2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election

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The 2003 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party kept overall control of the council. [1]

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Campaign

59 candidates stood in the election for the 20 seats that were being contested. [3] Labour stood in all 20 seats, while the Conservatives had 14 candidates, Liberal Democrats 12, independents 7, Progressives 5 and the British National Party 1. [3] As well as the postal voting that had been used in the 2002 election, South Tyneside was one of 4 councils which also trialed e-voting, enabling votes to be sent by phone, text message, email and be placed in special electronic voting kiosks. [4]

Labour were guaranteed to keep a majority on the council whatever the results, but both the Liberal Democrats and the Progressives hoped to make gains in the election, while the Conservatives aimed to gain a presence on the council. [5] Hebburn Quay was seen as being a key ward as the sitting Liberal Democrat councillor Catherine Tolson stood down at the election, and Labour had only been 20 votes from winning in 1999. [6] Labour defended their record in power including regeneration and improving care for the elderly, however they were attacked for increasing council tax bills and for the closure of leisure facilities. [5]

Election result

At the count the results were delayed for over an hour after there was a problem with the electronic counting system. [7] When the count was done, recounts were needed in both Cleadon and East Boldon and Whiteleas wards. [8]

The results saw Labour keep a strong majority on the council despite losing 2 seats to independents in Hebburn South and Whiteleas wards. [8] The Liberal Democrats managed to hold on to Hebburn Quay ward, [8] but lost Cleadon and East Boldon to the Conservatives. [9] The Conservative candidate in Cleadon and East Boldon, Donald Wood, won by 3 votes and thus became the first member of the party on the council since 1992. [9] Overall turnout in the election was 46.11%. [2]

South Tyneside Local Election Result 2003 [2]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 1502-275.049.025,685-3.5%
  Independent 220+210.09.04,747+4.0%
  Liberal Democrats 101-15.016.88,811-5.4%
  Conservative 110+15.015.98,351+3.5%
 South Tyneside Progressives10005.08.54,445+0.7%
  BNP 000000.8420+0.8%

Ward results

All Saints [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James Caine1,09650.8−14.1
South Tyneside ProgressivesRobert Burdon1,06349.2+21.5
Majority 331.6−35.6
Turnout 2,15939.9
Labour hold Swing
Beacon and Bents [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Wood1,34951.3−3.8
South Tyneside ProgressivesGordon Finch60222.9−22.0
BNP David Delaney42016.0+16.0
Independent William Mitcheson2619.9+9.9
Majority 74728.4+18.2
Turnout 2,63247.4
Labour hold Swing
Bede [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Thomas Defty1,38167.7−10.3
Liberal Democrats Muriel Coe46422.7+0.7
Conservative Christopher Taylor1959.6+9.6
Majority 91745.0−11.0
Turnout 2,04040.7
Labour hold Swing
Biddick Hall [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Linda Waggott1,47369.8+6.3
Conservative James Cain63630.2+20.4
Majority 83739.6+2.8
Turnout 2,10941.4
Labour hold Swing
Boldon Colliery [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Lynch1,86459.2−8.3
Liberal Democrats Frederick Taylor67521.4+0.5
Conservative Gerald Brebner35011.1−0.4
Independent Colin Campbell2628.3+8.3
Majority 1,18937.8−8.8
Turnout 3,15146.4
Labour hold Swing
Cleadon and East Boldon [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Donald Wood1,57041.0+9.6
Liberal Democrats Peter Carlin-Page1,56740.9−6.6
Labour David Wood69618.2−2.9
Majority 30.1
Turnout 3,83352.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Cleadon Park [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James Foreman1,20548.6+2.9
Conservative Martin Anderson71929.0+29.0
Liberal Democrats Alison Taylor55322.3+2.7
Majority 48619.6+8.6
Turnout 2,47744.8
Labour hold Swing
Fellgate and Hedworth [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Paul Waggott1,63458.1−9.1
Independent George Waddle83529.7+29.7
Conservative Philip Parkinson34212.2+0.6
Majority 79928.4−17.6
Turnout 2,81144.0
Labour hold Swing
Harton [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Robert Dix1,15643.5−8.0
South Tyneside ProgressivesLawrence Nolan63223.8+23.8
Liberal Democrats Dorothy Grainger44516.8−9.0
Conservative Karl Arthur42315.9−6.8
Majority 52419.7−6.0
Turnout 2,65649.5
Labour hold Swing
Hebburn Quay [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Constance Ridgway1,34849.7−8.5
Labour John Hodgson1,20944.5+2.7
Conservative Stewart Jackson1575.8+5.8
Majority 1375.2−11.2
Turnout 2,71446.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Hebburn South [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent John McCabe1,17549.6+18.8
Labour Thomas Bamford98841.7−4.9
Conservative John Coe2048.6+2,4
Majority 1877.9
Turnout 2,36750.7
Independent gain from Labour Swing
Horsley Hill [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Arthur Meeks1,41846.2−4.5
Conservative Patricia Pigott96631.4−5.4
Liberal Democrats John Mortson68822.4+9.9
Majority 45214.8+0.9
Turnout 3,07251.6
Labour hold Swing
Monkton [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James Sewell1,47856.6−0.4
Liberal Democrats Sheila Bennett78530.0−2.0
Conservative John Cameron35013.4+2.4
Majority 69326.6+1.6
Turnout 2,61342.2
Labour hold Swing
Primrose [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James Perry1,65864.6+4.6
Conservative Walter Armstrong59423.1+10.7
Independent John Bissett31612.3+12.3
Majority 1,06441.5+9.1
Turnout 2,56841.0
Labour hold Swing
Refendyke [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Scott Duffy1,14050.3−6.1
Independent Dorothy Golightly50022.1+22.1
Liberal Democrats Susan Troupe39517.4−5.3
South Tyneside ProgressivesMarjorie Robinson23010.2−10.7
Majority 64028.2−5.5
Turnout 2,26542.2
Labour hold Swing
Tyne Dock and Simonside [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Edward Malcolm1,20264.6+4.9
Liberal Democrats Gary Ahmed65835.4+8.7
Majority 54429.2−3.8
Turnout 1,86043.4
Labour hold Swing
West Park [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South Tyneside ProgressivesJames Capstick1,91870.8+9.7
Labour Mervyn Owen79129.2−9.7
Majority 1,12741.6+19.4
Turnout 2,70948.1
Westoe [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Allen Branley1,24340.7−1.4
Conservative George Wilkinson1,11836.6+1.4
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Burke69122.6−0.1
Majority 1254.1−2.8
Turnout 3,05248.6
Labour hold Swing
Whitburn and Marsden [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Shirley Stratford1,31250.8+0.2
Conservative Miles Atkinson72728.2+1.2
Liberal Democrats David Selby54221.0−1.4
Majority 58522.6−1.0
Turnout 2,58148.8
Labour hold Swing
Whiteleas [2] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent John Haram1,39850.1+14.2
Labour Ernest Gibson1,39249.9−0.9
Majority 60.2
Turnout 2,79050.3
Independent gain from Labour Swing

References

  1. "Local elections". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Local Government Elections 1st May 2003". South Tyneside Council. Archived from the original on 26 June 2003. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  3. 1 2 Redvers, Louise (2 April 2003). "BNP bid to seize Town Hall seats". Evening Chronicle . p. 10.
  4. "Hi-tech voting for borough". Evening Chronicle . 10 April 2003. p. 2.
  5. 1 2 Dargie, Alison (24 April 2003). "Opposition looking for rare gains". The Journal. p. 18.
  6. "Liberal Democrats' foothold targeted". The Journal. 24 April 2003. p. 18.
  7. "Labour majority slashed in city". The Journal. 2 May 2003. p. 44.
  8. 1 2 3 "South Tyneside". The Journal. 2 May 2003. p. 4.
  9. 1 2 "Election 2003 results". The Journal. 3 May 2003. p. 30.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Changes". South Tyneside Council. Archived from the original on 26 June 2003. Retrieved 20 February 2010.