Halton
Labour hold

A very safe Labour seat, Halton brings together both banks of the Mersey, now linked by a major road bridge heading towards Liverpool, so that there is no need to take the old ferry once immortalised by the music hall entertainer Stanley Holloway as costing "per 2d per person per trip". Both ends of this voyage find Labour strongholds: to the north, formerly in Lancashire but now anomalously placed for administrative purposes in Cheshire, Widnes with its distinctive chemical works; to the south, the New Town of Runcorn, which has a decidedly Merseyside accent and flavour.

Derek Twigg, PPS to Helen Liddell, is a model Blairite as a loyalist stooge questioner. Born locally (1959), he is as local as local gets, educated at Bankfield High School, Widnes, and at Halton FE College, and serving as a Halton district councillor for 14 years. He worked as a Department of Employment civil servant before election here in 1997.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 8.28% 14.99% 55.24 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 5.33% 4.43% 120.47 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 12.06% 7.27% 165.75 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.41% 2.56% 15.96 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.00% 3.94% 0.00 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 7.36% 13.04% 56.44 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 25.32% 12.70% 199.34 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 6.65% 8.14% 81.65 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.00% 4.02% 0.00 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 3.34% 3.19% 105.01 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 26.13% 11.31% 231.05 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 0.38% 3.06% 12.46 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 4.72% 2.52% 187.53 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.01% 0.06% 15.45

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 11.02% 9.41% 117.06 £5-10K 19.25% 16.63% 115.75 £10-15K 18.38% 16.58% 110.85 £15-20K 14.30% 13.58% 105.30 £20-25K 10.37% 10.39% 99.78 £25-30K 7.35% 7.77% 94.49 £30-35K 5.19% 5.79% 89.52 £35-40K 3.68% 4.33% 84.91 £40-45K 2.63% 3.27% 80.63 £45-50K 1.90% 2.48% 76.68 £50-55K 1.39% 1.90% 73.03 £55-60K 1.03% 1.47% 69.67 £60-65K 0.77% 1.15% 66.57 £65-70K 0.58% 0.91% 63.71 £70-75K 0.44% 0.72% 61.07 £75-80K 0.34% 0.57% 58.63 £80-85K 0.26% 0.46% 56.37 £85-90K 0.20% 0.37% 54.28 £90-95K 0.16% 0.31% 52.34 £95-100K 0.13% 0.25% 50.54 £100K + 0.57% 1.34% 42.05