Birmingham, Selly Oak
Labour hold

Though gained from the Tories as recently as 1992, Selly Oak now looks like a safe long-term Labour prospect; yet another example of the drift away from the Conservatives in Britain's urban areas in the last three decades. This southern Birmingham seat includes a mixture of residential areas such as the formerly very middle class Moseley, its large houses in leafy streets now largely multi-occupied, and the Cadbury model village of Bournville. The seat had been Conservative from 1955 to February 1974, during which time it survived three Labour General election wins including one landslide, then alternated between the major parties until the Nineties. Now Lynne Jones has a 14,000 majority and it seems to have passed the way of so many former Tory urban prospects.

Lynne Jones, MP here since 1992, has replaced Clare Short as Birmingham's most leftwing Labour MP. A Campaign Group member, she has been active in all the main revolts against the Blair government from lone parent benefit cuts in 1997, to air traffic control privatisation in 2000. A winsomely attractive 49 year-old former Birmingham City Councillor, she was educated at Bartley Green Girls Grammar School and Birmingham University, acquiring a doctorate in biochemistry. Her deceptively mild-looking appearance belies the tough idealism of a red-hot radical.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 10.82% 14.99% 72.19 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 1.54% 2.49% 62.02 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 0.05% 4.43% 1.14 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 3.62% 7.27% 49.73 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 6.71% 2.56% 261.68 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 3.28% 2.04% 160.82 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 13.40% 3.94% 339.86 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 9.14% 13.04% 70.07 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 12.23% 12.70% 96.30 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 5.97% 8.14% 73.34 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 9.08% 4.02% 225.76 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 3.70% 3.19% 116.24 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 9.18% 11.31% 81.19 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 2.23% 3.06% 72.87 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 5.82% 2.52% 230.97 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 3.19% 2.10% 151.80 Unclassified Unclassified 0.03% 0.06% 43.65

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 10.96% 9.41% 116.47 £5-10K 17.36% 16.63% 104.40 £10-15K 16.73% 16.58% 100.90 £15-20K 13.52% 13.58% 99.51 £20-25K 10.25% 10.39% 98.63 £25-30K 7.60% 7.77% 97.78 £30-35K 5.61% 5.79% 96.84 £35-40K 4.15% 4.33% 95.80 £40-45K 3.09% 3.27% 94.69 £45-50K 2.32% 2.48% 93.55 £50-55K 1.76% 1.90% 92.41 £55-60K 1.35% 1.47% 91.28 £60-65K 1.04% 1.15% 90.19 £65-70K 0.81% 0.91% 89.14 £70-75K 0.63% 0.72% 88.14 £75-80K 0.50% 0.57% 87.19 £80-85K 0.40% 0.46% 86.30 £85-90K 0.32% 0.37% 85.46 £90-95K 0.26% 0.31% 84.67 £95-100K 0.21% 0.25% 83.93 £100K + 1.08% 1.34% 80.32