1999 Bromsgrove District Council election

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The 1999 Bromsgrove District Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Bromsgrove district council in Worcestershire, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from the Labour Party. [1]

Contents

Campaign

The Labour party had won control of the council in the previous election in 1995 for the first time and were hopeful of staying in control of the council. [2] They pledged to maintain bus passes for the elderly and press on with CCTV in the town centre. [2] However the Conservatives attacked Labour for having increased council tax over the last four years, including 9.73% in the last year. [3] A proposed development on the local recreation ground for an arts and leisure centre was a major issue in the campaign, with Labour saying it would be good for Bromsgrove, while the Conservatives pledged to try to save the recreation ground. [3] During the campaign the Conservative party leader William Hague visited Bromsgrove with the local Member of Parliament Julie Kirkbride to rally party activists. [2]

Before the election the Conservatives required a 7% swing to gain control of the council, with Bromsgrove seen as a key council in the local elections across England. [4] [5] A by-election in October 1998 in Catshill ward was seen as a good sign for the Conservatives after they gained the seat with a swing of over 25%. [6] In total 80 candidates stood in the election from the Labour party, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and the Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association. [7] Candidates included seven couples and former Conservative councillors such as Joy Buchby and Nick Psirides. Meanwhile, the only Liberal Democrat councillor, Sandra Docker, stood down at the election. [7]

Just before the election there was controversy over Labour Party leaflets that were sent to pensioners claiming that the Conservatives would abolish free bus passes for pensioners. [8] The Conservatives denied they would end the bus passes and reported Labour to the Data Protection Registrar, claiming that confidential council records had been used to send the leaflets to target pensioners, although Labour denied this. [8]

Election result

The results in Bromsgrove were one of the first to come in across the country and saw the Conservatives retake control of the council gaining 17 seats. [9] Conservative gains included the Labour leader on the council, Trevor Porter in Sidemoor ward, [10] and the council chairman, Trevor Crashley in Whitford ward. [11] The Conservatives also made two wins in Sidemoor ward, where they had never won any seats before, with swings reaching up to 40% in some wards. [10]

Defeated candidates saw a low turnout and the plans to develop the recreation ground as responsible for their defeats, [11] with the neighbouring Labour MP Michael John Foster blaming the results on local, rather than national, issues. [12] Following the election William Hague visited Bromsgrove again to celebrate the results, both in Bromsgrove and nationally. [13] Overall turnout in the election was 37.4%. [14]

Bromsgrove local election result 1999 [15] [16]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 30+1776.956.629,876
  Labour 7-1617.935.318,637
 Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association205.14.52,382
  Liberal Democrats 0-103.61,912

Ward results

Alvechurch (3) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J Luck1,108
Conservative J Griffiths1,044
Conservative B Taylor1,002
Labour D Waters723
Labour S Oliver677
Labour A Clewlow604
Turnout 5,15837.3
Barnt Green (2) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative A Doyle1,309
Conservative M Taylor1,253
Liberal Democrats T Gray458
Labour J Cochrane412
Turnout 3,43243.1
Beacon (2) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour D McGrath598
Labour P Williamson509
Conservative G Bennett432
Liberal Democrats G Ray298
Turnout 1,83734.5
Catshill (3) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative P Collins1,095
Conservative S Bushby999
Conservative D Gardner941
Labour S Farr551
Labour G Witcomb543
Labour A Deakin534
Turnout 4,66335.0
Charford (2) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour L McNamara829
Labour C Brooks798
Conservative B Graham494
Conservative J Pardoe440
Turnout 2,56130.7
Cofton Hackett [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative R Deeming37072.0
Labour J Peel14428.0
Majority 22644.0
Turnout 51435.5
Drakes Cross (3) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J Dyer811
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' AssociationG Denaro662
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' AssociationJ Gardener659
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' AssociationL Wright620
Conservative D Woodward-Sheath592
Labour C Brooks286
Turnout 3,63024.8
Furlongs (2) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative P Barnsley932
Conservative T Matthews834
Labour M Harford318
Turnout 2,08436.9
Hagley (2) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative M Oliver914
Conservative H Whitehouse869
Labour A Zalin274
Turnout 2,05734.9
Majors Green [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative P Duddy38363.3
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' AssociationP Harrison14924.6
Labour E Holmes7312.1
Majority 23438.7
Turnout 60536.6
Norton (3) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative D Norton1,542
Conservative C Lanham1,466
Conservative N Psirides1,418
Labour P Baker892
Labour R Clayton876
Labour W Newnes831
Turnout 7,02543.9
Sidemoor (3) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative R Dent844
Labour C Mole736
Conservative J Hancox733
Conservative B Gall707
Labour T Porter624
Labour G Hulett620
Liberal Democrats M Parr341
Turnout 4,60537.6
South Wythall [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative S Peters31847.3
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' AssociationH Allen29243.5
Labour P O'Connor629.2
Majority 263.8
Turnout 67236.7
Stoke Prior [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative C Tidmarsh61366.6
Labour A Wardle30833.4
Majority 30533.2
Turnout 92141.5
Stoney Hill (2) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative A Hadley1,130
Conservative E Shaw1,123
Labour C Rudge753
Labour S Shannon739
Liberal Democrats G Selway155
Turnout 3,90046.9
Tardebigge [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative P Whittaker50278.4
Labour R Cooke13821.6
Majority 36456.8
Turnout 64046.0
Uffdown and Waseley (3) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour P McDonald788
Conservative D Hancox741
Labour C Wilson636
Labour K McNamara601
Liberal Democrats G Mack438
Turnout 3,20439.3
Whitford (3) [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative E Tibby814
Conservative K Gall776
Conservative G Pardoe762
Labour T Crashley704
Labour M Holmes672
Labour J Marshall631
Liberal Democrats M Mihailovic222
Turnout 4,58136.9
Woodvale [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative M Gill56578.7
Labour B Sutherland15321.3
Majority 41257.4
Turnout 71841.2

References

  1. ↑ "How Britain voted: Council Election Results". The Independent . 8 May 1999. p. 12.
  2. 1 2 3 Summers, Deborah (21 April 1999). "Hague outsmarts Labour with bacon butty detour". Birmingham Post . p. 4.
  3. 1 2 "Candidates in battle of the giants Bromsgrove: Tories promise to save the Rec". Birmingham Mail . 9 April 1999. p. 6.
  4. ↑ Frean, Alexandra (5 May 1999). "Tory gains will give Hague little comfort". The Times . p. 9.
  5. ↑ "The armchair guide". The Times . 6 May 1999. p. 17.
  6. ↑ Game, Chris (6 May 1999). "Getting into the swing of parish pump issues Polling today may produce very different results to a General Election, says Chris Game". Birmingham Post . p. 13.
  7. 1 2 Smith, Sue (5 May 1999). "Local election countdown: Bromsgrove". Birmingham Mail . p. 6.
  8. 1 2 Summers, Deborah (5 May 1999). "Tories cry foul over Labour's bus pass scare election leaflets". Birmingham Post . p. 1.
  9. ↑ Frean, Alexandra (7 May 1999). "Tory gains are shot in the arm for party". The Times . p. 5.
  10. 1 2 "Tories regain Bromsgrove". The Times . 7 May 1999. p. 6.
  11. 1 2 Smith, Sue (7 May 1999). "Tories swept back in big turn-about: Worcestershire". Birmingham Mail . p. 7.
  12. ↑ Woodward, Will (7 May 1999). "Britain's elections:Tories claim gains put them back in business Labour takes comfort from mid-term vote share but lead belies national poll ratings". The Guardian . p. 8.
  13. ↑ Gray, Chris (8 May 1999). "The revival starts here vows Hague". Birmingham Post . p. 1.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "District Council Election" (PDF). Bromsgrove District Council. Retrieved 12 September 2009.[ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "Bromsgrove". BBC News Online . Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  16. ↑ "How the nations voted". The Times . 8 May 1999. p. 48.
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