THE Labour stronghold of Torfaen has been held by Paul Murphy - the Northern Ireland secretary - for nearly 20 years.

The area's main centres of Cwmbran, Pontypool, and Blaenavon have traditionally stuck by Labour.

Labour has run the county borough council since the local government reorganisation of 1992. It has 34 out of the 44 council seats in the administration. And in the National Assembly, Labour AM Lynne Neagle won two successive elections.

For voters, crime and fear of crime, along with youth disorder will be key issues. Communities across the constituency have been dogged by anti-social behaviour and car crime.

Older people have voiced anger about rising council tax rates. Last year pensioners marched on the council's headquarters in protest. The LEA found itself under fire over proposed school closures, so education will be high on the agenda.

As elsewhere, the state of the NHS will dominate. A reduction in local GP services in Pontypool has been a burning issue.

Cwmbran has traditionally faired better with its attraction as a major shopping centre and massive private investment, though disorder problems persist on outlying estates.

A common complaint among older people, in particular, is that the town centre 'dies' after the shops close, leaving it deserted apart from gangs of youths.

Police and the local authority brought in a dispersal order to tackle this. Meanwhile, Fairwater and Thornhill suffer from a high level of disorder and crime. They were among the first in Torfaen to have anti-social behaviour orders.

The town is the busy retail centre of the constituency, and attracts visitors by its extensive shopping centre, and free parking.

The council unveiled plans for a £100 million revamp of the town centre with the aim of bringing in more residential and leisure development. Social deprivation and regeneration are also key issues. Trevethin, St Cadocs and Penygarn in Pontypool, and Thornhill in Cwmbran, score high on the National Assembly's deprivation index, and attract significant Communities First funding.

The constituency's last steelworks, in Panteg, closed in 2004, and is set to become a new housing estate, while the former mining town of Blaenavon gained World Heritage Status in 2000 and is a conservation site.

Both Blaenavon and Pontypool have endured a long-term slump in fortunes.Blaenavon's Big Pit mining museum and historic ironworks attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, while the town itself has become a 'booktown' like Hay-on-Wye.

Pontypool is also on the up following the completion of a £10 million retail project.