Hull Council election, 2002
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Hull Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Hull City Council
in England
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000
reducing the number of seats by 1. The Labour party
lost overall control of the council to no overall control
.
with the Liberal Democrats seen as the main challengers to Labour. Labour had run Hull continuously since 1945, apart from a brief period from 1969 to 1971 when the Conservatives
had taken control, but they were seen as vulnerable in this election. As well as the Liberal Democrats, who with 10 seats were the main opposition before the election, the Conservatives stood in 31 of the 59 seats that were being contested. Divisions within the local Labour party also meant some councillor
s stood in the election as independents
.
The Labour administration received criticism from the opposition and by the district auditor for the poor quality of services provided in Hull. The opposition also attacked Labour for their use of the £255 million recently gained by Hull council after the part sale of Kingston Communications
.
Hull City Council
Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation....
in 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
Hull Council election, 2000
The 2000 Hull Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Hull City Council in England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council....
reducing the number of seats by 1. 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...
lost overall control of the council to 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
Hull was seen as one of the key contests in the 2002 local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2002
Local elections took place in many parts of England on 2 May 2002. All London borough council seats were elected as well a third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs. Many unitary Authorities and District councils also had elections...
with the Liberal Democrats seen as the main challengers to Labour. Labour had run Hull continuously since 1945, apart from a brief period from 1969 to 1971 when 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...
had taken control, but they were seen as vulnerable in this election. As well as the Liberal Democrats, who with 10 seats were the main opposition before the election, the Conservatives stood in 31 of the 59 seats that were being contested. Divisions within the local Labour party also meant some 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 stood in the election as 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...
.
The Labour administration received criticism from the opposition and by the district auditor for the poor quality of services provided in Hull. The opposition also attacked Labour for their use of the £255 million recently gained by Hull council after the part sale of Kingston Communications
Kingston Communications
KCOM Group , formerly known as Kingston Communications, is a UK communications and IT services provider. Its headquarters is in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, where subsidiary business unit KC serves local residents and businesses with Internet and telephony services...
.