2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour Party in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue. St Helens UK local election 2002 map.png
Map of the results of the 2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour Party in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue.

The 2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council. [1]

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

Four councillors stood down at the election, Michael Blaney, Patricia Martinez-Williams, John Mealor and Bill Noctor, from Marshalls Cross, Windle, Haydock and West Sutton wards respectively. [3] In Marshalls Cross two seats were contested in 2003, after the death of councillor Valerie Beirne on 7 January 2003 in Whiston Hospital. [3]

Both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties contested all 19 seats that were up for election, while the Conservatives had 18 candidates and there was 1 Socialist Alliance and 1 independent candidate. [4] The Conservatives targeted gaining a seat in Windle, where the party had taken a seat from Labour for the last two election, while the Liberal Democrats aimed to make progress in Grange Park and Haydock wards. [4]

For the 2003 election, St Helens had a trial of all postal voting across the whole council in an attempt to double the 26% turnout at the last election in 2002. [3] By 29 April 2003 turnout had reached an average of 42% across the council, [5] with the final turnout being 48% and with a high of 57% in Eccleston. [6]

Election result

Labour retained control of the council with 33 councillors after gaining one seat from Socialist Labour, but losing one to the Conservatives. [7] [2] The Labour gain came in Grange Park ward, while the Conservatives took an extra seat in Windle. [7] This meant the Liberal Democrats remained on 15 seats, while the Conservative gain took them to 6 councillors. [2]

St Helens local election result 2003 [2] [8]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 1111057.948.532,246+0.9%
  Liberal Democrats 600031.633.422,209-1.0%
  Conservative 210+110.517.011,330-0.6%
  Independent 000000.9581+0.8%
  Socialist Alliance 000000.3168+0.3%
  Socialist Labour 001-100N/A-0.3%

Ward results

Billinge and Seneley Green [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Alma Atherton2,68659.9+0.1
Conservative Vera Stanton1,07223.9+0.9
Liberal Democrats Christine Langley72816.2−1.0
Majority1,61436.0−0.8
Turnout 4,486
Labour hold Swing
Blackbrook [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Albert Smith2,04662.7−0.7
Liberal Democrats Matthew Dunn79124.2−2.7
Conservative Joan Foster42613.1+3.4
Majority1,25538.5+1.9
Turnout 3,263
Labour hold Swing
Broad Oak [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Terence Shields1,88564.2+8.5
Liberal Democrats Gail Mills89030.3−8.9
Conservative Mark Collins1635.5+0.4
Majority99533.9+17.5
Turnout 2,938
Labour hold Swing
Eccleston [6] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Shirley Evans3,19766.2−5.1
Labour Jean West84417.5+3.2
Conservative William Highcock78816.3+2.0
Majority2,35348.7−8.3
Turnout 4,82957+23
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Grange Park [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Stephen Glover1,63949.8−2.1
Liberal Democrats David Evans1,19236.2+9.0
Conservative Michael Marriott46114.0−0.9
Majority44713.6−11.1
Turnout 3,292
Labour gain from Socialist Labour Swing
Haydock [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Janet Richardson2,32552.9−10.3
Liberal Democrats Eric Sheldon1,63237.2+14.1
Conservative Anthony Rigby4359.9−3.7
Majority69315.8−24.3
Turnout 4,392
Labour hold Swing
Marshalls Cross (2 seats) [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Topping1,477
Liberal Democrats Alec Mills1,421
Labour Michael Glover807
Labour Derek Maylor689
Conservative Barbara Johnson198
Turnout 4,592
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Moss Bank [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Richard Ferry2,02647.0−9.4
Labour Barbara Jakubiak1,85943.1+5.2
Conservative John Cunliffe4259.9+4.2
Majority1673.9−14.6
Turnout 4,310
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Newton East [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Astbury1,82748.3−11.1
Labour Mark Rahaman1,58842.0+8.5
Conservative Margaret Harvey3709.8+2.6
Majority2396.3−19.6
Turnout 3,785
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Newton West [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Leon Maguire2,29360.5−1.3
Liberal Democrats Virginia Taylor95025.1−1.2
Conservative Catherine Perks54714.4+2.5
Majority1,34335.4−0.1
Turnout 3,790
Labour hold Swing
Parr and Hardshaw [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jeffery Molyneux1,73169.2−2.9
Liberal Democrats Kenneth Knowles41916.7−2.4
Conservative Madeline Wilcock1857.4+1.2
Socialist Alliance Leslie Teeling1686.7+6.7
Majority1,31252.4−0.6
Turnout 2,503
Labour hold Swing
Queens Park [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Margaret McLachlan1,96261.2+6.4
Liberal Democrats Lesley Ronan85726.7−9.7
Conservative Charmian Pyke38612.0+3.3
Majority1,10534.5+16.1
Turnout 3,205
Labour hold Swing
Rainford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Parr2,04557.1−3.3
Labour David Wood1,23334.4+3.2
Liberal Democrats Gary Pulfer3028.4+0.0
Majority81222.7−6.5
Turnout 3,580
Conservative hold Swing
Rainhill [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Joseph DeAsha2,47957.2−1.9
Conservative Jonathan Mackie80318.5−6.0
Independent Neil Thompson58113.4+13.4
Liberal Democrats Noreen Knowles46910.8−5.5
Majority1,67638.7+4.1
Turnout 4,332
Labour hold Swing
Sutton and Bold [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Stephanie Topping2,08656.4−2.4
Labour Philip Wiseman1,38037.3+0.9
Conservative Jill Jones2316.2+1.5
Majority70619.1−3.3
Turnout 3,697
Labour hold Swing
Thatto Heath [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sheila Seddon2,09063.8−5.0
Liberal Democrats Carol Pearl81224.8+4.2
Conservative Barbara Woodcock37511.4+0.8
Majority1,27839.0−9.2
Turnout 3,277
Labour hold Swing
West Sutton [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Wiseman1,58062.4−2.1
Liberal Democrats Marise Roberts66326.2+2.2
Conservative Ian Hunt29011.4−0.1
Majority91736.2−4.4
Turnout 2,53341+22
Labour hold Swing
Windle [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Kenneth Roughley2,13057.1+7.8
Labour Susan Murphy1,13030.3−12.0
Liberal Democrats Katrina Young47012.6+4.1
Majority1,00026.8+19.8
Turnout 3,73055+20
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

References

  1. ↑ "Local elections". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Local Elections 2003: Sefton battle remains in the balance". Liverpool Echo . 2 May 2003 – via NewsBank.
  3. 1 2 3 Neild, Larry (4 April 2003). "Local elections 2003: Final bow for the last 'fortyniner'". Liverpool Daily Post – via NewsBank.
  4. 1 2 Kelly, Andy (28 April 2003). "Local elections 2003: It's stick or twist for town hall voters". Liverpool Daily Post – via NewsBank.
  5. ↑ Kilmurray, Andrew (30 April 2003). "Voting turnout reaches 42 per cent". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications– via NewsBank.
  6. 1 2 Harker, Sarah (8 May 2003). "Take a bow Mr Postie". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications– via NewsBank.
  7. 1 2 "Local elections 2003: St Helens". Liverpool Daily Post . 2 May 2003 – via NewsBank.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "Latest Releases". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
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