Bath
Liberal Democrat hold

The Liberal Democrats returned by far the largest number of councillors on the new unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset in its inaugural elections in 1999 and are strong favourites to hold the spa town again in the forthcoming general election. Don Foster capitalised on local election success to defeat the Conservative MP Chris Patten even as the latter was orchestrating John Major's single general election win in 1992. Patten has gone on to new challenges with the European Commission, but Foster is now established as a senior and well-entrenched Liberal Democrat.

Don Foster, who won the seat in 1992 is currently Lib Dem Environment spokesman, having long shadowed Education. An ambitious and abrasive former public school science teacher, he was born in 1947 and educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Keele University, and reached Bath via educational research at Bristol University. He takes an urban PC line against rural interests such as gun control and hunting, and a suburban line against the scourge of Leylandii, and backs Lib-Lab tactical voting. In a seat held uninterruptedly by the Conservatives for 68 years before his victory, he faces 31-year-old Bristol solicitor Ashley Fox as his new Tory opponent.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 18.36% 14.99% 122.45 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 4.57% 2.49% 183.97 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 1.00% 4.43% 22.53 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 1.22% 7.27% 16.83 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 11.00% 2.56% 428.72 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.57% 2.04% 27.93 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 13.39% 3.94% 339.43 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 11.20% 13.04% 85.90 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 8.02% 12.70% 63.16 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 9.18% 8.14% 112.75 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 10.18% 4.02% 253.10 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 3.45% 3.19% 108.40 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 5.79% 11.31% 51.21 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 1.45% 3.06% 47.23 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.58% 2.52% 23.22 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.03% 0.06% 54.79

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 9.91% 9.41% 105.28 £5-10K 16.76% 16.63% 100.78 £10-15K 16.65% 16.58% 100.41 £15-20K 13.66% 13.58% 100.55 £20-25K 10.45% 10.39% 100.56 £25-30K 7.80% 7.77% 100.37 £30-35K 5.79% 5.79% 99.99 £35-40K 4.31% 4.33% 99.49 £40-45K 3.23% 3.27% 98.90 £45-50K 2.44% 2.48% 98.28 £50-55K 1.86% 1.90% 97.63 £55-60K 1.43% 1.47% 96.98 £60-65K 1.11% 1.15% 96.33 £65-70K 0.87% 0.91% 95.70 £70-75K 0.68% 0.72% 95.09 £75-80K 0.54% 0.57% 94.50 £80-85K 0.43% 0.46% 93.92 £85-90K 0.35% 0.37% 93.37 £90-95K 0.28% 0.31% 92.83 £95-100K 0.23% 0.25% 92.31 £100K + 1.20% 1.34% 89.20