Eccles
Labour hold

The central of the three parliamenmatry constituencies in the Greater Manchester borough of Salford, Eccles is safely Labour. There are small Tory enclaves at Ellesmere Park within Eccles ward, and Swinton South, one of two wards won by that party in the May 2000 Salford council elections (along with Worsley / Boothstown in the western Worsley constituency), but these scarcely make ripples on the millpond-smooth water of the Labour majority here, which reached nigh on 22,000 in 1997. The seat lies along the Manchester Ship Canal, a tribute to Manchester's commercial and industrial history and predominance. The Tories are going nowhere, though, in Eccles.

Ian Stewart, Labour's new MP here in 1997, is a balding, bearded Scotsman, born in 1950 and educated at secondary schools in Blantyre and in the Manchester area, and at Bolton Art College, Stretford Technical College, and Manchester Metropolitan University. Originally an electrician and Shell chemical plant worker, he was for nearly 20 years a TGWU official. He has been mildly rebellious against the Blair government, opposing lone parent benefit cuts and abolition of student maintenance grants, and calling for earnings-related pensions. Otherwise he is a staunch North Western regionalist, a pro European and an IT enthusiast.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 3.94% 14.99% 26.28 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.08% 2.13% 3.63 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.00% 2.49% 0.00 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 0.66% 4.43% 14.84 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 3.95% 7.27% 54.31 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.28% 2.56% 10.82 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 1.73% 3.94% 43.77 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 16.76% 13.04% 128.50 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 22.01% 12.70% 173.24 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 15.83% 8.14% 194.37 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.82% 4.02% 20.49 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 7.25% 3.19% 227.60 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 18.70% 11.31% 165.32 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 2.56% 3.06% 83.53 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 5.39% 2.52% 213.96 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.06% 0.06% 102.48

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 10.35% 9.41% 109.98 £5-10K 19.24% 16.63% 115.69 £10-15K 18.72% 16.58% 112.93 £15-20K 14.64% 13.58% 107.76 £20-25K 10.59% 10.39% 101.85 £25-30K 7.45% 7.77% 95.86 £30-35K 5.22% 5.79% 90.10 £35-40K 3.67% 4.33% 84.70 £40-45K 2.60% 3.27% 79.72 £45-50K 1.87% 2.48% 75.16 £50-55K 1.35% 1.90% 71.01 £55-60K 0.99% 1.47% 67.23 £60-65K 0.73% 1.15% 63.80 £65-70K 0.55% 0.91% 60.68 £70-75K 0.42% 0.72% 57.85 £75-80K 0.32% 0.57% 55.26 £80-85K 0.24% 0.46% 52.90 £85-90K 0.19% 0.37% 50.74 £90-95K 0.15% 0.31% 48.75 £95-100K 0.12% 0.25% 46.93 £100K + 0.52% 1.34% 38.59