Congleton
Conservative hold

Ann Winterton should yet again hold off a Liberal Democrat challenge here in South Cheshire, just as the Conservative candidates did (narrowly) in the two-way battles here in local elections in May 2000. The Liberal Democrats have been dominant for years at municipal level in the towns of Middlewich, Sandbach, Holmes Chapel, Alsager and Congleton itself with its large if inelegantly named suburb of Buglawton, but their high-water mark has been passed, and it was always wise to take their aspirations at parliamentary level here with a pinch of salt, this area's most notable commodity historically.

Ann Winterton, MP here since 1983, is a hard right Thatcherite replica of her husband Nick, MP for the next door seat of Macclesfield. A Hague frontbencher as a drugs spokesman, she is a proud and bloody-minded member of the awkward squad; a wholesale Eurosceptic deeply conservative on issues of abortion, embryo research, homosexuality and euthanasia. But, like her husband, she is not a routine free-marketeer, but rebels in a protectionist direction on Sunday trading, defence of the Royal Ordnance factories, and Heseltine’s pit closures. She was born 1941, educated at Erdington Grammar School for Girls, and met Nick as his boss’s daughter.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 32.16% 14.99% 214.50 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.16% 2.13% 7.68 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.15% 2.49% 5.94 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 10.96% 4.43% 247.68 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 14.33% 7.27% 197.01 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.12% 2.56% 4.58 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.07% 2.04% 3.51 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.17% 3.94% 4.28 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 17.42% 13.04% 133.57 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 11.70% 12.70% 92.11 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 7.11% 8.14% 87.36 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.82% 4.02% 20.44 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 1.52% 3.19% 47.85 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 3.05% 11.31% 26.97 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 0.24% 3.06% 8.00 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.00% 2.52% 0.00 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.01% 0.06% 12.56

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 5.67% 9.41% 60.25 £5-10K 11.76% 16.63% 70.71 £10-15K 13.74% 16.58% 82.85 £15-20K 12.85% 13.58% 94.59 £20-25K 10.94% 10.39% 105.25 £25-30K 8.92% 7.77% 114.68 £30-35K 7.12% 5.79% 122.94 £35-40K 5.64% 4.33% 130.16 £40-45K 4.46% 3.27% 136.45 £45-50K 3.52% 2.48% 141.96 £50-55K 2.80% 1.90% 146.79 £55-60K 2.23% 1.47% 151.04 £60-65K 1.78% 1.15% 154.79 £65-70K 1.43% 0.91% 158.12 £70-75K 1.16% 0.72% 161.08 £75-80K 0.94% 0.57% 163.71 £80-85K 0.77% 0.46% 166.07 £85-90K 0.63% 0.37% 168.19 £90-95K 0.52% 0.31% 170.09 £95-100K 0.43% 0.25% 171.81 £100K + 2.40% 1.34% 178.77