BBC Profile:
South Derbyshire was created in 1983, largely drawn from the old Belper division. Belper was dominated for 25 years after the World War II by Labour's George Brown, a prominent minister in the Wilson government of the 1960s.
The seat was held for 14 years from 1983 by the high profile Conservative Edwina Currie in 1983, before the current MP, Mark Todd, won the seat for Labour in 1997. His majority in 2005 was 4,495 votes.
At the election, boundary changes have removed the small area within the city of Derby to Derby South, leaving this seat co-terminous with South Derbyshire District Council. 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.
The seat contains rural land, an industrial zone and an area bordering suburban Derby.
As the largest population centre, Swadlincote is also the administrative and business heart of the constituency. Its rapid expansion is the main reason behind the districts status as the fastest-growing in Derbyshire. A third of the National Forest is in South Derbyshire.
Industry once revolved around coal and clay, but both have now all but disappeared. The market for skilled labour recovered relatively well due largely to the presence of Toyota's car assembly plant at Burnaston, which opened in 1992.
Manufacturing accounts for a considerable proportion of the workforce.
Small-scale farming continues to play a significant ro
[More...]BBC Profile:
South Derbyshire was created in 1983, largely drawn from the old Belper division. Belper was dominated for 25 years after the World War II by Labour's George Brown, a prominent minister in the Wilson government of the 1960s.
The seat was held for 14 years from 1983 by the high profile Conservative Edwina Currie in 1983, before the current MP, Mark Todd, won the seat for Labour in 1997. His majority in 2005 was 4,495 votes.
At the election, boundary changes have removed the small area within the city of Derby to Derby South, leaving this seat co-terminous with South Derbyshire District Council. 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.
The seat contains rural land, an industrial zone and an area bordering suburban Derby.
As the largest population centre, Swadlincote is also the administrative and business heart of the constituency. Its rapid expansion is the main reason behind the districts status as the fastest-growing in Derbyshire. A third of the National Forest is in South Derbyshire.
Industry once revolved around coal and clay, but both have now all but disappeared. The market for skilled labour recovered relatively well due largely to the presence of Toyota's car assembly plant at Burnaston, which opened in 1992.
Manufacturing accounts for a considerable proportion of the workforce.
Small-scale farming continues to play a significant role in the local economy, though the profitability of agricultural activities, in line with national trends, is in serious decline.
Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
Lab 19,146 (42.87%)
C 16,710 (37.41%)
LD 5,738 (12.85%)
Others 3,069 (6.87%)
[Less...]
22,935 (45.49%)