Basildon Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Basildon Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Basildon
Borough
Council in Essex
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
gained overall control of the council from no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
saw the Conservatives win exactly half of the seats, but Labour
remained in control of the council with the support of the Liberal Democrats. However 6 months before the 2003 election 2 Labour councillor
s defected and the Conservatives took over the administration of the council.
Following the election the Labour leader on the council Nigel Smith was replaced by his group with Paul Kirkman.
Basildon (district)
Basildon is a local government district in south Essex in the East of England, centred around the town of Basildon. The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974 from the former area of Basildon Urban District and the part of Thurrock Urban District that was within the...
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
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...
Council in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
gained overall control of the council from no overall control
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
23 - LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
14 - Liberal Democrats 3
- Basildon Independent Residents 2
Background
The previous election in 2002Basildon Council election, 2002
The 2002 Basildon Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Basildon Borough Council in Essex, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000...
saw the Conservatives win exactly half of the seats, but Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
remained in control of the council with the support of the Liberal Democrats. However 6 months before the 2003 election 2 Labour councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s defected and the Conservatives took over the administration of the council.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives win a majority for only the second time in the history of Basildon council.Following the election the Labour leader on the council Nigel Smith was replaced by his group with Paul Kirkman.