2002 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Map of the results for the 2002 Solihull council election. Solihull UK local election 2002 map.png
Map of the results for the 2002 Solihull council election.

The 2002 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council. [1]

Contents

Campaign

Before the election the Conservatives held 29 seats, compared to 14 for Labour and 8 for the Liberal Democrats, with 17 seats being contested in the election. [2] The Conservatives had held a majority on the council since gaining 4 seats at the 2000 election. [2]

Issues in the election included a proposed development by Asda in Shirley, the fate of the Accident and Emergency department at Solihull hospital and new housing developments. [3] [4] Labour also wanted to address a north-south divide in the council area and opposed any transfer of council housing from council control. [3] [4]

Election result

The results saw the Conservatives stay in control of the council with 29 of the 51 seats after only 2 seats changed parties. [5] A couple of former councillors returned to the council, the former Labour leader of the council Michael Corser in Chelmsley Wood and Liberal Democrat June Gandy in Shirley East. [5]

Solihull Local Election Result 2002 [6] [7]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 911052.949.224,309-9.7%
  Labour 501-129.423.711,741+5.5%
  Liberal Democrats 310+117.627.113,390+4.5%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections : [8]

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Conservatives2929
Labour1413
Liberal Democrat89
Total5151
Working majority 7  7 

Ward results

Bickenhill [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jim Ryan2,01354.2+27.0
Conservative Joan Allsopp1,49140.1−25.9
Liberal Democrats Douglas Hogg2105.7−1.1
Majority52214.1−24.7
Turnout 3,71435.7+4.2
Labour hold Swing +26.4
Castle Bromwich [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Beryl Kellie1,94065.4−9.3
Labour James Moore72224.3+6.3
Liberal Democrats John Knight30610.3+3.0
Majority1,21841.0−15.7
Turnout 2,96831.8+1.4
Conservative hold Swing -7.8
Chelmsley Wood [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Michael Corser90062.2+8.4
Conservative Robert Courts35024.2−9.2
Liberal Democrats Bernard Wright19713.6+0.9
Majority55038.0+17.6
Turnout 1,44719.6+4.1
Labour hold Swing +8.8
Elmdon [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Kenneth Hawkins1,33044.7−13.3
Labour Sheila Brookes1,22141.1+5.8
Liberal Democrats Barbara Harber42314.2+7.4
Majority1093.7−19.0
Turnout 2,97437.7−0.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -9.5
Fordbridge [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jacqueline Moore72261.3+12.6
Conservative Michael Robinson31426.7−8.9
Liberal Democrats Christopher Hayes14212.1−3.5
Majority40834.6+21.5
Turnout 1,17819.8+5.2
Labour hold Swing +10.7
Kingshurst [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jeffrey Potts83063.3+16.5
Conservative Graham Juniper35126.8−7.3
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Wright13110.0+3.1
Majority47936.5+23.8
Turnout 1,31223.8+0.9
Labour hold Swing +11.9
Knowle [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Diana Holl-Allen2,10665.3−8.1
Liberal Democrats Nigel Dyer69321.5+5.1
Labour Patricia Harrop42713.2+3.0
Majority1,41343.8−13.3
Turnout 3,22636.9+1.6
Conservative hold Swing -6.6
Lyndon [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Robert Reeves1,58365.4+7.2
Conservative Gary Allport47819.7−9.1
Labour Catherine Connan36014.9+1.9
Majority1,10545.6+16.3
Turnout 2,42131.8+3.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +8.1
Meriden [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Peter Lea2,36969.6+0.6
Labour Jonathan Maltman56116.5−0.5
Liberal Democrats Peter Whitlock47514.0+0.0
Majority1,80853.1+1.1
Turnout 3,40536.0+3.7
Conservative hold Swing +0.5
Olton [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John Windmill2,19261.8+11.0
Conservative Patricia Handslip1,07830.4−12.3
Labour Eric Collins2777.8+1.3
Majority1,11431.4+23.2
Turnout 3,54738.6+2.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +11.6
Packwood [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Kenneth Meeson2,62760.7+4.6
Liberal Democrats Eric Widger1,41732.8−6.3
Labour Florence Nash2816.5+1.6
Majority1,21028.0+11.0
Turnout 4,32537.9−3.2
Conservative hold Swing +5.4
Shirley East [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats June Gandy2,02857.1+14.2
Conservative Brian Burgess1,24235.0−16.3
Labour Kevin Raven2797.9+2.1
Majority78622.1+13.7
Turnout 3,54939.1+0.1
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +15.2
Shirley South [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Evans2,02354.3−13.0
Liberal Democrats Roger Gemmell1,03127.7+13.2
Labour Barney McElholm67318.1+0.0
Majority99226.6−22.6
Turnout 3,72728.7+2.5
Conservative hold Swing -13.1
Shirley West [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Lewis1,48754.1−8.9
Labour Arthur Harper68124.8+1.9
Liberal Democrats Anthony Verduyn58121.1+7.0
Majority80629.3−10.7
Turnout 2,74930.4+0.9
Conservative hold Swing -5.4
Silhill [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Sheila Pittaway2,14561.7−6.0
Liberal Democrats Brenda Chapple81923.5+3.3
Labour Marcus Bennion51414.8+2.7
Majority1,32638.1−9.5
Turnout 3,47835.3+1.6
Conservative hold Swing -4.6
Smith's Wood [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Hugh Hendry88765.1+10.1
Conservative Daniel Kettle29721.8−11.0
Liberal Democrats Keith Brown17913.1+0.8
Majority59043.3+21.3
Turnout 1,36318.4+3.9
Labour hold Swing +10.5
St Alphege [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Kathleen Wild2,68166.1−8.6
Liberal Democrats Christine Reeves98324.2+8.2
Labour James Burman3939.7+0.4
Majority1,69841.9−16.9
Turnout 4,05737.1+2.6
Conservative hold Swing -8.4

By-elections between 2002 and 2003

Shirley West by-election 13 March 2003 [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Howard Allen1,17954.9+33.8
Conservative Joan Allsopp77736.2−17.9
Labour Arthur Harper1928.9−15.9
Majority40218.7−10.6
Turnout 2,14823.8−6.6
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +25.8

References

  1. "Solihull". BBC News. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Shaky Labour dreads upset; How the candidates line up for the May 2 council elections". Birmingham Mail . 12 April 2002. p. 8.
  3. 1 2 Hudson, Jenny (26 April 2002). "Local elections 2002: A safe bet Solihull will not be changing, but watch Shirley ; In the second in a series of profiles looking at key areas where local council elections will be held on May 2, Jenny Hudson looks at Solihull". Birmingham Post . p. 4.
  4. 1 2 Watts, Anna (1 May 2002). "Tories poised to stay in control; Mail news focus on tomorrow's local elections". Birmingham Mail . p. 5.
  5. 1 2 Watts, Anna (3 May 2002). "Local Election Results 2002: True Blue Solihull". Birmingham Mail . p. 20.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Borough Council election" (PDF). Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  7. "Election results; Local Election". The Times. 4 May 2002. p. 16.
  8. "Full results". Financial Times. 4 May 2002. p. 7.
  9. Dale, Paul (15 March 2003). "Solihull election shock as Tories swept aside". Birmingham Post . p. 1.