The 2003 Torridge District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Torridge District Council in Devon, England. The whole council was up for election after boundary changes and the council stayed under no overall control. [1] [2]
A newly formed group called the Community Alliance gained 9 seats on the council and they were among 17 new councillors on the council. [3] [4] Among the gains for the Community Alliance were 3 seats in Northam ward, a seat in Bideford South from Labour and a gain from an independent in Westward Ho!. [2] None of the candidates for the Community Alliance were sitting councillors and the group said it aimed to "keep party politics out of local government". [2]
Meanwhile, Labour lost both their 2 seats on the council, while the Conservatives and Greens regained 1 seat each. [2] 8 councillors were elected without facing any opposition, but this was down from 9 at the 1999 election and 13 in 1995. [5] Overall turnout at the election was 38.4%, up from 36.1% in 1999. [6]
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | 17 | 47.2 | 27.3 | 6,849 | -7.7% | ||||
| Community Alliance Independent | 9 | +9 | 25.0 | 32.4 | 8,109 | +32.4% | |||
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | 19.4 | 25.6 | 6,409 | -11.5% | ||||
| Conservative | 1 | +1 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 1,165 | +3.5% | |||
| Green | 1 | +1 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 845 | -3.1% | |||
| UKIP | 1 | +1 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 427 | +1.7% | |||
| Labour | 0 | -2 | 0 | 5.0 | 1,257 | -15.2% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Leonard Ford | 506 | |||
| UKIP | Andrew Eastman | 427 | |||
| Independent | Philip Waters | 421 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | Jeremy Bell | 402 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Langbridge | 141 | |||
| Turnout | 1,897 | 47.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Alliance Independent | Stephen Clarke | 653 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | William Isaac | 516 | |||
| Independent | Pamela Paddon | 482 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | Andrew Powell | 461 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Noel Deakes | 293 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Birchmore | 284 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | David Nicholson | 161 | |||
| Labour | Anne Brenton | 158 | |||
| Labour | Lynda Dark | 144 | |||
| Labour | Sarah Lovera | 87 | |||
| Turnout | 3,239 | 32.2 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Peter Christie | 633 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Hugo Barton | 632 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | Alasdair Gould | 488 | |||
| Independent | Christopher Leather | 486 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | John Hadfield | 426 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Matthew Osborne | 338 | |||
| Conservative | Graham Jones | 336 | |||
| Turnout | 3,339 | 34.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Mervyn Lane | 494 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | Sonia Bushby | 424 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | David Daniel | 354 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony Inch | 344 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | David Ratcliff | 310 | |||
| Labour | David Brenton | 309 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | Elliot Gould | 309 | |||
| Labour | Ian Hopkins | 131 | |||
| Labour | Walter Hill-Paul | 106 | |||
| Turnout | 2,781 | 28.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Frank Howard | unopposed | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Philip Collins | 228 | 34.2 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Richard Copp | 179 | 26.8 | ||
| Conservative | Roy Watts | 179 | 26.8 | ||
| Independent | Brian Stacey | 81 | 12.1 | ||
| Majority | 49 | 7.3 | |||
| Turnout | 667 | 55.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Royston Johns | unopposed | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Geoffrey Broyd | 294 | 56.1 | ||
| Community Alliance Independent | Richard Deane | 230 | 43.9 | ||
| Majority | 64 | 12.2 | |||
| Turnout | 524 | 42.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Christine March | unopposed | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | William Pillman | unopposed | |||
| Independent | Trevor Sillifant | unopposed | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Desmond Shadrick | 784 | |||
| Independent | John Allen | 581 | |||
| Conservative | Coral Broyd | 356 | |||
| Turnout | 1,721 | 40.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Alliance Independent | Hugh Bone | 263 | 52.6 | ||
| Independent | Anthony Collins | 237 | 47.4 | ||
| Majority | 26 | 5.2 | |||
| Turnout | 500 | 39.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Geoffrey Boundy | unopposed | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Alliance Independent | Alan Eastwood | 941 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | Edward Davies | 926 | |||
| Community Alliance Independent | Paul Sturges | 850 | |||
| Independent | Richard Bradford | 640 | |||
| Independent | Anthony Barnes | 525 | |||
| Labour | Sheila Bloomfield | 322 | |||
| Turnout | 4,204 | 40.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Susan Mounce | 285 | 52.9 | ||
| Community Alliance Independent | Matthew Richards | 254 | 47.1 | ||
| Majority | 31 | 5.8 | |||
| Turnout | 539 | 40.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Allin Bewes | 389 | 63.3 | ||
| Community Alliance Independent | Richard Clark | 226 | 36.7 | ||
| Majority | 163 | 26.5 | |||
| Turnout | 615 | 47.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Richard Broad | unopposed | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Patricia Ferguson | unopposed | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Margaret Brown | 645 | |||
| Independent | Richard Bond | 424 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | John Rawlinson | 376 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | William Brook | 364 | |||
| Independent | Richard Rumbold | 254 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Adrian Freeland | 243 | |||
| Green | Cathrine Simmons | 212 | |||
| Turnout | 2,518 | 27.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | James Morrish | 253 | 43.5 | ||
| Independent | William Tanton | 154 | 26.5 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Maurice Ridd | 101 | 17.4 | ||
| Community Alliance Independent | Patrick Adams | 74 | 12.7 | ||
| Majority | 99 | 17.0 | |||
| Turnout | 582 | 46.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Robert Hicks | 332 | 69.3 | ||
| Community Alliance Independent | Roger Vanstone | 147 | 30.7 | ||
| Majority | 185 | 38.6 | |||
| Turnout | 479 | 39.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Alliance Independent | Timothy Williams | 428 | 57.6 | ||
| Independent | Thomas Barclay | 315 | 42.4 | ||
| Majority | 113 | 15.2 | |||
| Turnout | 743 | 45.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | John Cowle | 506 | 71.0 | ||
| Community Alliance Independent | Paul Camilleri | 207 | 29.0 | ||
| Majority | 299 | 41.9 | |||
| Turnout | 713 | 47.9 | |||
A by-election was held in Bideford South on 4 December 2003 after the former leader of the council, Liberal Democrat Mervyn Lane, resigned from the council due to ill health. [8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony Inch | 244 | 44.4 | +4.1 | |
| Independent | Chris Leather | 177 | 32.2 | +32.2 | |
| Community Alliance | Shirley Hagley | 128 | 23.3 | -11.3 | |
| Majority | 67 | 12.2 | |||
| Turnout | 549 | 15.2 | -13.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Roger Tisdale | 257 | 37.1 | -5.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Hadfield | 226 | 32.6 | +32.6 | |
| Conservative | Anthony Collins | 149 | 21.5 | +21.5 | |
| Independent | Hugh Brading | 61 | 8.8 | +8.8 | |
| Majority | 31 | 4.5 | |||
| Turnout | 693 | 41.2 | -4.4 | ||
| Independent gain from Independent | Swing | ||||
Independent Kenneth James won a by-election in Tamarside on 14 July 2005 after the death of councillor Richard Broad. [12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Kenneth James | 167 | 45.2 | ||
| Conservative | Coral Broyd | 143 | 38.7 | ||
| Independent | Arthur Stewart | 59 | 16.0 | ||
| Majority | 24 | 6.5 | |||
| Turnout | 369 | 29.6 | |||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative Sam Robinson won a by-election in Northam on 23 November 2006 after the resignation of councillor Alan Eastwood. [14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Samuel Robinson | 556 | 57.3 | +57.3 | |
| Green | Miranda Cox | 414 | 42.7 | +42.7 | |
| Majority | 142 | 14.6 | |||
| Turnout | 970 | 21.6 | -18.4 | ||
| Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | ||||
Bideford is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district.
North Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based just outside Barnstaple, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth and South Molton along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
Torridge is a local government district in north-west Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Bideford. The district also includes the towns of Great Torrington, Holsworthy and Northam, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The island of Lundy forms part of the district. The district is named after the River Torridge.
Northam is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in Devon, England, lying north of Bideford. The civil parish also includes the villages of Westward Ho!, Appledore, West Appledore, Diddywell, Buckleigh and Silford, and the residential areas of Orchard Hill and Raleigh Estate.
Appledore is a village at the mouth of the River Torridge, about 6 miles (10 km) west of Barnstaple and about 3 miles (5 km) north of Bideford in the county of Devon, England. It is the home of Appledore Shipbuilders, a lifeboat slipway and Hocking's Ice Cream, a brand of ice cream only sold in North Devon. There are numerous shops, cafes and galleries. The local football club is Appledore F.C. The ward population at the 2011 census increased to 2,814.
Torridge and West Devon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Geoffrey Cox, a Conservative.
The 2001 United Kingdom local elections took place on Thursday 7 June 2001. Elections took place for all of the English shire counties, some English unitary authorities and all of the Northern Ireland districts. The elections were delayed from the usual date of the first Thursday in May due to the 2001 foot and mouth crisis and were held on the same day as the 2001 general election.
Mid Devon District Council elections are held every four years to elect Mid Devon District Council in Devon, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 42 councillors, representing 22 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors.
The Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway was a railway running in northwest Devon, England. It is unusual in that although it was built as a standard gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in line, it was not joined to the rest of the British railway network, despite the London and South Western Railway having a station at Bideford East-the-Water, just on the other side of the river Torridge from the main town. The line was wholly situated on the peninsula made up of Westward Ho!, Northam and Appledore with extensive sand dunes by the Torridge and Taw estuary. The line opened in stages between 1901 and 1908, but closed in 1917, having been requisitioned by the War Office. Re-opening the line after World War I was considered, but dismissed as a viable option. The B.WH!&A.R. was the only railway company in the British Isles to have an exclamation mark in its company title.
The North Devon Coast is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Devon, England, designated in September 1959. The AONB contributes to a family of protected landscapes in the Southwest of England and a total of 38% of the region is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Category V Protected Landscapes. The twelve Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty extend to 30% of the region, twice the proportion covered by AONBs in England as a whole and a further two National Parks, Dartmoor and Exmoor, cover an additional 7%.
Torridge District Council in Devon, England is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2003, 36 councillors have been elected from 23 wards.
Appledore railway station was a railway station in north Devon, situated close to the village of Appledore, a community lying on the peninsula formed by the sea, the River Torridge, and the River Taw.
Richmond Road Halt was a minor railway station or halt in north Devon, situated fairly close to the town of Appledore, a community lying on the peninsula formed by the sea, the River Torridge, and the River Taw.
The 1999 Torridge District Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Torridge District Council in Devon, England. The whole council was up for election and independents gained overall control of the council from no overall control.
The 2007 Torridge District Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Torridge District Council in Devon, England. The whole council was up for election and independents lost overall control of the council to no overall control.
The 2011 Torridge District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Torridge District Council in Devon, England. The whole council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.
The 2015 Torridge District Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Torridge District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections and the 2015 UK General Election hence turnout was much higher than usual Local Elections.
