2003 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 2003 Wigan council election. Wigan03.png
Map of the results of the 2003 Wigan council election.

Elections to Wigan Borough Council were held on 1 May 2003 with one-third of the council was up for election. Prior to the election, there had been two vacancies in Leigh Central, with Labour winning a by-election in June and the seat being fought in this election filled unopposed by Barbara Jarvis.

Contents

The election boasted a record number of candidates for an election of thirds, with 90 spread across all 24 wards. Whilst the Conservative's fielded a strong showing of all but three wards and the Lib Dems improved to fight half the wards, the bulk of the increase came from Community Action and the Socialist Alliance more than doubling their last year's totals, with the Socialist Alliance now contesting all but four wards and Community Action just under half. Labour reliably put up candidates for all wards, and the BNP a second candidate in Orrell.

Labour's share fell to under half of the votes for only the second time in the council's history, with the only other time being their low-point in 1975, with one of their lowest votes achieved. The main beneficiaries were the rapidly advancing Community Action Party, and to a lesser extent the Lib Dems, helping them to narrowly retain their third place in vote share behind the second place, and largely unchanged, Conservatives. The Socialist Alliance made little headway despite their near-full slate, and significantly fell back in their most competitive wards.

Labour lost five seats on the night, with each of three main competitors picking up seats. Community Action accounted for three, gaining further representation in Bryn and Lightshaw and also making another breakthrough in the formerly uninterrupted Labour territory of Ashton-Golborne. The Lib Dems picked up a seat in the historically competitive Aspull-Standish ward for the first time in over a decade, as well as comfortably defending their seat in Hindsford. The Tories strengthened their footing on the council with another gain in Swinley, a ward which had reliably elected Conservatives throughout the eighties, but had progressively been routed in the early nineties. This left Labour's majority at 58, the lowest in just under twenty years.

Overall turnout dropped from last year's partly recovered figure of just over a quarter of the electorate, to 22.7%. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Election result

Wigan Local Election Result 2003
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 1805-575.049.626,761-7.3
  Community Action 330+312.513.87,458+4.6
  Liberal Democrats 210+18.314.07,568+2.4
  Conservative 110+14.217.09,174-0.3
  Socialist Alliance 00000.03.61,921+1.1
  BNP 00000.01.7944+0.7

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Labour6560
Community Action25
Liberal Democrat34
Conservative23
Socialist Alliance00
BNP00
Total7272
Working majority 58  48 

Ward results

Abram [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Carl Sweeney1,26156.7−8.5
BNP Dennis Shambley57625.9+3.1
Community Action Ronald Barnes2189.8+9.8
Conservative Marion Green1647.4−4.3
Rejected ballots50.2-0.1
Majority 68530.8−11.6
Turnout 2,21925.0−3.1
Labour hold Swing -5.8
Ashton-Golborne [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Community Action Kevin Williams1,25646.8+4.7
Labour Patricia Holland1,06039.5−4.8
Conservative Marie Winstanley27610.3+0.2
Socialist Alliance Marian Markham893.3−0.1
Rejected ballots30.1+0.0
Majority 1967.3+5.2
Turnout 2,68424.1−2.7
Community Action gain from Labour Swing +4.7
Aspull-Standish [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Trevor Beswick1,35439.8+9.3
Labour George Davies1,29638.1−6.2
Conservative Barry Woolley68720.2−2.0
Socialist Alliance Judith Ford611.8−1.1
Rejected ballots30.1+0.0
Majority 581.7−12.1
Turnout 3,40128.8−1.7
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing +7.7
Atherton [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Reginald Holmes98953.6−1.2
Liberal Democrats John Stackhouse65935.7+2.2
Conservative Ann Davies19310.5+4.2
Rejected ballots40.2+0.2
Majority 33017.9−3.4
Turnout 1,84521.3−7.3
Labour hold Swing -1.7
Bedford-Astley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Lea88153.5N/A
Conservative David Morris39323.9N/A
Liberal Democrats Glynnis Hogg30518.5N/A
Socialist Alliance Barbara Hennessy613.7N/A
Rejected ballots60.4N/A
Majority 48829.6N/A
Turnout 1,64619.9N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Beech Hill [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Andrew Collins1,01055.3−2.5
Liberal Democrats Nigel Wickes46725.6−6.0
Conservative Barry Alder23312.8+12.8
Socialist Alliance Graham MacFarlane1116.1+6.1
Rejected ballots50.3-0.1
Majority 54329.7+3.5
Turnout 1,82620.1−7.0
Labour hold Swing +1.7
Bryn [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Community Action Gary Wilkes1,32047.7−0.3
Labour Robin Atkinson1,22244.1−0.9
Conservative Stuart Foy1615.8−1.1
Socialist Alliance Paul Lewis612.2+2.2
Rejected ballots40.1+0.0
Majority 983.5+0.5
Turnout 2,76828.0−1.4
Community Action gain from Labour Swing +0.3
Hindley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jack Topping1,27866.3−7.4
Conservative Andre Walker33117.2−8.1
Liberal Democrats Tarek Gaber1909.9+9.9
Socialist Alliance Mark Tebbutt1176.1+6.1
Rejected ballots120.6-0.5
Majority 94749.1+0.7
Turnout 1,92818.2−3.1
Labour hold Swing +0.3
Hindley Green [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Peter Turner1,03957.9−13.8
Conservative Rosina Oxley34319.1−8.0
Liberal Democrats Solveiq Gaber27315.2+15.2
Socialist Alliance Claire Doherty1357.5+7.5
Rejected ballots50.3-1.0
Majority 69638.8−5.8
Turnout 1,79516.3−3.3
Labour hold Swing -2.9
Hindsford [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Robert Bleakley1,68561.1+5.7
Labour Philip Loudon94334.2+1.3
Conservative Dorothy Angell1314.7+0.7
Rejected ballots00.0-0.1
Majority 74226.9+4.4
Turnout 2,75925.4−3.1
Labour hold Swing +2.2
Hope Carr [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John O'Brien1,19647.6−4.5
Community Action Janice Solinas64825.8+6.7
Conservative Andrew Oxley56422.5−2.3
Socialist Alliance Keith Fry913.6+0.0
Rejected ballots110.4+0.1
Majority 54821.8−5.5
Turnout 2,51024.4−3.7
Labour hold Swing -5.6
Ince [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Molyneux1,08573.7−2.7
Conservative Robert Rees1399.4−1.5
Socialist Alliance Michael Doherty1258.5−3.9
Community Action Ian Franzen1208.1+8.1
Rejected ballots40.3-0.1
Majority 94664.2+0.3
Turnout 1,47319.2−2.0
Labour hold Swing -0.6
Langtree [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Michael Crosby1,21142.5−9.4
Conservative Gareth Fairhurst1,06237.3+7.7
Liberal Democrats Freda Graham47616.7−1.5
Socialist Alliance John Pointon913.2+3.2
Rejected ballots110.4+0.1
Majority 1495.2−17.1
Turnout 2,85124.5−4.1
Labour hold Swing -8.5
Leigh Central [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Barbara Jarvis1,03065.8−5.7
Conservative Alan Lowe28118.0+1.4
Community Action Daniel Burrows17010.9−0.8
Socialist Alliance Robert Stephenson795.0+5.0
Rejected ballots50.3+0.0
Majority 74947.9−7.0
Turnout 1,56518.6−2.9
Labour hold Swing -3.5
Leigh East [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Keith Cunliffe1,14462.5−14.5
Conservative Derek Davies36820.1−2.1
Community Action James Forkgen23212.7+12.7
Socialist Alliance William Markham794.3+4.3
Rejected ballots80.4-0.4
Majority 77642.4−12.3
Turnout 1,83116.9−2.1
Labour hold Swing -6.2
Lightshaw [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Community Action Peter Solinas1,54045.4+0.9
Labour Alan Melling1,22136.0−5.7
Conservative James Grundy56816.7+3.1
Socialist Alliance Marie Winnard581.7+1.7
Rejected ballots50.1+0.0
Majority 3199.4+6.5
Turnout 3,39227.9−7.1
Community Action gain from Labour Swing +3.3
Newtown [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Joy Birch98166.1−10.8
Liberal Democrats Martin Sutton34823.5+23.5
Socialist Alliance Barry Conway1469.8−11.4
Rejected ballots90.6-1.2
Majority 63342.7−13.0
Turnout 1,48417.5−1.2
Labour hold Swing -17.1
Norley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Stephen Parker81559.2−24.3
Community Action Margaret Crank50836.9+36.9
Socialist Alliance Samuel Blakeman513.7−12.3
Rejected ballots30.2-0.3
Majority 30722.3−45.2
Turnout 1,37720.5+2.6
Labour hold Swing -30.6
Orrell [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ronald Capstick1,38046.7−5.5
Conservative Richard Clayton1,07436.4−10.9
BNP Richard Moreton36812.5+12.5
Socialist Alliance Robert Fairhurst1254.2+4.2
Rejected ballots60.2-0.3
Majority 30610.4+5.4
Turnout 2,95331.5+1.2
Labour hold Swing +2.7
Swinley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Henry Cadman1,26547.8+7.5
Labour John Ball91334.5−2.3
Liberal Democrats Alan Robinson35113.3+0.9
Socialist Alliance Frances Berka1114.2+2.0
Rejected ballots60.2+0.1
Majority 35213.3+9.7
Turnout 2,64630.7−3.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.9
Tyldesley East [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Stephen Hellier1,23750.8−13.2
Liberal Democrats Richard Derricutt1,18648.7+13.5
Rejected ballots120.5-0.3
Majority 512.1−26.7
Turnout 2,43520.2−0.7
Labour hold Swing -13.3
Whelley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Earl1,20865.4−5.4
Liberal Democrats Jean Beswick27414.8−6.9
Conservative Joan Pietre23912.9+12.9
Socialist Alliance Janet Phillips1176.3−0.7
Rejected ballots100.5+0.0
Majority 93450.5+1.5
Turnout 1,84822.7−1.4
Labour hold Swing +0.7
Winstanley [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Philip Kelly1,25944.5−20.1
Community Action Stanley Barnes96134.0+34.0
Conservative Jonathan Cartwright48617.2−17.5
Socialist Alliance John Bolton1144.0+4.0
Rejected ballots90.3-0.5
Majority 29810.5−19.4
Turnout 2,82921.7+1.7
Labour hold Swing -27.0
Worsley Mesnes [2] [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Joseph Baldwin1,10257.8−16.8
Community Action William Barnes48525.4+25.4
Conservative Thomas Sutton21611.3−3.9
Socialist Alliance Jacqueline Pointon995.2−4.7
Rejected ballots60.3+0.0
Majority 61732.3−27.0
Turnout 1,90820.0−0.2
Labour hold Swing -21.1

References

  1. "Local elections". BBC News Online . Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Local Election Results 01 May 2003". wiganmbc.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Local Elections Archive Project: 2003 - Wigan". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.