Election 97

Dorset Mid and Poole North


Result 97 gain
from Conservative
Current MP 97 NEW SEAT
Majority 0 ( 0.0%)
Conservative 97 20,632 (40.7%)
Labour 97 8,014 (15.8%)
LibDem 97 19,951 (39.3%)
Nationalist 97 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 97 2,136 ( 4.2%)
Elected party 97
Electorate 97 67,049
Turnout 97 50,733 (75.7%)



1992 MP NEW SEAT
Old constituency name NEW SEAT
Majority 92 6,054 (12.1%)
Conservative 92 24,999 (50.1%)
Labour 92 5,959 (11.9%)
LibDem 92 18,945 (38.0%)
Nationalist 92 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 92 0 ( 0.0%)
Elected party 92 Conservative
Electorate 92 64,833
Turnout 92 49,903 (77.0%)
Dorset Mid and Poole North



Tory change -9.4%
Labour change +3.9%
Lib Dem change +1.4%
Nationalist change +0.0%
Other change +4.2%
Electorate change +3.4%
Turnout Change -1.3%
Robert Waller wrote

The south coast county of Dorset's population growth in the 1980s entitled it to an eighth and additional seat after the 1995 parliamentary boundary review, and this is it. After some arguments in the commission's enquiry process concerning the name of the seat, this unwieldy and inelegant but appropriate enough description was recommended.

One of the two main sources of voters for this extra constituency is the borough of Poole, which donates five wards and some 40,000 electors, in areas such as Broadstone and Canford. These affluent and attractive inland residential areas of North Poole tend to vote Liberal Democrat in local elections but Conservative nationally.

The other main source is 'Mid Dorset', such as Wareham, Corfe Mullen and the Lytchetts. Again the Liberal Democrats harbour hopes here, and indeed the notional figures for how the seat would have voted if it had existed in 1992 suggest that the Conservatives might have been only 6,000 votes ahead, requiring a swing of just over 6 per cent. This would be a surprise gain, however, and Mid Dorset and North Poole is probably most likely to return an extra Conservative to Westminster.


Super Profiles

5,058 14.00 9.03 155
7,116 19.70 11.17 176
3,701 10.24 11.25 91
10,680 29.56 14.70 201
1,810 5.01 10.45 48
644 1.78 2.81 63
1,907 5.28 8.01 66
3,920 10.85 15.25 71
775 2.15 7.13 30
378 1.05 10.17 10