Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze

51°29′35″N 2°37′11″W / 51.4930°N 2.6196°W / 51.4930; -2.6196

Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze
ward
Bristol City Council.
Ward boundaries since 2016.
CountyBristol
Population20,420[1]
Electorate15,278[2]
Current ward
Created2016 (2016)
CouncillorCaroline Gooch (Liberal Democrats)
CouncillorStephen Williams (Liberal Democrats)
CouncillorNicholas Coombes (Liberal Democrats)
UK Parliament constituencyBristol North West

Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze is an electoral ward in Bristol, England, covering the neighbourhoods of Henleaze and Westbury-on-Trym in the north-western suburbs of the city. It is represented by three members of Bristol City Council, which as of 2024 are Nicholas Coombes, Caroline Gooch and former government minister Stephen Williams, all Liberal Democrats.

The ward was created ahead of the 2016 United Kingdom local elections, following a boundary review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Previously, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze were two separate council wards, with a slightly different boundary.[3]

Area Profile

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Westbury-on-Trym, in the north-west of the ward, was once a village separate from Bristol, before the built-up area spread to incorporate it, and it retains a distinct village centre focal point. Henleaze, in the south-east, is a primarily residential suburb of Victorian and interwar housing. In the south, the ward also contains the northern part of Westbury Park, included the northern periphery of Durdham Down. In the north, it extends to the summit of Henbury Hill, and in the west to the edge of Coombe Dingle. The ward does not include the area between Eastfield Road and Doncaster Road, which includes Henleaze Lake and is typically considered to be part of the Henleaze neighbourhood; to ensure wards have equal sized electorates, this area is instead in Southmead ward.[3]

At the 2021 United Kingdom census, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze had a population of 20,420. The ward has a comparatively large population of pensionable age, with 23.5% aged 65 or older, versus the 18.3% Bristol average,[1] and 4.5% of the population live in care homes, compared to the Bristol average of 2.0%. Fewer residents were born outside of the UK (12.4%) than the Bristol average (18.8%), and a lower proportion are BAME (10.0%) than the Bristol average (18.9%). Residents are significantly more likely to have a university degree, at 62.2%, than the 42.1% Bristol average.[4]

Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze has comparatively low levels of deprivation, with most areas of the ward falling in the least deprived decile of areas in England. It has the lowest rate of child poverty in the city, at 3.0%, compared to the 21.8 Bristol average, and children in the ward have the highest educational attainment in the city measured by Attainment 8, at 63.6%, compared to the 44.9% Bristol average. Life expectancy is significantly higher than the Bristol average (female 84.2 years vs 82.6; male 82.2 vs 77.8), and premature mortality is significantly lower than average. Unemployment benefit claimant rates are the lowest in Bristol, at 1.05% (3.41% Bristol average); as are pension credit rates (4.25% vs 13.04%).[4]

Median house prices in the ward are the highest in Bristol, at £683,000 in March 2023. Housing in the ward is significantly more likely to be owner-occupied, at 81.2%, than the 54.9% Bristol average, and significantly less likely to be social rented (5.5% vs 18.7 Bristol average). The ward has a large amount of detached housing (19.4% vs 6.0% Bristol average) and semi-detached housing (42.4% vs 26.6%), compared to the wider Bristol area, where apartments and terraced housing are more common. There is a high rate of car ownership in the ward, with just 13.2% of households living without a car, compared to the 26.2% Bristol average.[4]

For elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze is in Bristol North West constituency.

Local elections

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2024 election

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The 2024 United Kingdom local elections saw a strong nationwide swing away from the Conservative Party, who suffered their worst local election defeat since 1996. In Bristol, this was seen in Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze ward, where former deputy mayor Geoff Gollop lost the seat.

Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze (3 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Caroline Gooch 3,401 43.08 +15.25
Liberal Democrats Stephen Williams 3,095 39.21 +20.92
Liberal Democrats Nicholas Coombes 3,049 38.62 +23.27
Conservative Geoff Gollop* 2,599 32.92 −5.59
Conservative Steve Smith* 2,340 29.64 −3.47
Conservative Sharon Anne Scott* 2,212 28.02 −2.35
Labour Miranda McCabe 1,351 17.11 −2.53
Labour Ellie Milone 1,290 16.34 −2.53
Labour Thomas Phipps 1,104 13.99 −3.20
Green Daniella Elsa Radice 1,100 13.93 −6.11
Green Nathaniel Joyce 830 10.51 −6.93
Green Murali Thoppil 680 8.61 −8.17
Turnout 7,894 51.67 −5.54
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

2021 election

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Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze (3 seats)[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoff Gollop 3,389 38.51 −5.52
Conservative Steve Smith 2,914 33.11 −7.24
Conservative Sharon Anne Scott 2,673 30.38 −4.76
Liberal Democrats Caroline Gooch 2,449 27.83 −8.07
Green Georgia Barnes 1,764 20.05 +5.75
Labour Lesley Miranda McCabe 1,729 19.65 +2.24
Liberal Democrats Simon Cook 1,609 18.28 −7.82
Labour Sam Taylor-Elliott 1,580 17.95 +4.45
Green Alex Dunn 1,535 17.44 +3.14
Labour Simon Mark Geoffrey Crew 1,512 17.18 +3.70
Green Robin Coode 1,477 16.78 +16.78
Liberal Democrats Christopher Harris 1,351 15.35 −5.32
Turnout 8,800 57.21 −3.35
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats

2016 election

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Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze (3 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoff Gollop 4,019 44.03
Conservative Liz Radford 3,683 40.35
Liberal Democrats Clare Campion-Smith 3,277 35.90
Conservative Alastair Peter Lindsay Watson 3,207 35.14
Liberal Democrats Helen Jessica Cuellar 2,382 26.10
Liberal Democrats Graham Christopher Donald 1,887 20.67
Labour Lesley Miranda McCabe 1,589 17.41
Green Sharmila Elizabeth Bousa 1,305 14.30
Labour Jon Moore 1,232 13.50
Labour Barry Thompson Trahar 1,230 13.48
Green George Simon Calascione 820 8.98
Turnout 9,127 60.56
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)

References

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  1. ^ a b "2021 Census Area Profile: Bristol". Office for National Statistics.
  2. ^ "Local councillors election 2024". Bristol City Council.
  3. ^ a b "Bristol". Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
  4. ^ a b c "Westbury on Trym and Henleaze ward profile report". Bristol City Council.
  5. ^ "Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze Ward 2024". Bristol City Council.
  6. ^ "Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze Ward". Bristol City Council. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Local election May 2016 turnout and results". Bristol City Council.