A Look @: West Sussex (Part I)

With no easy way to split West Sussex up into manageable posts this will focus on the 'southern' and 'western' constituencies and you can find the rest here. The West Sussex council is currently controlled by the Conservatives although the Liberal Democrats were the winners in the 2009 elections. They gained five seats but at the expense of Labour. The Tories hold 48 of the 71 seats and 7 of the 8 parliamentary seats in West Sussex and they look set to turn the whole county blue in May. UKIP would have the potential to trouble the Conservatives in this area but their majorities are so large I doubt it's troubling them.

Constituency	Incumbent	Notional Majority	Swing Needed		Favourite	Prediction
Bognor Regis & L'hampton	Nick Gibb	8,617	10.1%		1/500	CON Hold
Chichester	Andrew Tyrie	10,457	10.2%		1/500	CON Hold
Worthing W	Peter Bottomley	9,383	10.5%		1/200	CON Hold
Worthing E & Shoreham	Tim Loughton	8,180	9.2%	9.8%	1/200	CON Hold

 

The Bognor Regis & Littlehampton constituency was created in 1997 and has been represented by Nick Gibb ever since. Gibb wasn't troubled by the expenses scandal and is generally regarded as a good constituency MP. It's very unlikely he'll lose his seat in May; Tory Hold.

Chichester has elected Conservative MP's since World War II and this is unlikely to change now. Andrew Tyrie was first elected in 1997 and has a large majority to defend. Tyrie was dubbed 'Mr Clean' by the local media but he was still ordered to repay over £1,500 over mortgage interest claims. This won't be enough to unseat him; Tory Hold.

Worthing was split into two seats in 1997. Between the end of the war and Blair's landslide the town was only represented by two different MP's, both Conservatives. There's been consistency since then too as the pair of Tories that won the two new seats 13 years ago are still there and seeking re-election. The Worthing West's MP Peter Bottomley is one of the cheapest to keep, especially as he submits a joint claim with his wife in the House of Lords for their second home. It's hard to think of a reason why Bottomley won't win; Tory Hold.

East Worthing & Shoreham completes this latest glance at the Conservative heartlands. Tim Loughton doesn't have a lot to worry about; Tory Hold.