Basingstoke and Deane Council election, 2002
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Basingstoke and Deane Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Basingstoke and Deane
Borough
Council in Hampshire
, England
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000
increasing the number of seats by 3. The council stayed under no overall control
.
and Liberal Democrat parties had run the council together for the previous 7 years. Since the 2000 election
both the parties had 15 seats, so they had 4 cabinet
seats each and shared the leadership of the council for 6 months each.
Boundary changes increased the number of seats to 60 from the previous 57. This meant all of the seats were being contested instead of the usual one third of the council.
The Conservatives
hoped to take control of the council and the local party was supported by visits from the national Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith
and the party chairman
David Davis
. The Conservatives said their campaign focused on issues such as youth crime
, but were accused by the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, Brian Gurden, of running a negative campaign
.
As a result the Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition remained in control of the council with 32 of the 60 seats between them.
The Liberal Democrats made a net gain of 2 seats, after picking up 3 seats and losing 1. This included taking seats in Eastrop and Tadley
North from other parties and meant the Liberal Democrats had 17 seats, compared to 15 for Labour. This meant Liberal Democrat Brian Gurden remained as leader of the council.
Meanwhile both sitting independent
councillor
s were re-elected and a third, Ian Tilbury, gained a seat in Overton
. 4 sitting councillors were defeated at the election, 3 Labour, Pam Lonie, Carl Reader and Rose Wellman, and 1 Conservative, Robert Musson. Overall turnout
in the election was 34.3%, an increase from 29% in 2000.
Basingstoke and Deane
Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
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 Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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...
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000
Basingstoke and Deane Council election, 2000
The 2000 Basingstoke and Deane Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in Hampshire, England...
increasing the number of seats by 3. The council stayed under 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...
.
Background
Before the election the 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...
and Liberal Democrat parties had run the council together for the previous 7 years. Since the 2000 election
Basingstoke and Deane Council election, 2000
The 2000 Basingstoke and Deane Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in Hampshire, England...
both the parties had 15 seats, so they had 4 cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
seats each and shared the leadership of the council for 6 months each.
Boundary changes increased the number of seats to 60 from the previous 57. This meant all of the seats were being contested instead of the usual one third of the council.
The Conservatives
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...
hoped to take control of the council and the local party was supported by visits from the national Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
and the party chairman
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
David Davis
David Davis (British politician)
David Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
. The Conservatives said their campaign focused on issues such as youth crime
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
, but were accused by the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, Brian Gurden, of running a negative campaign
Negative campaigning
Negative campaigning, also known more colloquially as "mudslinging", is trying to win an advantage by referring to negative aspects of an opponent or of a policy rather than emphasizing one's own positive attributes or preferred policies...
.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives remain the largest party, but they remained on 25 seats.As a result the Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition remained in control of the council with 32 of the 60 seats between them.
The Liberal Democrats made a net gain of 2 seats, after picking up 3 seats and losing 1. This included taking seats in Eastrop and Tadley
Tadley
Tadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built during this period to accommodate AWRE workers...
North from other parties and meant the Liberal Democrats had 17 seats, compared to 15 for Labour. This meant Liberal Democrat Brian Gurden remained as leader of the council.
Meanwhile both sitting independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
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 were re-elected and a third, Ian Tilbury, gained a seat in Overton
Overton, Hampshire
Overton is a village and parish in Hampshire, England located west of the town of Basingstoke, and east of Andover and Whitchurch. The village of Quidhampton lies to the north of the village. The River Test rises 1 km to the east near the hamlet of Ashe....
. 4 sitting councillors were defeated at the election, 3 Labour, Pam Lonie, Carl Reader and Rose Wellman, and 1 Conservative, Robert Musson. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
in the election was 34.3%, an increase from 29% in 2000.