BBC Profile:
Ashfield has only once elected a member who was not a Labour candidate, and that was in a by-election during the days of the James Callaghan administration in 1977, when Conservative Tim Smith wiped out a 23,000 majority to take the seat. Frank Haynes won it back for Labour in 1979.

The Conservative vote has declined since 1979. In 1992, Ashfield elected Labour MP Geoff Hoon, with a majority nearly treble that of the 1987 election. In 1997 Hoon increased his majority to 22,728.

The two elections since, in 2001 and 2005, have recorded swings to the Tories of 4.6 and 5.7% respectively, while the Liberal Democrats have also been gaining ground. Labour's majority in 2005 was 10,213.

Boundary changes in the seat are minor. 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.

Traditionally a coal mining area before the collapse of the industry in the 1980s and 90s, Ashfield contains the towns of Kirkby, Sutton and Eastwood, as well as large swathes of farmland and rural areas.

It remains a largely working class constituency, with manufacturers such as Boots and L'Oreal stepping in to replace the mines as major employers.

The loss of the pits and textile industry has been partially compensated for by the arrival of a number of new manufacturers to the area, thanks largely to the relatively low cost of brown field land and excellent transport links.

The flagsh

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BBC Profile:
Ashfield has only once elected a member who was not a Labour candidate, and that was in a by-election during the days of the James Callaghan administration in 1977, when Conservative Tim Smith wiped out a 23,000 majority to take the seat. Frank Haynes won it back for Labour in 1979.

The Conservative vote has declined since 1979. In 1992, Ashfield elected Labour MP Geoff Hoon, with a majority nearly treble that of the 1987 election. In 1997 Hoon increased his majority to 22,728.

The two elections since, in 2001 and 2005, have recorded swings to the Tories of 4.6 and 5.7% respectively, while the Liberal Democrats have also been gaining ground. Labour's majority in 2005 was 10,213.

Boundary changes in the seat are minor. 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.

Traditionally a coal mining area before the collapse of the industry in the 1980s and 90s, Ashfield contains the towns of Kirkby, Sutton and Eastwood, as well as large swathes of farmland and rural areas.

It remains a largely working class constituency, with manufacturers such as Boots and L'Oreal stepping in to replace the mines as major employers.

The loss of the pits and textile industry has been partially compensated for by the arrival of a number of new manufacturers to the area, thanks largely to the relatively low cost of brown field land and excellent transport links.

The flagship development is Sherwood Park near Junction 27 of the M1, an Enterprise Zone business park which employs 4,000 people. Several major companies, including Boots, E.ON, Rolls-Royce, Prolog and Eddie Stobart, have a presence there.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
Lab 20,801 (48.70%)
C 10,431 (24.42%)
LD 5,910 (13.84%)
Others 5,569 (13.04%)

Term end speculative.

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