Rossendale & Darwen
Labour hold

As in several other Lancashire ex-textile industry seats Labour appear in surprising trouble here, even though Janet Anderson held a majority of nearly 11,000 in 1997. In the hard fought marginal wards of the Rossendale borough council, the Tories won all but one (Stacksteads) in May 2000, and beat Labour by 20pc overall across the borough. In the unitary authority of Blackburn and Darwen, Labour standard-bearers did scarcely better, although it was the Liberal Democrats who caused more trouble in the Darwen area. It is hard to see Ms Anderson actually losing unless the present national political climate as evidenced by the opinion polls changes dramatically; but these Lancashire valleys are never to be taken for granted by politicians.

Janet Anderson, a former Whip risen to be a junior minister at Culture, Media and Sport, has as solid a Labour pedigree as could be wished: granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Durham miners, daughter of a Labour Party agent, and herself a former PA to Barbara Castle and Jack Straw. Born 1949 and educated at Trowbridge Girls' High School, Kingswood Grammar School, Bristol and Central London Polytechnic, she was elected in 1992 in the next seat to Castle's and Straw's Blackburn, and was soon being run against the left Keynesian Peter Hain as Secretary of the Tribune Group when it mattered who controlled it. Her somewhat risqué press interview prediction of women becoming "more promiscuous under Labour" may however have retarded this loyal feminist apparatchik's ministerial progress.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 8.68% 14.99% 57.92 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 4.35% 4.43% 98.33 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 14.61% 7.27% 200.91 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.67% 2.56% 26.11 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.04% 3.94% 1.00 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 4.19% 13.04% 32.14 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 43.49% 12.70% 342.40 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 4.64% 8.14% 57.02 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.74% 4.02% 18.35 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 4.86% 3.19% 152.48 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 11.00% 11.31% 97.27 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 1.19% 3.06% 38.90 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 1.50% 2.52% 59.72 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.02% 0.06% 35.22

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 9.43% 9.41% 100.12 £5-10K 17.07% 16.63% 102.64 £10-15K 17.23% 16.58% 103.94 £15-20K 14.17% 13.58% 104.34 £20-25K 10.80% 10.39% 103.88 £25-30K 7.98% 7.77% 102.71 £30-35K 5.85% 5.79% 100.99 £35-40K 4.28% 4.33% 98.87 £40-45K 3.15% 3.27% 96.48 £45-50K 2.33% 2.48% 93.92 £50-55K 1.74% 1.90% 91.27 £55-60K 1.31% 1.47% 88.58 £60-65K 0.99% 1.15% 85.91 £65-70K 0.75% 0.91% 83.27 £70-75K 0.58% 0.72% 80.69 £75-80K 0.45% 0.57% 78.19 £80-85K 0.35% 0.46% 75.77 £85-90K 0.28% 0.37% 73.44 £90-95K 0.22% 0.31% 71.19 £95-100K 0.17% 0.25% 69.04 £100K + 0.77% 1.34% 57.23