Preston
Labour hold

In the by-election on 23 November 2000, the former Euro MP for Central Lancashire Mark Hendrick won an uninspiring victory for Labour, by 4,426 votes when the late Audrey Wise had a majority of 18,680 in 1997. But win he did, dashing Tory hopes, apparently of winning any seat at all in a by-election in this Parliament, and he should have a safe seat for the rest of his political career. Under current boundaries, Preston is denuded of its middle class suburb of Fulwood, but does cross the Ribble to include Walton-le-Dale. It has a medium sized Asian community, residing principally in the inner parts of town, such as around Deepdale, home of Preston North End FC, but an even larger element is the influence of Irish immigration in earlier times, which has converted Preston into one of the most Roman Catholic towns in England.

Mark Hendrick replaced the late Audrey Wise here in the 2000 byelection, having beaten her leftwing daughter, Val, to the nomination. Half-Somali, he was born in Salford in 1958, and educated at Salford Grammar Technical School, Openshaw Technical College, Manchester and Liverpool Polytechnics and Manchester University, qualifying in electrical engineering and computer science, and then working for the Science & Engineering Research Council. He was a Salford City Councillor for 8 years, and MEP for Central Lancashire (including Preston) from 1994 to 1999. Though a moderate New Labour figure, he reportedly declined NEC advice to seek a seat in the Midlands and so failed to secure a high enough placing on the local list for the European Parliament election in 1999. His election brought the total of Labour's ethnic minority non-white MPs to 10.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 3.74% 14.99% 24.92 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.18 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.00% 2.49% 0.00 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 1.03% 4.43% 23.30 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 5.67% 7.27% 78.01 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 2.54% 2.56% 99.23 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 2.79% 3.94% 70.70 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 8.26% 13.04% 63.37 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 25.14% 12.70% 197.88 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 3.71% 8.14% 45.50 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 5.49% 4.02% 136.43 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 3.60% 3.19% 113.08 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 23.08% 11.31% 204.02 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 5.59% 3.06% 182.71 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 5.76% 2.52% 228.85 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 3.59% 2.10% 171.12 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 12.98% 9.41% 137.87 £5-10K 21.06% 16.63% 126.63 £10-15K 19.10% 16.58% 115.19 £15-20K 14.19% 13.58% 104.44 £20-25K 9.85% 10.39% 94.80 £25-30K 6.71% 7.77% 86.35 £30-35K 4.58% 5.79% 79.00 £35-40K 3.15% 4.33% 72.64 £40-45K 2.19% 3.27% 67.12 £45-50K 1.55% 2.48% 62.32 £50-55K 1.11% 1.90% 58.12 £55-60K 0.80% 1.47% 54.44 £60-65K 0.59% 1.15% 51.20 £65-70K 0.44% 0.91% 48.33 £70-75K 0.33% 0.72% 45.77 £75-80K 0.25% 0.57% 43.48 £80-85K 0.19% 0.46% 41.43 £85-90K 0.15% 0.37% 39.57 £90-95K 0.12% 0.31% 37.89 £95-100K 0.09% 0.25% 36.36 £100K + 0.40% 1.34% 29.43