Here's a guide to what you'll need to know in the run up to the general election in May if you live in Poole.

2010 winner: Robert Syms

 

17.4% swing needed for Labour
8% swing needed for the Liberal Democrats

​The number of non-voters was almost three and half times Mr Syms' majority. 

Political history

It has been a Conservative seat since its creation in 1950 - and in its intial incarnation was Tory as far back as 1880.

Key Statistics

Unemployment stands at 5.5%, compared with a national average of 6.5%. The number claiming JSA is 1.2%, below the national average of 2.2%.  The median average house price is £221,500, £50,000 higher than the national average and eight times the average wage in the area.

 

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