Hart Council election, 2002
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Hart Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Hart
District
Council in Hampshire
, England
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000
. The Conservative party
gained overall control of the council from no overall control
.
s decide not to seek re-election including 3 former chairmen of the council. 6 Conservatives were unopposed in the election in the wards
of Crondall
, Eversley
, Long Sutton
and Odiham
, while several independents
stood for the council. The independents included Archie Gillespie, a former Liberal Democrat standing as an independent after being deselected, former councillor Stephen Gorys and an "anti roadblock campaigner" Denis Gotel.
During the campaign a Conservative candidate in Hartley Wintney
, Andrew Davies, withdrew meaning only one Conservative would be standing in the ward against independent Susan Band and 2 Liberal Democrats.
and Hawley
. Meanwhile 3 independents were successful in being elected, 2 in Fleet
and 1 in Hartley Wintney. Overall turnout
in the election was 29.89%.
Hart (district)
Hart is a local government district in Hampshire, England, named after the River Hart. Its council is based in Fleet. It was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the urban district of Fleet, and the Hartley Wintney Rural District.Hart District is one of the...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
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
Hart Council election, 2000
The 2000 Hart Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Hart District Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control....
. 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...
.
Campaign
The election saw 10 sitting councillorCouncillor
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 decide not to seek re-election including 3 former chairmen of the council. 6 Conservatives were unopposed in the election in the wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
of Crondall
Crondall
Crondall is a village and large civil parish in the north east of Hampshire, England and is all that remains of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. Various earlier spellings have in common the use of a "u" instead of the "o" and the village is still properly...
, Eversley
Eversley
Eversley is a village and civil parish in the Hart District of North-East Hampshire, England, 21 km North East of Basingstoke. Its northern boundary is formed by the River Blackwater....
, Long Sutton
Long Sutton, Hampshire
Long Sutton is a small village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. The village lies about south of the town of Odiham. Neighbouring villages include Well, South Warnborough and Upton Grey....
and Odiham
Odiham
Odiham is a historic village and large civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The current population is 4,406. The parish contains an acreage of 7,354 acres with 50 acres of land covered with water. The nearest...
, while several independents
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...
stood for the council. The independents included Archie Gillespie, a former Liberal Democrat standing as an independent after being deselected, former councillor Stephen Gorys and an "anti roadblock campaigner" Denis Gotel.
During the campaign a Conservative candidate in Hartley Wintney
Hartley Wintney
Hartley Wintney is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.-Location and character:Hartley Wintney is in the Hart district of North-East Hampshire...
, Andrew Davies, withdrew meaning only one Conservative would be standing in the ward against independent Susan Band and 2 Liberal Democrats.
Election result
The results saw the Conservative gain a majority on the council after winning 22 seats on the council. The Liberal Democrats were reduced to only 10 seats concentrated in their strongholds of YateleyYateley
Yateley is a suburban town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council. It includes the settlements of Frogmore and Darby Green. It had a population of 21,011 according to the 2001 census...
and Hawley
Hawley, Hampshire
Hawley is a village in the civil parish of Blackwater and Hawley in the Hart district of northeastern Hampshire, England.The village is continguous with the small town of Blackwater. It is on the western edge of the Blackwater Valley conurbation, about north of central Farnborough, Hampshire,...
. Meanwhile 3 independents were successful in being elected, 2 in Fleet
Fleet, Hampshire
Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England, located 37 miles south west of London. It is part of Hart District. The 2007 population forecast for Fleet was 31,687.-History:...
and 1 in Hartley Wintney. 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 29.89%.