Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1998

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Map of the results of the 1998 Wigan council election. Wigan93.png
Map of the results of the 1998 Wigan council election.

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election. Following the previous election there had been three by-elections held—in Aspull-Standish, Ince and Hope Carr—with all three successfully defended by Labour.

Metropolitan Borough of Wigan Metropolitan borough in England

The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town and former county borough, Wigan and includes the towns and villages of Leigh, part of Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, Hindley, Orrell, Standish, Atherton, Tyldesley, Golborne, Lowton, Billinge, Astley, Haigh and Aspull. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an amalgamation of several former local government districts and parishes. The borough has three civil parishes and lies directly to the west of the City of Salford and southwest of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. The local authority is Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.

Aspull village in United Kingdom

Aspull is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, Aspull, along with Haigh, is surrounded by greenbelt and agricultural land, separated from Westhoughton, on its southeast side, by a brook running through Borsdane Wood. The ground rises from south to north, reaching 400 feet (122 m), and has views towards Winter Hill and the West Pennine Moors. It has a population of 4,977.

Contents

Candidate numbers improved dramatically from the preceding election, thanks mostly to the first concerted effort by the Greens, having only tested the waters previously. The Liberal Democrats fielded were, on the other hand, the sparsest from them since 1978, following a similarly poor effort the previous year—perhaps reflecting the party giving up on its previous ambitions. There were also an Independent (formerly a Conservative candidate for Bryn in the 1995 election) and the first UKIP candidate fighting Ashton-Golborne. In total all wards but Tydlesday East were contested.

Green Party of England and Wales Political party in England and Wales

The Green Party of England and Wales is a green, left-wing political party in England and Wales. Headquartered in London, since September 2018, its co-leaders are Siân Berry and Jonathan Bartley. The Green Party has one representative in the House of Commons, one in the House of Lords, and three in the European Parliament. In addition, it has various councillors in UK local government and two members of the London Assembly.

Liberal Democrats (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Liberal Democrats are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. It is currently led by Vince Cable. They have 11 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, 96 members of the House of Lords, one member of the European Parliament, five Members of the Scottish Parliament and one member in the Welsh Assembly and London Assembly. At the height of its influence, the party formed a coalition government with the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2015 with its leader Nick Clegg serving as Deputy Prime Minister.

Far from recovering, turnout plummeted to new depths at 17.4%. There was a general apathy emerging across the country during this period, as well as a disillusionment among Conservative voters, but with Labour's complete dominance and the only competitive party standing in less than a quarter of seats, there were evidently other factors for the lack of enthusiasm.

The dire turnout understandably had implications for the party votes, with Labour recording their second-lowest vote (the lowest being 1975), the Conservatives sinking below their rock-bottom set in 1995, and the Lib Dems gaining their worst vote since the aforementioned 1978 election—falling to fourth behind the Greens, who comfortably achieved their best vote. Voter shares were less dramatic for Labour and the Conservatives; however, the Lib Dems' share of 6.7% was their poorest since 1979 and the Greens' share was more than two-and-a-half times larger than their previous peak.

Labour survived substantial challenges against from the Independent in Ashton-Golborne and the Greens in Hope Carr, making the only gain of the night from the Lib Dems in Beech Hill. This reduced the Lib Dems to a sole councillor, losing their status as main opposition for the first time in near twenty years. With only a Liberal Democrat in another Beech Hill seat and an Independent Labour in Hindley remaining as opposition, Labour commanded a record majority of 68. [1]

An independent or nonpartisan politician is an individual politician not affiliated with any political party. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.

Hindley, Greater Manchester town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England

Hindley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Lying three miles (5 km) east of Wigan it covers an area of 1044 hectares. Historically in Lancashire, Hindley borders the towns of Ince-in-Makerfield, Aspull, Westhoughton, Atherton and Westleigh in the former borough of Leigh. In 2001, Hindley had a population of 23,457, increasing to 28,000 at the 2011 Census. It forms part of the wider Greater Manchester Urban Area.

Election result

Wigan Local Election Result 1998
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 24 3 0 +1 100.0 69.3 26,962 -6.1%
  Conservative 0 0 0 0 0.0 13.3 5,179 -1.5%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0.0 8.7 3,375 +8.7%
  Liberal Democrat 0 0 1 -1 0.0 6.7 2,618 -3.1%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0.0 1.8 694 +1.8%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.2 66 +0.2%

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

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Labour 69 70
Liberal Democrat 2 1
Independent Labour 1 1
Conservative 0 0
Green 0 0
Independent 0 0
UKIP 0 0
Total 72 72
Working majority 66  68 

Ward results

Abram [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour E. Smethurst 936 86.5 -4.1
Conservative J. Cartwright 146 13.5 +4.1
Majority 790 73.0 -8.2
Turnout 1,082 11.8 -5.0
Labour hold Swing -4.1
Ashton-Golborne [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour A. Bullen 1,042 52.8 -27.1
Independent W. Holmes 694 35.1 +35.1
Conservative D. Norris 172 8.7 -11.4
UKIP J. Venables 66 3.3 +3.3
Majority 348 17.6 -42.2
Turnout 1,974 19.4 -3.9
Labour hold Swing -31.1
Aspull-Standish [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour J. Hilton 1,494 66.4 +0.0
Conservative E. Mather 458 20.3 +5.6
Green J. Maile 298 13.2 +13.2
Majority 1,036 46.0 -1.4
Turnout 2,250 19.3 -7.8
Labour hold Swing -2.8
Atherton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour S. Loudon 1,111 72.0 -13.3
Conservative N. Isherwood 261 16.9 +2.3
Green C. Clarke 170 11.0 +11.0
Majority 850 55.1 -15.6
Turnout 1,542 17.4 -7.7
Labour hold Swing -7.8
Bedford-Astley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour F. Walker 1,020 75.9 +11.3
Green P. Murphy 323 24.0 +24.0
Majority 697 51.9 +22.7
Turnout 1,343 15.7 -7.5
Labour hold Swing -6.3
Beech Hill [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour G. Rankin 1,280 53.8 +6.1
Liberal Democrat T. Beswick 1,099 46.2 -2.6
Majority 181 7.6 +6.4
Turnout 2,379 26.6 -7.1
Labour gain from Liberal Democrat Swing +4.3
Bryn [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour A. Melling 1,346 75.8 -10.7
Conservative M. Green 259 14.6 +1.1
Green L. Maile 170 9.6 +9.6
Majority 1,087 61.2 -11.8
Turnout 1,775 17.8 -5.2
Labour hold Swing -5.9
Hindley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour W. Shaw 945 67.2N/A
Green C. Littler 460 32.7N/A
Majority 485 34.5N/A
Turnout 1,405 14.1N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hindley Green [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour W. Simmons 1,147 75.0 -7.2
Conservative C. Butterworth 282 18.4 +0.6
Green S. Clarke 101 6.6 +6.6
Majority 865 56.5 -7.9
Turnout 1,530 13.9 -4.9
Labour hold Swing -3.9
Hindsford [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour E. Smith 1,214 62.7N/A
Liberal Democrat R. Bleakley 641 33.1N/A
Green S. Clarke 82 4.2N/A
Majority 573 29.6N/A
Turnout 1,937 18.2N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hope Carr [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour K. Anderson 1,270 49.1 -10.4
Green C. Maile 873 33.8 +33.8
Conservative A. Oxley 442 17.1 -1.6
Majority 397 15.3 -22.5
Turnout 2,585 25.7 -4.1
Labour hold Swing -22.1
Ince [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour J. Hurst 981 90.1 -2.5
Conservative H. Topping 108 9.9 +2.5
Majority 873 80.2 -5.1
Turnout 1,089 14.1 -8.7
Labour hold Swing -2.5
Langtree [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour J. O'Neill 1,360 69.4 +1.2
Liberal Democrat F. Graham 491 25.1 +4.0
Green E. Kismul 108 5.5 +5.5
Majority 869 44.3 -2.8
Turnout 1,959 16.8 -8.4
Labour hold Swing -1.4
Leigh Central [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour P. Smith 1,233 80.6N/A
Green S. Critchley 164 10.7N/A
Conservative T. Matthews 133 8.7N/A
Majority 1,069 69.9N/A
Turnout 1,530 17.4N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Leigh East [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour A. Turnock 1,158 73.7 -8.9
Conservative D. Davies 298 19.0 +1.6
Green J. Critchley 114 7.2 +7.2
Majority 860 54.8 -10.5
Turnout 1,570 14.9 -5.6
Labour hold Swing -5.2
Lightshaw [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour T. Sherratt 1,798 73.3 -9.2
Conservative N. Culshaw 541 22.1 +4.6
Green N. Howarth 113 4.6 +4.6
Majority 1,257 51.3 -13.8
Turnout 2,452 21.3 -7.2
Labour hold Swing -6.9
Newtown [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour C. Hitchen 949 75.2 -10.6
Conservative T. Peet 143 11.3 +3.1
Liberal Democrat J. Beswick 136 10.8 +4.9
Green P. Brown 33 2.6 +2.6
Majority 806 63.9 -13.8
Turnout 1,261 14.5 -6.7
Labour hold Swing -6.8
Norley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour N. Turner 943 91.3N/A
Green V. Cutrupi 90 8.7N/A
Majority 853 82.6N/A
Turnout 1,033 14.3N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Orrell [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour G. Seaward 1,038 59.6 -11.4
Conservative M. Winstanley 593 34.0 +5.0
Green N. Stout 110 6.3 +6.3
Majority 445 25.5 -16.4
Turnout 1,741 18.9 -7.0
Labour hold Swing -8.2
Swinley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour S. Turner 1,077 53.5 -5.2
Conservative J. Davies 608 30.2 -0.2
Liberal Democrat A. Robinson 251 12.5 +1.6
Green D. Saunders 76 3.8 +3.8
Majority 469 23.3 -5.1
Turnout 2,012 23.0 -9.4
Labour hold Swing -2.5
Tyldesley East [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour B. Wilson UnopposedN/AN/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Whelley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour W. Pendleton 1,150 84.3 -4.7
Conservative T. Sharpe 124 9.1 -1.9
Green D. Schanzl 90 6.6 +6.6
Majority 1,026 75.2 -2.8
Turnout 1,364 16.8 -6.4
Labour hold Swing -1.4
Winstanley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour W. Evans 1,385 78.1 -5.5
Conservative F. Parkinson 388 21.9 +5.5
Majority 997 56.2 -11.1
Turnout 1,773 14.5 -5.4
Labour hold Swing -5.5
Worsley Mesnes [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour W. Rotherham 1,085 82.9 -6.2
Conservative T. Sutton 223 17.0 +6.2
Majority 862 65.9 -12.4
Turnout 1,308 13.4 -7.6
Labour hold Swing -6.2

By-elections between 1998 and 1999

Beech Hill By-Election 5 November 1998 [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Liberal Democrat T. Beswick 849 49.4 +3.2
Labour 795 46.3 -7.5
Conservative 39 2.3 +2.3
Green 35 2.0 +2.0
Majority 54 3.1 -4.5
Turnout 1,718 19.2 -7.4
Liberal Democrat gain from Labour Swing +5.3

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Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 2 May 1991, with one third scheduled for re-election. Like the last election, this seen a wider variety of party candidates than most previous, but only marginally improved upon the nadir of the year before in terms of candidates, with four wards uncontested, Conservatives fighting just above one half of the seats and the Liberal Democrats just under - although the Lib Dems near doubled last year's total, both were historically disappointing. Minor party participation consisted of three Independent Labour candidates - including a former Beech Hill Labour councillor - two Liberals, a return of an Independent in Hindley Green and one remaining Green - their lowest fielded when participating - in Atherton.

1992 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 7 May 1992, with one third of the seats set for re-election. Before the election the Labour Party had successfully retained their seats in three by-elections for the wards of Aspull-Standish, Leigh Central and Norley. The two elections directly preceding 1992's were markedly poor in participation, in contrast this year all wards were fought with the Conservative's and Lib Dem's return to fighting over three quarters of the wards each. Despite this, the election obtained the indisputably worst turnout in the council's near-twenty-year history, at a meagre 23.6%, losing just shy of 12,000 votes from the previous election. The elections were fought one month after the 1992 general election with heavy implications on the results - the most obvious of which is the nationally defeated Labour's loss of 8,000 votes from one year before, and consequently obtaining their worst vote figure in sixteen years. Neither the Conservatives rise - nor the Lib Dem's loss - of around 2,000 each, were significantly removed from recent results or accounted for such a loss, suggesting the slump in turnout were mostly the part of dismayed Labour voters. Seat changes were restricted to two Lib Dems gains from Labour, with one in the Labour-Lib Dem battleground of Aspull-Standish, returning the balance of councillor's in the latter's favour by two to one, and regaining one of their losses in the favourable territory of Langtree.

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