Hereford Sir Colin Shepherd 18,550 6,596 25,198 0 0 Hereford 26,217 5,910 23,063 0 587 Conservative The Liberal Democrats and their predecessors have nurtured high hopes in several seats on the English side of the Welsh border in recent years, but none has aroused so much expectation as Hereford. It remains one of their top targets in the next election, although they have come so close so often that they must wonder what they have to do to win. They have controlled and indeed dominated the city of Hereford's council for a number of years, and indeed probably obtain the most votes in the city in general elections. However the seat also includes a substantial chunk of rural South Herefordshire, including Ross and the Wye Valley, Abbey Dore and the Golden Valley, the Welsh Border and the Black Mountains. This is much better terrain for the Conservatives and their long-serving MP Sir Colin Shepherd, despite the fact that his majority has ranged from 1,112 in February 1974 to 3,413 in 1992. With a strong local candidate against him in 1997, he must expect yet another close run thing.

	2,581	6.54	9.03	72
	6,659	16.87	11.17	151
	2,664	6.75	11.25	60
	5,318	13.47	14.70	92
	2,284	5.79	10.45	55
	4,150	10.51	2.81	374
	4,936	12.50	8.01	156
	5,121	12.97	15.25	85
	2,928	7.42	7.13	104
	1,994	5.05	10.17	50