Stockport
Labour hold

There was a time when Stockport was the site of two marginal seats, but with the north western and then national swings recorded to Labour in the past couple of decades, this southern smaller brother of Manchester, formerly in Cheshire, is now safely Labour despite the removal of its strongly working class wards of Reddish to join Denton. The predominantly middle class, owner occupied, neighbourhoods of Davenport and the Heatons (Moor, Norris, Mersey and Chapel) have, like similar parts of south Manchester in the Withington constituency, drifted remorselessly out of the Conservative column in the last two or three decades, in a micro-movement within the regional pro-Labour tide of opinion.

Ann Coffey, PPS to Tony Blair, has risen swiftly after her election in 1992, as a Whip in 1995 and Health spokesman in 1996. A Scots-born (1946) social worker, educated peripatetically in Nairn and Cornwall (her father was in the RAF) and at South Bank Polytechnic and Manchester University, she spent eight years on Stockport Council. Her promotion in 1995 was presaged by her membership of the 'New Clause Four Campaign,' and followed in 1996 by her backing of tougher discipline for Labour MPs.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 14.65% 14.99% 97.70 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.87% 2.49% 35.02 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 3.65% 4.43% 82.45 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 5.08% 7.27% 69.78 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 5.23% 2.56% 204.03 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 2.41% 2.04% 118.26 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 2.49% 3.94% 63.10 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 15.30% 13.04% 117.34 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 24.90% 12.70% 196.00 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 2.75% 8.14% 33.78 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 2.37% 4.02% 58.90 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 1.61% 3.19% 50.61 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 8.41% 11.31% 74.37 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 4.74% 3.06% 154.89 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 5.54% 2.52% 219.92 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 8.40% 9.41% 89.25 £5-10K 16.69% 16.63% 100.32 £10-15K 17.40% 16.58% 104.93 £15-20K 14.40% 13.58% 106.00 £20-25K 10.94% 10.39% 105.23 £25-30K 8.05% 7.77% 103.57 £30-35K 5.88% 5.79% 101.52 £35-40K 4.31% 4.33% 99.37 £40-45K 3.18% 3.27% 97.26 £45-50K 2.36% 2.48% 95.26 £50-55K 1.78% 1.90% 93.41 £55-60K 1.35% 1.47% 91.71 £60-65K 1.04% 1.15% 90.17 £65-70K 0.80% 0.91% 88.78 £70-75K 0.63% 0.72% 87.52 £75-80K 0.50% 0.57% 86.39 £80-85K 0.39% 0.46% 85.38 £85-90K 0.32% 0.37% 84.47 £90-95K 0.26% 0.31% 83.65 £95-100K 0.21% 0.25% 82.92 £100K + 1.08% 1.34% 80.42