Battersea John Bowis 18,687 24,047 3,482 0 377 Battersea 26,411 21,630 3,700 0 686 Conservative The inner city constituency of Battersea in the Borough of Wandsworth in south-west London has undoubtedly been one of the Conservative Party's success stories over the past decade. Gained for them from Labour by John Bowis in 1987 (against the national swing), they further increased their majority to nearly 5,000 in 1992. There has undoubtedly been a strong rightwards tide in this part of the capital, which needs careful explanation. The main reasons are twofold. First is the gentrification of the area, which saw the proportion of owner occupiers rise from 29 per cent to 49 per cent between 1981 and 1991 - and the number of non-white residents actually fell, as young professionals colonised 'South Chelsea' on the hitherto unfashionable side of the river. The second reason concerns the popularity of the Conservative council in Wandsworth, which boasted the lowest poll tax rates in London in the late 1980s, and has been consistently re-elected even at times such as May 1994 when their colleagues were being evicted from the control of town halls all around the country. This local success has undoubtedly been translated into relatively powerful Tory performances in both Wandsworth constituencies, Battersea and Putney, in 1987 and 1992. Whether this will continue is a moot point. The social changes in Battersea look permanent, but the popularity of the council may well be more transient, and even the 'yuppies' may turn away from the Conservatives, and John Bowis, in 1997. It is likely to be a closer fight this time, and an evens chance should be given to the Labour candidate, Martin Linton, a journalist with the Guardian newspaper.

	692	1.78	9.03	20
	506	1.30	11.17	12
	0	0.00	11.25	0
	286	0.73	14.70	5
	22,405	57.56	10.45	551
	95	0.24	2.81	9
	59	0.15	8.01	2
	467	1.20	15.25	8
	291	0.75	7.13	10
	13,606	34.95	10.17	344