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UK Parliament - Stalybridge & Hyde

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> United Kingdom > England > North West > North West > Stalybridge & Hyde

Office

Parliament

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

April 19, 2005 - 12:00pm

Polls Open

May 05, 2005 - 01:00am

Polls Close

May 05, 2005 - 05:00pm

Term Start

May 17, 2005 - 12:00pm

Term End

May 17, 2010 - 11:00am

Contributor

Wishful Thinking

Last Modified

Wishful Thinking June 23, 2005 12:06am

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

The 2001 General Election was the third running in which Labour took all three seats in the Greater Manchester borough of Tameside - the other seats alongside this one being Denton & Reddish and Ashton-under-Lyne. Labour has held Stalybridge & Hyde since before World War II, although it did undergo a period of marginality during the 1950s when Fred Blackburn won three tight contests. Labour considers this a fortress: the total votes cast for the Tories and Lib Dems in 1997 barely equalled Tom Pendry's majority. In 2001 his successor James Purnell defended the seat for the party with an 8,800 majority. This constituency lies right on the eastern outskirts of Manchester, at the foot of the Pennines and includes some moorland. It comprises overspill communities, and retains a number of post-war council estates. Stalybridge & Hyde has a higher percentage of employment in the manufacturing industry than any other seat in the North West. The decline of indigenous industries, notably textiles, has not led to widespread unemployment.