Tyne Bridge
Labour hold

The seat which crosses the Tyne to combine the very heart of Newcastle with the centre of Gateshead is, as one might expect, one of the five safest Labour seats in England. Besides the vibrant downtown of the Geordie capital, it also includes some of the most blighted territory anywhere in Britain, in the depressed west end, in Benwell, Elswick and Scotswood. It has the highest unemployment and the highest percentage of council tenants in the North East, and a small and much abused Bangladeshi community, and only one per cent detached houses, also the fewest anywhere in the region. This is indeed a place of many trials.

As Assistant Whip since 1997 - in opposition as well as in government - David Clelland is one of Labour's shrinking group of working class trade unionists. He is formerly an electrical tester and AEEU shop steward at NEI in Gateshead, where he was eventually made redundant after 21 years. Born 1943, he attended Kelvin Grove Boys' School, Gateshead and local technical colleges. Elected in 1985, he owed his selection for the seat to his leadership of Gateshead Council and his family's friendship with the deceased MP Harry Cowans. A short and cheery pipe-smoking Geordie, he has been an assiduous representative of North East regional concerns, and notably of his local armaments factory.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 0.55% 14.99% 3.64 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 0.19% 4.43% 4.38 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 1.15% 7.27% 15.74 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.61% 2.56% 23.95 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 5.55% 3.94% 140.80 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 4.91% 13.04% 37.63 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 12.41% 12.70% 97.72 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 8.92% 8.14% 109.48 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 3.12% 4.02% 77.69 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 8.92% 3.19% 280.17 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 22.19% 11.31% 196.23 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 18.59% 3.06% 606.96 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 10.15% 2.52% 402.99 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 2.72% 2.10% 129.34 Unclassified Unclassified 0.02% 0.06% 30.55

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 16.75% 9.41% 177.98 £5-10K 24.67% 16.63% 148.34 £10-15K 20.11% 16.58% 121.30 £15-20K 13.57% 13.58% 99.93 £20-25K 8.66% 10.39% 83.33 £25-30K 5.47% 7.77% 70.37 £30-35K 3.48% 5.79% 60.12 £35-40K 2.25% 4.33% 51.94 £40-45K 1.48% 3.27% 45.34 £45-50K 0.99% 2.48% 39.95 £50-55K 0.68% 1.90% 35.51 £55-60K 0.47% 1.47% 31.81 £60-65K 0.33% 1.15% 28.71 £65-70K 0.24% 0.91% 26.08 £70-75K 0.17% 0.72% 23.85 £75-80K 0.13% 0.57% 21.92 £80-85K 0.09% 0.46% 20.26 £85-90K 0.07% 0.37% 18.81 £90-95K 0.05% 0.31% 17.55 £95-100K 0.04% 0.25% 16.43 £100K + 0.16% 1.34% 12.02