2003 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election

Last updated

Map of the results for the 2003 Solihull council election. Solihull UK local election 2003 map.png
Map of the results for the 2003 Solihull council election.

The 2003 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 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 ran the council with 28 seats, compared to 13 for Labour and 10 for the Liberal Democrats, with 17 seats being contested in the election. [2] The election came after a by-election in Shirley West ward in March 2003, which saw the Liberal Democrats gain the seat on a swing of 26%, [2] [3] making that ward a key seat in the election. [4]

Issues in the election included broad opposition to windfall development, while Labour campaigned on a north–south divide they said was evident in the council. [2] Proposals for the expansion of Birmingham Airport divided the parties, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats opposing expansion, while almost all Labour councillors supported it. [4] A recent increase in council tax of 11% was another issue in the election, with the ruling Conservative group blaming the increase on the national Labour government due to a change in the grant, [4] but the Labour Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford said the increase was double that of other local Labour controlled councils. [5]

Election result

The results saw the Conservatives keep a 5-seat majority on the council. [6] The Conservatives gained one seat from the Liberal Democrats in Packwood ward, but lost another one back to the Liberal Democrats in Shirley West. [7]

Solihull Local Election Result 2003 [8]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 911052.951.322,557+2.1%
  Liberal Democrats 411023.530.813,524+3.7%
  Labour 400023.517.97,850-5.8%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections : [9]

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Conservatives2828
Labour1313
Liberal Democrat1010
Total5151
Working majority 5  5 

Ward results

Bickenhill [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Martin1,76567.9+27.8
Labour Florence Nash74728.7−25.5
Liberal Democrats Douglas Hogg893.4−2.3
Majority1,01839.1−25.0
Turnout 2,60125.2−10.5
Conservative hold Swing +26.6
Castle Bromwich [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robin Draycott1,73166.8+1.4
Labour James Moore58922.7−1.6
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Daniell27010.4+0.1
Majority1,14244.1+3.1
Turnout 2,59028.2−3.6
Conservative hold Swing +1.5
Chelmsley Wood [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Nicholas Stephens71958.8−3.4
Conservative Martin McCarthy33027.0+2.8
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Wright17314.2+0.6
Majority38931.8−6.2
Turnout 1,22216.9−2.7
Labour hold Swing -3.1
Elmdon [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Bramham1,26848.1+3.4
Liberal Democrats Nigel Dyer86432.8+18.6
Labour Frederick Churchill50219.1−22.0
Majority40415.3+11.6
Turnout 2,63433.8−3.9
Conservative hold Swing -7.6
Fordbridge [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kenneth Harrop48556.1−5.2
Conservative Michael Robinson25229.2+2.5
Liberal Democrats Christopher Hayes12714.7+2.6
Majority23327.0−7.6
Turnout 86415.0−4.8
Labour hold Swing -3.8
Kingshurst [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Kimberley66959.8−3.5
Conservative David Plaister36032.2+5.4
Liberal Democrats Bernard Wright908.0−2.0
Majority30927.6−8.9
Turnout 1,11920.7−3.1
Labour hold Swing -4.4
Knowle [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative James Blake2,17371.4+6.1
Liberal Democrats David Small56318.5−3.0
Labour Patricia Harrop30710.1−3.1
Majority1,61052.9+9.1
Turnout 3,04334.9−2.0
Conservative hold Swing +4.5
Lyndon [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Olive Hogg1,47967.3+1.9
Conservative Gary Allport44120.1+0.4
Labour Catherine Connan27912.7−2.2
Majority1,03847.2+1.6
Turnout 2,19928.9−2.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +0.7
Meriden [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Kenneth Allsopp2,05464.2−5.4
Labour Jonathan Maltman58118.2+1.7
Liberal Democrats Peter Whitlock56317.6+3.6
Majority1,47346.1−7.0
Turnout 3,19834.0−2.0
Conservative hold Swing -3.5
Olton [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Honor Cox1,95363.4+1.6
Conservative Jeffrey Stocks94230.6+0.2
Labour Rajeshwar Singh1876.1−1.7
Majority1,01132.8+1.4
Turnout 3,08233.6−5.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +0.7
Packwood [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Courts2,52262.4+1.7
Liberal Democrats Christine Reeves1,22630.4−2.4
Labour Kenneth Nye2917.2+0.7
Majority1,29632.1+4.1
Turnout 4,03934.6−3.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +2.0
Shirley East [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John Reeve1,56749.8−7.3
Conservative Patricia Handslip1,30741.5+6.5
Labour Kevin Raven2738.7+0.8
Majority2608.3−13.8
Turnout 3,14734.4−4.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing -6.9
Shirley South [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Fiona Oakes1,89753.3−1.0
Liberal Democrats Roger Gemmell1,15132.3+4.6
Labour James Burman51214.4−3.7
Majority74621.0−5.6
Turnout 3,56027.5−1.2
Conservative hold Swing -2.8
Shirley West [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Susan Reeve1,49256.3+35.2
Conservative David Skelding84331.8−22.3
Labour Arthur Harper31712.0−12.8
Majority64924.5−4.8
Turnout 2,65229.5−0.9
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +28.7
Silhill [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Susan Gomm1,84961.4−0.3
Liberal Democrats Barbara Harber79426.4+2.9
Labour Una Kimberley37012.3−2.5
Majority1,05535.0−3.1
Turnout 3,01330.7−4.6
Conservative hold Swing -1.6
Smith's Wood [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Donald Cornock71659.9−5.2
Conservative Daniel Kettle30725.7+3.9
Liberal Democrats Brenda Davies17314.5+1.4
Majority40934.2−9.1
Turnout 1,19616.5−1.9
Labour hold Swing -4.5
St Alphege [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Stuart Davis2,51666.7+0.6
Liberal Democrats Brenda Chapple95025.2+1.0
Labour Marcus Bennion3068.1−1.6
Majority1,56641.5−0.4
Turnout 3,77234.1−3.0
Conservative hold Swing -0.2

References

  1. "Local elections". BBC News . Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Watts, Anna (8 April 2003). "Solihull council nominations". Birmingham Mail . p. 13.
  3. "Birmingham Elections: Conservatives view poll as start of gradual march back to power". Birmingham Post . 15 April 2003. p. 4.
  4. 1 2 3 Connor, Neil (24 April 2003). "Election 2003: Airport controversy acting as runway for election take-off ; In the run-up to the local council elections on May 1, The Birmingham Post will be looking at some of the region's key election battlegrounds. Neil Connor puts Solihull under the spotlight". Birmingham Post . p. 4.
  5. Walker, Jonathan (30 April 2003). "Labour and Tories cross swords as battle for Midlands begins". Birmingham Post . p. 1.
  6. "Local elections 2003: Still true blue!; Solihull Tories maintain control after early blow". Birmingham Mail . 2 May 2003. p. 1.
  7. "Elections 2003: Early scare but Tories stand fast; Solihull". Birmingham Mail . 2 May 2003. p. 14.
  8. 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.
  9. "Tories stay in control". Coventry Evening Telegraph . 3 May 2003. p. 5.