Tiverton & Honiton
Conservative hold

There are three Tory seats in Devon which just eluded the Liberal Democrat surge in 1997 (Teignbridge, Totnes and this one), but it is more likely that they will be concentrating on trying to hold two very vulnerable gains they did make then, Torbay and Torridge and West Devon (it seems a case of "all the Ts in Devon"). The most recent Mid Devon district council results in May 1999 were fairly evenly divided between Lib Dem successes and Independent victories (usually acting as a surrogate for Tories here in the heart of Devon), and this does not include the more conservative East Devon section including Honiton and Ottery St Mary. It all adds up to a likely Conservative hold.

Angela Browning, as shadow Leader of the Commons, is one of the Conservatives' female frontbenchers, faute de mieux given paucity of numbers. First elected in 1992, she presents herself as a somewhat defensively strident Redwood campaign-managing Eurosceptic. Born 1946, daughter of a Reading University lab technician, educated at Westwood Girls' Grammar School, Reading and at technology colleges in Reading and Bournemouth, she formerly worked as a sales manager and management consultant. A junior Agriculture minister under Major, she quit the opposition front bench in 1998 to look after her disabled son but then returned in 2000 to her current unanticipated prominence. Liberal Democrat hopes here rest again with Jim Barnard, a sometime forensic scientist at Scotland Yard, but latterly a dairy farmer and chairman of a farmers' marketing co-operative. He was born 1947, educated at Wells Cathedral School and Leeds University, and doubles-up - if it is any recommendation - as an adviser to 'The Archers'.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 21.25% 14.99% 141.73 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 11.97% 2.13% 563.02 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 7.03% 2.49% 282.57 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 0.97% 4.43% 21.89 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 7.17% 7.27% 98.63 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.00% 2.56% 0.00 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.62% 3.94% 15.68 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 25.10% 13.04% 192.47 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 5.79% 12.70% 45.57 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 8.40% 8.14% 103.11 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 3.18% 4.02% 79.14 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 2.31% 3.19% 72.44 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 6.22% 11.31% 55.00 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 0.00% 3.06% 0.00 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.00% 2.52% 0.00 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 9.55% 9.41% 101.48 £5-10K 18.66% 16.63% 112.17 £10-15K 18.66% 16.58% 112.54 £15-20K 14.72% 13.58% 108.37 £20-25K 10.67% 10.39% 102.67 £25-30K 7.52% 7.77% 96.74 £30-35K 5.28% 5.79% 91.12 £35-40K 3.72% 4.33% 85.97 £40-45K 2.66% 3.27% 81.33 £45-50K 1.92% 2.48% 77.16 £50-55K 1.40% 1.90% 73.42 £55-60K 1.03% 1.47% 70.06 £60-65K 0.77% 1.15% 67.03 £65-70K 0.58% 0.91% 64.30 £70-75K 0.44% 0.72% 61.82 £75-80K 0.34% 0.57% 59.56 £80-85K 0.27% 0.46% 57.49 £85-90K 0.21% 0.37% 55.60 £90-95K 0.16% 0.31% 53.85 £95-100K 0.13% 0.25% 52.25 £100K + 0.60% 1.34% 44.51