Dudley South
Labour hold

Dudley Metropolitan borough in the West Midlands saw an unusually large swing to the Conservatives in the most recent local elections in May 2000, and the Tories polled the most votes in the wards making up the North constituency, although not in Dudley South, but this may represent a rare midterm slump result for Labour; it should also be remembered that the turnout across the borough was just 26pc, compared with over 70pc at the last General Election in 1997, and that this was lower in Labour wards than in Tory areas (14.7pc in Brockmoor and Pensnett in South, 15.9pc in Castle and Priory in North). Ian Pearson is favoured to retain his local seat for a third time (including his initial byelection victory).

Ian Pearson, the monochrome victor in one of Labour's most thumping pre-1997 by-election successes, came in on a 60 year record 29 per cent swing. Locally born in 1959, he attended Brierley Hill Grammar School, Balliol College, Oxford, and Warwick University (where he gained a doctorate in industrial relations). A tall, hunch-shouldered suit, who urges West Midlands regionalism from his experience as a regional enterprise board executive, he was PPS to Geoffrey Robinson until the latter's fall from grace.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 8.54% 14.99% 56.95 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.00% 2.49% 0.00 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 2.98% 4.43% 67.45 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 18.70% 7.27% 257.07 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.05% 2.56% 1.80 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.55% 3.94% 13.84 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 10.16% 13.04% 77.89 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 16.01% 12.70% 126.07 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 21.24% 8.14% 260.88 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.05% 4.02% 1.27 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 3.00% 3.19% 94.28 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 15.49% 11.31% 136.92 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 2.27% 3.06% 74.24 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.93% 2.52% 36.96 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.03% 0.06% 42.66

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 10.85% 9.41% 115.29 £5-10K 19.02% 16.63% 114.35 £10-15K 18.41% 16.58% 111.02 £15-20K 14.46% 13.58% 106.46 £20-25K 10.52% 10.39% 101.27 £25-30K 7.45% 7.77% 95.86 £30-35K 5.24% 5.79% 90.54 £35-40K 3.70% 4.33% 85.47 £40-45K 2.64% 3.27% 80.74 £45-50K 1.90% 2.48% 76.39 £50-55K 1.38% 1.90% 72.42 £55-60K 1.01% 1.47% 68.81 £60-65K 0.75% 1.15% 65.52 £65-70K 0.57% 0.91% 62.54 £70-75K 0.43% 0.72% 59.82 £75-80K 0.33% 0.57% 57.35 £80-85K 0.25% 0.46% 55.09 £85-90K 0.20% 0.37% 53.01 £90-95K 0.16% 0.31% 51.11 £95-100K 0.12% 0.25% 49.35 £100K + 0.55% 1.34% 40.86