Tunbridge Wells Borough Council election, 1998

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The 1998 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in Kent, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control. [1]

Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, similarly chartered communities were known as royal burghs, although the status is no longer granted.

Kent County of England

Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south west. The county also shares borders with Essex along the estuary of the River Thames, and with the French department of Pas-de-Calais through the Channel Tunnel. The county town is Maidstone.

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was

Conservative Party (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom. Presently led by Theresa May, it has been the governing party since 2010. It presently has 314 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, 249 members of the House of Lords, and 18 members of the European Parliament. It also has 31 Members of the Scottish Parliament, 12 members of the Welsh Assembly, eight members of the London Assembly and 9,008 local councillors. One of the major parties of UK politics, it has formed the government on 45 occasions, more than any other party.

Liberal Democrats (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Liberal Democrats are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. They presently have 11 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, 96 members of the House of Lords, and one member of the European Parliament. They also have five Members of the Scottish Parliament and a member each in the Welsh Assembly and London Assembly. The party reached the height of its influence in the early 2010s, forming a junior partner in a coalition government from 2010 to 2015. It is presently led by Vince Cable.

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom which has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The party's platform emphasises greater state intervention, social justice and strengthening workers' rights.

Campaign

Before the election the council was run by the Liberal Democrats after depriving the Conservatives of a majority in 1995 and winning majority control in 1996. [2] However the Conservatives were optimistic of making gains as they were no longer in government nationally and after some Liberal Democrat councillors had defected. [2] The Liberal Democrats however were confident of continuing to run the council, with the national party leader Paddy Ashdown visiting the area to campaign for the party. [2] Meanwhile, Labour were not seen as being important in the election, with the party not contesting all of the wards. [2]

A Councillor is a member of a local government council.

Paddy Ashdown British politician and diplomat

Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon,, known as Paddy Ashdown, was a British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. He gained international recognition for his role in Bosnia–Herzegovina as its High Representative from 2002 to 2006, following his vigorous lobbying for military action against Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Issues in the election included plans for traffic calming and to widen the A21. [2] The Liberal Democrat council's plans to create cycle and bus lanes by using part of the common were attacked by the Conservatives. [3]

Traffic calming slowing or reducing vehicle traffic

Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. It aims to encourage safer, more responsible driving and potentially reduce traffic flow. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming, including narrowed roads and speed humps. Such measures are common in Australia and Europe, but less so in North America. Traffic calming is a calque of the German word Verkehrsberuhigung – the term's first published use in English was in 1985 by Carmen Hass-Klau.

A21 road (England) trunk road in Southern England

For other roads with the same name see List of A21 roads.

Bus lane lane restricted to buses

A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. Bus lanes are a key component of a high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) network, improving bus travel speeds and reliability by reducing delay caused by other traffic.

Results

The results saw the Conservative win control of the council after winning all 12 seats that the Liberal Democrats had been defending. [3] The victory was seen as being symbolic for the Conservatives in the 1998 local elections as an area which they had lost at the height of unopoularity in the mid 1990s. [4] [5]

Tunbridge Wells Local Election Result 1998 [6]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 15 +12 83.3
  Labour 2 0 11.1
  Independent 1 0 5.6
  Liberal Democrat 0 -12 0

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References

  1. 1 2 "Policy and politics: Local Elections: Analysis: Council poll results". The Guardian. 1998-05-09. p. 16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Miller, Stuart (1998-04-24). "'Disgusted' fights a losing battle in old stronghold Tunbridge Wells embodied Tory values until 1995. But the party's popularity is so low it is unlikely to recapture its old bastion". The Guardian. p. 12.
  3. 1 2 Carter, Helen (1998-05-09). "Policy and politics: Local Elections: Tonic for the Tories as heartland spa town returns to the fold Tunbridge Wells". The Guardian. p. 15.
  4. ↑ Millar, Frank (1998-05-09). "Hague hails Tory comeback in polls". The Irish Times. p. 14.
  5. ↑ Hinsliff, Gaby (1998-05-09). "Message received, Blair tells voters". Daily Mail. p. 2.
  6. ↑ "Local Elections results". The Times. 1998-05-09. p. 46.
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