Election FactFile

WORCESTER'S MP from 1961 to 1992 was Peter Walker (Conservative), now Lord Walker.

From 1992 to 1997, the MP was Peter Luff (Conservative). The Worcester constituency was represented for the first time by a Labour MP when Mike Foster swept to power in 1997.

His rivals at the last General Election had been Nick Bourne (Conservative), Paul Chandler (Liberal Democrat) and Pat Wood (UK Independence Party).

Mr Foster - who hailed his win a "victory for Worcester Women and Worcester people" - took 49.8 per cent of the votes four years ago, compared to 36.2 per cent for Labour's Roger Berry in the 1992 contest.

The Conservative share of the vote dropped in 1997 to 35.5 per cent. In 1992, Mr Luff had enjoyed a 46.4 per cent slice of the vote.

The parliamentary boundary is the same as the city council boundary.

The turnout in the last General Election was 74.4 per cent.

The vote in 1997 was: Conservative 18,423; Labour 25,848; Lib-Dem 6,462; others 886.

This compared with 1992 figures of Conservative 27,883; Labour 21,731; Lib-Dem 9,561; others 935.

In 1979 the voting figures were Conservative 30,194; Labour 18,605; Liberal 9,888; others 1,157.

Number of people eligible to vote in 2001: 71,255.

Number of polling stations to be used: 70

Staff at the polling stations: 175

Staff to count the votes: 105