This seat is held by Housing and Planning Minister, Nick Raynsford, and unusually for the 1997 election, the Conservative share of the vote increased - albeit by only 0.3%.
Between 1987 and 1992 Greenwich and the Woolwich seats were held by the SDP - Rosie Barnes who was MP for Greenwich, and John Cartwright who held Woolwich. The Liberal Democrats subsequently failed to pick up any votes from the SDP.
Of the wards that lie in the seat, only one is currently Conservative, the affluent Blackheath ward. The remaining councillors are Labour. The seat is generally working class. It has areas of high non-white population, which overall is 14.3%. There are massive tower blocks on the Ferrier estate, and 48% of housing here is local authority owned.
As well as being home to the Millennium Dome, there are many other tourist attractions, that boost the area’s economy and attract many visitors here. These include the Royal Naval College, National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory, as well as the Royal Artillery Barracks and Museum and the Thames Barrier at Woolwich.
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