2002 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 2002 Wigan council election. Wigan96.png
Map of the results of the 2002 Wigan council election.

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 2 May 2002, with one-third of the council to be re-elected. There had been a number of by-elections in the gap year, with a Labour gain from the Liberal Democrats in Hindsford, effectively cancelling out an earlier loss to them in Atherton. A Labour hold in Hope Carr in-between left both parties unchanged going into the election.

Contents

Candidates contesting rose slightly on the prior election's, with the Socialist Alliance's debut eclipsing the Liberal Democrat offering, with 9 candidates to 8, and the newly formed Community Action Party fielding their first handful, as well as a sole BNP contender in Abram. This counteracted the traditional opposition parties - the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - fielding slightly less this year and one fewer Independent contester than the last election.

The worrying string of poor turnout seen in recent elections was partially reversed, as turnout rose by a quarter upon the 2000s figure of 19.5%, to 25.2%. The Conservatives and the Independents fell back from their impressive performances in 2000, to the benefit of the newcomers, with Community Action immediately gaining two seats in the previously-unblemished Labour strongholds of Bryn and Lightshaw. Labour successfully defended Orrell from another Tory gain, but suffered a loss in the former Conservative bastion of Swinley, with the Conservatives holding representation in Orrell and Swinley for the first time in just shy of twenty years. Elsewhere, the Lib Dems comfortably captured another seat in Hindsford. These gains reverted Labour's majority to a more normative 58, ending their five-year peak. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Election result

Wigan Local Election Result 2002
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 2004-483.356.732,772-0.2%
  Community Action 220+28.39.25,307+9.2%
  Conservative 110+14.217.29,936-7.9%
  Liberal Democrats 110+14.211.66,681-0.3%
  Socialist Alliance 00000.02.51,428+2.5%
  Independent 00000.01.5859-2.9%
  BNP 00000.01.0571+1.0%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Labour6965
Liberal Democrat23
Community Action02
Conservative12
Socialist Alliance00
Independent00
BNP00
Total7272
Working majority 66  58 

Ward results

Abram [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Eunice Smethurst1,63165.2−3.6
BNP Dennis Shambley57122.8+22.8
Conservative Alicia Eccles29211.7−19.5
Rejected ballots70.3
Majority1,06042.4+4.7
Turnout 2,50128.1+15.7
Labour hold Swing -13.2
Ashton-Golborne [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Andrew Bullen1,31344.3−20.1
Community Action Stanley Barnes1,25042.1+42.1
Conservative Jonathan Cartwright30010.1−25.5
Socialist Alliance Marian Markham1003.4+3.4
Rejected ballots40.1
Majority632.1−26.7
Turnout 2,96726.9+11.1
Labour hold Swing -31.1
Aspull-Standish [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Hilton1,58444.3−5.8
Liberal Democrats Trevor Beswick1,09130.5+10.8
Conservative Barry Wolley79222.2−4.6
Socialist Alliance Janet Philips1052.9+2.9
Rejected ballots20.1
Majority49313.8−9.6
Turnout 3,57430.5+9.1
Labour hold Swing -8.3
Atherton [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Susan Loudon1,35354.8−8.6
Liberal Democrats Patricia Myler82733.5+12.7
Conservative Ann Davies1556.3−9.5
Independent David Shallcross1325.3+5.3
Rejected ballots10.0
Majority52621.3−21.3
Turnout 2,46828.6+8.3
Labour hold Swing -10.6
Bedford-Astley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Frederick WalkerUnopposedN/AN/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Beech Hill [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Garry Rankin1,41657.8+2.7
Liberal Democrats Malcolm Hudson77431.6−7.8
Independent William Hurst25210.3+10.3
Rejected ballots90.4
Majority64226.2+10.4
Turnout 2,45127.1+1.0
Labour hold Swing +5.2
Bryn [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Community Action John Hodgkinson1,39748.0+48.0
Labour Alan Melling1,31145.0−24.4
Conservative Marion Green2006.9−23.7
Rejected ballots30.1
Majority862.9−36.0
Turnout 2,91129.4+12.2
Community Action gain from Labour Swing +36.2
Hindley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Stuart Shaw1,65673.7+24.1
Conservative Andre Walker56725.2+13.4
Rejected ballots251.1
Majority1,08948.4+37.5
Turnout 2,24821.3+3.8
Labour hold Swing +5.3
Hindley Green [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Stanley Simmons1,53571.7+23.2
Conservative Rosina Oxley58027.1+8.1
Rejected ballots271.3
Majority95544.6+28.7
Turnout 2,14219.6+3.6
Labour hold Swing +7.5
Hindsford [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Neil Hogg1,72455.4+8.9
Labour Philip Loudon1,02432.9−11.3
Independent Stephen Hall2347.5+3.2
Conservative William Graham1254.0−0.9
Rejected ballots40.1
Majority70022.5+20.3
Turnout 3,11128.5+4.8
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing +10.1
Hope Carr [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kevin Anderson1,49852.1+13.0
Conservative Andrew Oxley71324.8−3.0
Community Action Peter Solinas54919.1+19.1
Socialist Alliance Keith Fry1043.6+3.6
Rejected ballots110.4
Majority78527.3+16.0
Turnout 2,87528.1+4.3
Labour hold Swing +8.0
Ince [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Joan Hurst1,23176.3+1.2
Socialist Alliance Michael Doherty20012.4+12.4
Conservative Robert Rees17610.9−3.4
Rejected ballots60.4
Majority1,03163.9+3.1
Turnout 1,61321.2+6.2
Labour hold Swing -5.6
Langtree [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John O'Neill1,73351.9+4.0
Conservative Gareth Fairhurst98829.6−3.9
Liberal Democrats Freda Graham60718.2−0.4
Rejected ballots110.3
Majority74522.3+7.9
Turnout 3,33928.7+8.5
Labour hold Swing +3.9
Leigh Central [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Peter Smith1,29871.5+1.3
Conservative Timothy Matthews30116.6−13.2
Community Action Daniel Burrows21211.7+11.7
Rejected ballots50.3
Majority99754.9+14.5
Turnout 1,81621.5+6.8
Labour hold Swing +7.2
Leigh East [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Anne Turnock1,57176.9+22.2
Conservative Derek Davies45422.2+2.9
Rejected ballots170.8
Majority1,11754.7+25.9
Turnout 2,04219.0+4.0
Labour hold Swing +9.6
Lightshaw [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Community Action Peter Franzen1,89944.5+44.5
Labour Tom Sherratt1,77641.7−18.6
Conservative James Grundy58113.6−26.1
Rejected ballots80.2
Majority1232.9−17.6
Turnout 4,26434.9+13.4
Community Action gain from Labour Swing +31.5
Newtown [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Christine Hitchen1,20476.9+8.0
Socialist Alliance Barry Conway33221.2+21.2
Rejected ballots291.9
Majority87255.7+9.5
Turnout 1,56518.8+5.8
Labour hold Swing -6.6
Norley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jeanette Prescott1,01783.5N/A
Socialist Alliance William Markham19516.0N/A
Rejected ballots60.5
Majority82267.5N/A
Turnout 1,21817.9N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Orrell [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ernest Swift1,47852.2+3.9
Conservative Stuart Foy1,33647.2−4.4
Rejected ballots150.5
Majority1425.0+1.8
Turnout 2,82930.4+9.1
Labour hold Swing +4.1
Swinley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative James Davies1,18940.3−1.0
Labour Susan Turner1,08436.8−8.4
Liberal Democrats Alan Robinson36512.4+0.3
Independent Stephen Halsall2418.2+6.7
Socialist Alliance Frances Thomas652.2+2.2
Rejected ballots50.2
Majority1053.6−0.2
Turnout 2,94934.4+7.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.7
Tyldesley East [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Brian Wilson1,57464.0+7.1
Liberal Democrats Richard Derricutt86635.2+2.3
Rejected ballots190.8
Majority70828.8+4.8
Turnout 2,45920.9+5.5
Labour hold Swing +2.4
Whelley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James Roberts1,39170.8−4.4
Liberal Democrats Jean Beswick42721.7+21.7
Socialist Alliance Judith Ford1387.0+7.0
Rejected ballots100.5
Majority96449.0−1.2
Turnout 1,96624.2−1.7
Labour hold Swing -13.0
Winstanley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Evans1,66764.6−0.7
Conservative Richard Clayton89534.7+0.0
Rejected ballots200.8
Majority77229.9−0.7
Turnout 2,58220.0−5.5
Labour hold Swing -0.3
Worsley Mesnes [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Rotherham1,42774.6+5.0
Conservative Thomas Sutton29215.3−15.1
Socialist Alliance Jacqueline Pointon1899.9+9.9
Rejected ballots60.3
Majority1,13559.3+20.1
Turnout 1,91420.1+7.1
Labour hold Swing +10.0

By-elections between 2002 and 2003

Leigh Central By-Election 26 September 2002 [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Myra Whiteside90462.6−8.9
Community Action Peter Solinas39227.1+15.4
Conservative Tim Matthews14910.3−6.3
Majority51235.5−19.4
Turnout 1,44517.1−4.4
Labour hold Swing -12.1

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Local Election Results - 2002". wiganmbc.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 13 June 2002. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Local Elections Archive Project: 2002 - W". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  5. "Myra 'thrilled to bits' by win". Leigh Reporter. 3 October 2002. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  6. "Local Authority Byelection Results". gwydir.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2012.