Boston & Skegness
Conservative hold

Although the veteran anti-European Tory MP Richard Body's majority was reduced dramatically in 1997, and he might have lost but for his consistent anti-Europeanism and independence, which made him immune from right-wing or Europhobic gadflies, his less experienced successor should hold Boston and Skegness, as Labour failed to make inroads beyond their urban held wards here in south east Lincolnshire in the four-yearly local elections here in May 1999.

Mark Simmonds has replaced the veteran eccentric hunch-shouldered Europhobic MP Sir Richard Body as Tory standard bearer here. A Nottingham-born but London-based estate agent, originally with Savills and Strutt & Parker, he now runs his own company. Born 1964, educated at Worksop College and Trent Polytechnic, he is yet another product - among rising Conservative candidates - of his party's flagship borough of Wandsworth, where he ran the housing committee, which pioneered huge council house sales, and where he privatised the borough valuers department. He fought hopeless Ashfield in 1997. Elaine Bird stands for Labour as (currently) managing director of Fat Bird's Don't Fly, and formerly as a farmer and legal civil servant. Born 1956, she attended Bennett Memorial Church of England Secondary Modern Girls School, Tunbridge Wells, and she read law at what was Manchester Polytechnic.

Boston and Skegness Labour Party

Boston Borough Council

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 7.69% 14.99% 51.26 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 13.59% 2.13% 639.23 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 10.16% 2.49% 408.70 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 1.44% 4.43% 32.62 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 2.18% 7.27% 30.03 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.29% 2.56% 11.41 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 3.40% 3.94% 86.18 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 24.72% 13.04% 189.61 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 8.84% 12.70% 69.62 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 15.21% 8.14% 186.79 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 2.32% 4.02% 57.61 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 4.55% 3.19% 142.93 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 4.05% 11.31% 35.77 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 0.50% 3.06% 16.44 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.93% 2.52% 36.78 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.12% 0.06% 194.04

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 12.20% 9.41% 129.57 £5-10K 21.34% 16.63% 128.29 £10-15K 19.78% 16.58% 119.32 £15-20K 14.68% 13.58% 108.11 £20-25K 10.07% 10.39% 96.94 £25-30K 6.74% 7.77% 86.69 £30-35K 4.50% 5.79% 77.65 £35-40K 3.02% 4.33% 69.81 £40-45K 2.06% 3.27% 63.08 £45-50K 1.42% 2.48% 57.30 £50-55K 1.00% 1.90% 52.35 £55-60K 0.71% 1.47% 48.09 £60-65K 0.51% 1.15% 44.41 £65-70K 0.37% 0.91% 41.23 £70-75K 0.28% 0.72% 38.46 £75-80K 0.21% 0.57% 36.04 £80-85K 0.16% 0.46% 33.91 £85-90K 0.12% 0.37% 32.03 £90-95K 0.09% 0.31% 30.37 £95-100K 0.07% 0.25% 28.90 £100K + 0.31% 1.34% 22.95