2003 Redditch Borough Council election

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The 2003 Redditch Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Redditch Borough Council in the West Midlands region, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control. [1]

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Campaign

The Conservative Party was hoping to gain control over the council, which before the election was controlled by Labour with the support of the Liberal Democrats. [3] 10 seats were being contested with the Labour Party defending 6 of the seats. [4] Labour needed to gain one seat to regain their majority, while the Conservatives needed 3 gains to also win a majority. [5] The key wards targeted by the Conservatives were Central, Greenlands and Lodge Park. [5]

The Conservatives were hoping to gain from voters who were unhappy over council tax rises and they pledged to only increase it by the inflation rate over the next three years if they won control. [3] Meanwhile, Labour pledged to use new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour and said they were making a difference in the town. [3] [4] Other issues raised in the election included an Audit Commission report on the housing department and the poor use of tourist attractions in the borough. [4]

Election result

The results saw the Labour Party lose four seats, two each to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. [6] The Liberal Democrats gained in Church Hill and Winyates, while the Conservatives gained Central and Greenlands. [6] Among the Labour losses was the wife of the Labour leader, Helen Cartwright, and the planning committee chairman, Clive Cheetham. [6] The new Conservative councillor from Central ward, Mohammed Farooqui, became the youngest member of the council at the age of 24. [6]

As a result, the Conservatives became the largest party on the council with 14 seats. [6] They had only just missed winning a majority on the council after failing to gain Lodge Park by 64 votes. [6]

Redditch local election result 2003 [7]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 420+240.038.15,736-4.5
  Labour 304-430.036.55,496+3.5
  Liberal Democrats 320+230.025.43,821+2.2

Ward results

Abbey [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Nigel Hicks78771.0+7.3
Labour Alan Mason32229.0+6.7
Majority 46542.0+0.6
Turnout 1,10927.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Batchley [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Dorothy Dudley63046.5−5.5
Conservative Peter Anderson48635.9+1.6
Liberal Democrats Kathleen Cummings23817.6+4.0
Majority 14410.6−7.1
Turnout 1,35423.0
Labour hold Swing
Central [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Mohammed Farooqui73543.8−3.3
Labour Ronald Passingham64238.3−1.7
Liberal Democrats Robert Hanna30117.9+4.9
Majority 935.5−1.6
Turnout 1,67831.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Church Hill [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats David Gee66846.4
Labour David Hunt59441.3
Conservative Richard Lumley17712.3
Majority 745.1
Turnout 1,43928.5
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Crabbs Cross [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Field81455.3+4.8
Labour Gareth Young46531.6−5.7
Liberal Democrats Graham Pollard19313.1+0.8
Majority 34923.7+10.5
Turnout 1,47226.2
Conservative hold Swing
Greenlands [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Michael Braley73743.4+0.8
Labour Helen Cartwright66839.3−4.5
Liberal Democrats Anthony Pitt29417.3+3.7
Majority 694.1
Turnout 1,69926.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Lodge Park [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Mark Shurmer68246.6+11.0
Conservative Jean Smith61942.3+8.4
Liberal Democrats Ian Webster16311.1−3.9
Majority 634.3+2.6
Turnout 1,46429.7
Labour hold Swing
Matchborough [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gordon Kenney84253.6+2.8
Labour Roy Vickers45128.7−4.7
Liberal Democrats Christopher Hennessey27817.7+1.9
Majority 39124.9+7.5
Turnout 1,57125.3
Conservative hold Swing
West [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Patricia Wilson1,20862.1
Labour Patricia Witherspoon43022.1
Liberal Democrats Michael Ashall30715.8
Majority 77840.0
Turnout 1,94530.8
Conservative hold Swing
Winyates [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John Stanley59244.8−6.9
Labour Clive Cheetham51939.3+0.9
Conservative Juliet Brunner21116.0+6.1
Majority 735.5−7.8
Turnout 1,32227.8
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing

References

  1. "Redditch". BBC News Online . Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  2. "Election Results". The Times . 2 May 2003. p. 17.
  3. 1 2 3 "Worcestershire council nominations: Tories threaten to oust Labour; Redditch". Birmingham Mail . 8 April 2003. p. 13.
  4. 1 2 3 Docherty, Campbell (1 May 2003). "New Town is nearly 40 years old and in need of a new lease of life; In last year's local elections Redditch Borough Council slipped from overall Labour control for the first time in 20 years. Campbell Docherty looks ahead to this year's poll". Birmingham Post . p. 4.
  5. 1 2 Probert, Andy (2 May 2003). "Election 2003: Political control rests on knife-edge; Redditch". Birmingham Post . p. 3.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Local elections 2003: Tories in 64 vote despair; Redditch". Birmingham Mail . 2 May 2003. p. 11.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Redditch Borough Council: Borough Council election" (PDF). Political Science Resources. Retrieved 26 July 2009.