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 Hull North
Constituency in England’s East Riding of Yorkshire is made up from
the nine Hull wards north of the city centre – Avenue, Beverley,
University, Bransholme East, Bransholme West, Orchard Park and
Greenwood, Bricknell, King’s Park and Newland.
Hull North is home to both the University
of Hull and one of the largest expanses of council housing in
Europe - in the form of Bransholme and the North Hull
Estate.
Following the heavy bombing of the Second
World War and the decline of the traditional maritime fishing and
docks industries from the 1960s, many inner city Hull residents
were re-housed in new estates on the north eastern outskirts of the
city, bordering the East Riding.
To the south west of the constituency are
the University of Hull and the Avenues Conservation Area, home to
many of those who teach or study at the University of
Hull.
With the decline in Hull’s traditional
occupations, and the increasing need for knowledge-based and
skilled modern industries and services, the University is playing a
key role in revitalising the regional economy. The University and
the wider public sector are major employers in and around
constituency.
The increase in the University student
population to over 17,000 has led to the growth of a lively café
culture in the surrounding area of Hull North. It has also given
rise to a vibrant music scene, with the Adelphi, the Welly Club, and the Student
Union’s Asylum
Bar.
The University is renowned, too, for its
pioneering research and literary history. Philip Larkin, Douglas
Dunn, Sean O’Brien and the current Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion,
have worked in and written about Hull.
Under
the Labour Government since 1997, Hull has enjoyed massive
investment and regeneration – with The Deep and the KC Stadium two
examples of the progress made. Hull boasts two top rugby
league teams. The local football team – the Tigers of Hull City –
gained promotion to the Premier League in 2008 for the first time
in the club’s 104 year history.
Hull
is also known as the ‘Gateway to Europe’ with P&O ferries
operating the Pride of
Hull and the Pride of
Rotterdam, the two largest cruise ferries in the world, out of
Hull on a daily service to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge. Only five miles
south of the city is Kirmington Airport, with services to Amsterdam
and many holiday destinations.
Hull is under 200 miles from
London and Edinburgh, and within an hour of Leeds and York. Since
2000, Hull has had its own direct train service to London and other
rail operators also run services to Hull - see www.hulltrains.co.uk.
Hull
City Council became a unitary local authority in 1996. With
assistance from the national Labour Government, the years
immediately after the Millennium saw the council’s performance
steadily improve under Labor control after earlier difficulties.
The Liberal Democrats won control of the Council in
2006.
Hull
North was won by Labour from the Conservatives in 1964 and held by
Kevin McNamara from the 1966 by-election until his retirement in
2005, when Diana Johnson became Hull’s first woman
MP.
Although much progress has
been made since 1997, Hull still has many challenges ahead of it.
Reducing health inequalities and raising school standards further -
equipping local youngsters for the new jobs of Hull’s future - are
two of many pressing tasks facing the city.
Hull has a varied and
colourful history. Part of it was marked in 2007 when the
achievements of Hull MP William Wilberforce 200 years ago were
remembered. However, it is to be hoped that the city’s best years
are still ahead.
For
more information on what Hull has to offer, please contact Hull
Tourist information on 01482 223559 or email tourist.information@hullcc.gov.uk.
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About Hull North...