A Look @: Halton and Warrington

Two unitary authorities exist here. More urban than the rest of Cheshire this is Labour's best area in Cheshire.

Constituency	Incumbent	Notional Majority	Swing Needed	Favourite	Prediction
Halton	Derek Twigg	16,444	22.0%	1/500	LAB Hold
Warrington North	Helen Jones	10,657	13.1%	1/20	LAB Hold
Warrington South	Helen Southworth	5,062	5.5%	4/6	LD Gain

Halton is Labour's safest seat in Cheshire. The MP is Derek Twigg who has had a career as a Junior Minister in various departments. Twigg's expenses were exemplary, and his sizeable majority means he can effectively cruise to victory. A Labour hold.

Warrington North is held by Helen Jones. Jones is highly visible in her constituency, engaging in frequent battles with the local council and regularly campaigning for her constituents. However her expenses will count against her, as she claimed expenses for her London flat, she then sold it and bought another, billing the taxpayer for the stamp duty and legal fees. Conservative candidate Paul Warrington will have to go above and beyond to get the 13.1% swing necessary to win here, and while Jones' expenses will be a big help, her local visibility will stand against him. Labour hold.

Warrington South is home to another Helen, Helen Southworth, who is standing down at this election. Southworth was named MP of the year at the Women in Public Life awards in 2008 for her work with missing and runaway children. Her replacement as Labour PPC is Nick Bent, a former associate at the centre-left think tank Demos, and a special advisor to Tessa Jowell. The Conservative candidate is David Mowat, a chartered accountant. However the Liberal Democrats appear to be targeting the seat and the 8.7% swing they need is within reach is the current polls continue to election day. The Liberal Democrat candidate is Jo Grotty, a academic who lectures in economics at Aston University. With Warrington Council currently having a plurality of members from the Liberal Democrats (28 to 22 from Labour, and 7 Conservatives) I genuinely think that Grotty can come from third here and win this seat. Lib Dem Gain.