BBC Profile:
Labour has won every general election here since 1918 although the Conservatives held the seat for nearly three years in the late 1970s after winning a 1976 by-election. The sitting MP, Labour's Tony Cunningham, was first elected in 2001 and regained the seat four years later, with a 6,895-vote majority.

At the election, the seat gains two wards and a part-ward from Penrith and the Border, and loses the wards of Crummock, Dalton, Derwent Valley and Keswick to Copeland. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.

Much of this seat is made up of the Lake District's National Park and the glorious surrounding countryside including former coalmining villages and towns such as Workington itself. The main industries in the seat were coalmining and steelworks, but the closure of the Moss Bay steelworks brought an end to that aspect of Workington's history.

The decline in the traditional industries has led to a demand for opportunities for new employment. Workington has attracted new industries such as footwear, plastics, electronics and fibre manufacturing.

Despite the rural nature of the area only a small percentage of people work in agriculture, with most of the countryside used for commercial purposes. The natural beauty of the area attracts millions of visitors every year, giving many of the population work in the service industry supporting tourism.

Jo

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BBC Profile:
Labour has won every general election here since 1918 although the Conservatives held the seat for nearly three years in the late 1970s after winning a 1976 by-election. The sitting MP, Labour's Tony Cunningham, was first elected in 2001 and regained the seat four years later, with a 6,895-vote majority.

At the election, the seat gains two wards and a part-ward from Penrith and the Border, and loses the wards of Crummock, Dalton, Derwent Valley and Keswick to Copeland. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.

Much of this seat is made up of the Lake District's National Park and the glorious surrounding countryside including former coalmining villages and towns such as Workington itself. The main industries in the seat were coalmining and steelworks, but the closure of the Moss Bay steelworks brought an end to that aspect of Workington's history.

The decline in the traditional industries has led to a demand for opportunities for new employment. Workington has attracted new industries such as footwear, plastics, electronics and fibre manufacturing.

Despite the rural nature of the area only a small percentage of people work in agriculture, with most of the countryside used for commercial purposes. The natural beauty of the area attracts millions of visitors every year, giving many of the population work in the service industry supporting tourism.

Job preparation training for careers in IT, construction and care industries are provided by institutions such as Rathbone Training at colleges throughout Workington, and the Lakes Further Education College situated in Lillyhall Business Park.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
Lab 18,622 (52.00%)
C 10,396 (29.03%)
LD 5,170 (14.44%)
UKIP 1,245 (3.48%)
Others 381 (1.06%)

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