This seat is more residential in nature than its southern counterpart, and most of the town’s desirable housing is to be found in the attractive, middle class suburbs of Allestree and Darley. However, the seat also contains the higher proportion of the town’s council housing.
Derby North is the commuter area of the city and is home to many of the city’s workforce, who commute to Derby South to work in the Rolls-Royce Aerospace factory and the city's railworks.
Derbyshire county council, the private sector and Derby university have worked together through the "Derby City Partnership", and have succeeded in attracting many new medium and small businesses to the city.
Derby North was held by Labour, though not always by large margins, at every general election from 1950 until 1983. Greg Knight managed to take the seat for the Tories in 1983 and held it in a series of tight contests until 1997.
However, 1997 proved an election too far and Bob Laxton, the former leader of Derby Council, beat him soundly by five figures on a swing of 13.2%.