Hart Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Hart Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Hart
District
Council in Hampshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
ward
saw Conservative councillor
Hugo Eastwood re-elected without opposition. The other 11 seats had the Conservatives defending 6 seats compared to 5 for the Liberal Democrats, with 10 of them having sitting councillors standing for re-election. The only candidates from other parties standing were 4 from the Labour party
and 3 from the Green party
.
North by 19 votes over the Liberal Democrats, while the Liberal Democrats held Blackwater
and Hawley
by 16 votes over the Conservatives. This meant the Conservatives retained 22 seats, compared to 10 for the Liberal Democrats and 3 independents
. Overall turnout
in the election was 28.52%.
Following the election, councillor Jan Pearson, quit the Conservative group to sit as an independent saying she was unhappy about how the group made decisions. Meanwhile Conservative Lorraine Fullbrook became the new leader of the council after only having been first elected to the council in the 2002 election
.
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...
. 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...
stayed in overall control of the council.
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...
22 - Liberal Democrat 10
- IndependentIndependent (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...
3
Background
12 seats were to be contested in the 2003 election, but EversleyEversley
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....
ward
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:...
saw Conservative 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:...
Hugo Eastwood re-elected without opposition. The other 11 seats had the Conservatives defending 6 seats compared to 5 for the Liberal Democrats, with 10 of them having sitting councillors standing for re-election. The only candidates from other parties standing were 4 from the Labour party
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...
and 3 from the Green party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives retain control of the council after no seats changed parties. There were 2 close results with the Conservatives holding FleetFleet, 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:...
North by 19 votes over the Liberal Democrats, while the Liberal Democrats held Blackwater
Blackwater, Hampshire
Blackwater is a small town in the north-eastern corner of the English county of Hampshire, lying in the Hart District.-Location:It is situated on the borders of both Berkshire and Surrey about north of Farnborough, west of Camberley and east of Basingstoke on the A30 road. Blackwater is situated...
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,...
by 16 votes over the Conservatives. This meant the Conservatives retained 22 seats, compared to 10 for the Liberal Democrats and 3 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...
. 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 28.52%.
Following the election, councillor Jan Pearson, quit the Conservative group to sit as an independent saying she was unhappy about how the group made decisions. Meanwhile Conservative Lorraine Fullbrook became the new leader of the council after only having been first elected to the council in the 2002 election
Hart Council election, 2002
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...
.