This seatís demographics are closely matched to the London average - in terms of owner occupiers, working class and middle class residents and council tenants. This is something of a swing constituency, and in the elections of 1964 and 1979, fell to the winning parties in both instances. In 1997, Conservative incumbent Harry Greenaway lost the seat to Labourís Stephen Pound who won with over 9,000 votes.
In the 80s, the Tories benefited from a Labour run local administration which implemented large rate rises which were very unpopular, and it appears that local and Westminster politics were interdependent. The swing to Mr Pound in 1997, was similar to the outer London norm, suggesting that the seat is still very much a marginal.
As a result of the 1998 borough elections, Labour represent seven of the ten wards here. While Pitshanger and Argyle are currently held by the Conservatives. The non-white population stood at 23% in the 1991 census, and includes a large Irish population; a large and growing Asian population; and the largest Polish community in Britain. The world headquarters of Glaxo Wellcome is based here, and is a key source of employment in the area.