Derbyshire North East is a mixed constituency, rural in the west and parts of the south, and residential in areas that border the Peak District.
The attractive rural landscapes and new residential developments, combined with the disappearance of coal mining, continue to change the character of this constituency.
In the north east are the former mining towns of Eckington and Killamarsh and in the south Clay Cross. Although the pits are long gone, some engineering firms and other industries have survived. Unemployment is high in Holmewood and Heath ward, but there is hope in the form of an Enterprise Zone created alongside the M1 at junction 21.
Clay Cross achieved notoriety in the early 1970s when the Labour council refused to implement the Tory government's Housing Finance Act. The councillors, including Dennis Skinner's brother, were surcharged for their defiance.
Labour has held the seat for many years, but with declining majorities from 1970 to 1997 as its profile has changed from mining to skilled and managerial workers.