in some of our other constituencies, Wokingham residents are concerned about population growth, which is seen to affect house prices and availability, which many feel are now nearing London levels; traffic, with increased roadworks but also poorer quality roads; NHS waiting times, particularly for GP appointments; and other public services, including education, where school places have started to become an issue.
Diarists in Wokingham are therefore highly alert to the potential impacts of future increases in the population from outside the area.
“The biggest issue in Wokingham is probably affordability. Even really small houses are often more expensive than the national average and although there is loads of housing going up round Wokingham, it's really expensive and bought by people moving into the area as opposed to first time buyers.” – Abi, Wokingham
“The biggest issues for Wokingham are over development of high-priced housing and running the risk of losing the character we love. Also school places and doctors’ surgeries are overrun. It will be difficult for our child to ever be able to afford to buy in this area due to the high house prices. This would be top of my concerns as he loves living here and has a great network.” – Claire, Wokingham
Beyond this focus on inbound population growth, the cost of living weighs on diarists’ minds, which makes them more concerned about taxation and the money in their pockets.
“For me personally it’s immigration, taxes and inflation.” – Reena, Wokingham
How do diarists feel about their local candidates?
Stepping down after 37 years as MP for Wokingham, Sir John Redwood has left relatively big shoes to fill for Lucy Demery, the Conservative candidate for Wokingham. Among diarists she is not well known, with most noting that they are mostly hearing from the Lib Dems. However, those who have met her or heard her speak, have been impressed.
“The Conservative [candidate] was incredibly well spoken, had clearly prepared, and came across very, very well. This is likely because Wokingham has been conservative with John Redwood since the 70's [sic] so Conservatives likely feel the need to have a very strong candidate if they want to retain control of the Wokingham Constituency.” – Abi, Wokingham
“Lucy Demery, I’ve read through her leaflet and she’s conservative and I actually like the things she stands for. Potentially because she has young children and her interests are schools and bringing down the cost of living for local people.” – Crystal, Wokingham
Lib Dem Clive Jones has clearly made the biggest impact with his campaign. For many of these diarists, local issues are key in this election, and Clive Jones has been seen as emphasising his links with, and understanding of, the local area and community. One diarist, who spoke to Clive Jones in person, was impressed by how outspoken he was about securing better cancer care and cleaning up local rivers.
“The only candidate I know about is Clive Jones for the Lib Dems as his name is on signs everywhere here. I don’t know much about the other candidates.” – Cameron, Wokingham
“Clive Jones seems to have the most posters up in people’s gardens.” – Crystal, Wokingham
“I do not actually know the names of our leaders however I do know Lib Dems seem to be the ones with signs everywhere and had 6 leaflets through the door and 1 for conservatives.” – Ellen, Wokingham
“Nearing closer, Clive Jones is probably my first choice. From what I’ve seen his top priority is with the NHS which aligns with me as well as environmental issues like surrounding Thames Water.” – Cameron, Wokingham
For one diarist, though, Clive Jones’ profile and persistence has proven a bit too much:
“This guy Clive whatever his name is. I can’t tell you how many leaflets ‘Clive’ has put through my door. I feel like Clive needs to ... I’ve had enough ... I’ve had enough of Clive! ... Where I live, we have a WhatsApp group, and it’s not just me that’s had enough of Clive. Everyone in the WhatsApp group is just wondering why Clive is just leafletting constantly” - Reena, Wokingham
Other candidates in the area, including Labour’s Monica Hamidi, the Green Party’s Merv Boniface, as well as Reform UK’s Colin Wright are largely disregarded, as this election is seen as a two-horse race between Conservatives and Lib Dems in Wokingham.
Will Wokingham vote tactically?
Diarists in Wokingham view a vote for anyone but the Lib Dems or Conservatives as a “wasted” vote – especially if the aim is to vote the Conservatives out of government. Despite voting Conservative in 2019, our Wokingham diarists are on board with the idea of voting tactically this time around. While a few feel that a Conservative might be best for the area, most are keen to register their fatigue with the national government by voting for the party with the strongest chance of defeating the Conservatives locally:
“I am leaning towards Lib Dem now because I got a little pamphlet through the door saying it’s almost pointless voting for anyone else.” – Fred, Wokingham
“I now pretty much think I am going to go for the tactical vote of the Lib Dems, purely because I want Conservatives out and the only way Labour will win is if I go for these guys [...] My friends and family all in this local area are all going Lib Dem because otherwise they're like, ‘if I go Labour, it's a waste of a vote’. So they go and vote Lib Dem to go tactical, which is really interesting because my brain at the last election didn't really understand the whole idea of going tactical. But now I completely get it and I'm really on board for it.” - Ellen, Wokingham
“I want to see someone who is active for my local area. Addressing issues, responding to residents, updating on pressing issues. Someone who is making changes. Improving things.” –Claire, Wokingham
Teresa Kuhn, Associate DIrector, Thinks Insight & Strategy
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