2002 Worthing Borough Council election

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2002 Worthing Borough Council election
Flag of West Sussex.svg
  2000 2 May 2002 (2002-05-02) 2003  

12 out of 36 seats to Worthing Borough Council
19 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  No image wide.svg No image wide.svg
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Last election16 seats20 seats
Seats before1620
Seats won75
Seats after1917
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 3Decrease2.svg 3
Popular vote10,38710,621
Percentage43.9%44.9%

Council control before election


Conservative

Council control after election


Liberal Democrats

The 2002 Worthing Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Worthing Borough Council in West Sussex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council from the Conservative Party. [1] Overall turnout was 30.67%. [2]

Contents

After the previous election in 2000 the Conservatives had controlled the council with 20 seats compared to the Liberal Democrats 16. [3] 12 seats were up for election in 2002 with the Liberal Democrats needing to gain 2 seats to make Worthing a hung council. [4] Issues in the election included litter, the introduction of palm trees on the seafront and a recent 10.3% increase in council tax. [4]

The results saw the Liberal Democrats make 3 gains from the Conservatives to take control. [5] They gained all three of the seats they had been targeting in Castle, Gaisford and Selden wards. [2] The Conservatives put their defeat down to a proposed Asda at Worthing College and on the recent increase in council tax which they blamed on the national government. [2] The Liberal Democrats pledged to work for a "clean and safe Worthing". [2] Following the election the Conservative mayor-elect, John Livermore, stepped down, refusing to serve as mayor with the Liberal Democrats in control of the council. [6]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Election result

Worthing Local Election Result 2002 [2]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Liberal Democrats 730+358.343.910,387
  Conservative 503-341.744.910,621
  Labour 000007.61,804
  Green 000003.5825

Ward results

Broadwater [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Eric Mardell1,14868.8
Conservative Jack Saheid37222.3
Labour Ann Saunders1488.9
Majority 77646.5
Turnout 1,66825.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Castle [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Maria Moynan96651.0
Conservative Mark O'Keeffe63333.4
Labour Peter Barnes23812.6
Green Derek Colkett563.0
Majority 33317.6
Turnout 1,89331.7
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Central [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Janet Goldsbrough-Jones90358.7
Conservative Martin Coppard44528.9
Labour Brian Gill19112.4
Majority 45829.8
Turnout 1,53926.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Durrington [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Christine Allen1,47064.8
Conservative Alan Whiteley65929.0
Green John Dwyer1416.2
Majority 81135.8
Turnout 2,27030.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Gaisford [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Donald Lissenburg96249.1
Conservative Brian Turner74037.8
Labour Joy Hurcombe1698.6
Green Marie Hillcoat894.5
Majority 22211.3
Turnout 1,96030.3
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Goring [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Marchant1,80071.3
Liberal Democrats Nick Rodgers72428.7
Majority 1,07642.6
Turnout 2,52437.6
Conservative hold Swing
Heene [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Livermore98958.3
Liberal Democrats Jenny Bennett55732.9
Green Heather Rogers1498.8
Majority 43225.4
Turnout 1,69527.3
Conservative hold Swing
Marine [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Francis Wingate1,23560.7
Liberal Democrats Brian Stephenson38819.1
Labour Barrie Slater23011.3
Green Lucie Colkett1828.9
Majority 84741.6
Turnout 2,03531.7
Conservative hold Swing
Offington [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Graham Fabes1,40464.6
Liberal Democrats Paul Daniels50223.1
Labour John Gardiner1537.0
Green Rosemary Hook1155.3
Majority 90241.5
Turnout 2,17434.7
Conservative hold Swing
Salvington [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Valerie Sutton1,17660.6
Liberal Democrats Liz Mardell55028.4
Labour Hazel Rennie 21411.0
Majority 62632.2
Turnout 1,94029.8
Conservative hold Swing
Selden [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats James Doyle92044.8
Conservative Paul High73335.7
Labour John Turley30915.0
Green Dave Yates934.5
Majority 1879.1
Turnout 2,05533.5
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Tarring [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Bob Smytherman1,29768.8
Conservative Mary Harding43523.1
Labour Ian Sandell1528.1
Majority 86245.7
Turnout 1,88428.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References

  1. "Worthing". BBC News. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Lib Dems take Worthing". The Argus . Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  3. "Countdown to political battle". The Argus. 11 April 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Tories in fight for Worthing". The Argus. 2 May 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  5. "Town halls change hands". The Argus. 3 May 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  6. "Tory says no to top job after elections". The Argus. 4 May 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  7. "Election results; Local Elections". The Times. 3 May 2002. p. 6.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "The Worthing Borough Council elections 1 May 2003" (PDF). Political Science Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2009.