Oldham Council election, 2000
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Oldham Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Oldham
Metropolitan Borough
Council in Greater Manchester
, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council from the Labour party
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
had seen the Liberal Democrats win more votes than Labour, 42.5% compared to 38%, and they were confident of at least depriving Labour of a majority on the council in the election.
Issues in the election included crime, education, employment, health and litter. Unemployment
was down at around 5%, but sill above the national average and was much higher in some of the inner city areas.
In the week before the election Labour suffered a blow when a councillor
, Margaret Kelly, defected to the Green party
. She had been a Labour member for 30 years, but said that the national Labour government was not what she had fought for in opposition.
East ward
. Battye, who had been leader of the council for the previous 15 years, was defeated by 1,605 votes by a 23 year old Liberal Democrat candidate Charles Glover in the most high profile contest in the election.
The swing to the Liberal Democrats was over 8% since 1996, enabling them to gain control of the council for the first time. They now had an overall majority of 2, after they gained seats in Coldhurst
, Hollinwood, Royton
North and Royton South in addition to Failsworth East. The Liberal Democrats also regained a seat in Crompton, where the independent Liberal Democrat councillor, Michael Hambley, stood down at the election. Meanwhile the Conservatives
doubled the number of seats they held on the council to 2, after gaining a seat in Chadderton
North from Labour.
The national Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy
described the results in Oldham as a "fantastic result, showing the inroads that Liberal Democrats were making into Labour's heartlands". However the local Labour Member of Parliament
Phil Woolas
said that the election was down to local issues and had "nothing to do with the national political situation".
Following the election there were allegations of vote rigging
in the election. After a police investigation, 11 people were convicted of election fraud in July 2001. They were convicted after police found evidence of voters using dead people's names to vote and impersonating other voters. The offences had taken place in the wards of the Coldhurst, St Mary's and Werneth
and those convicted were both Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters. Another defendant
, Liberal Democrat councillor Mohib Uddin, who had been elected in Coldhurst, was acquitted
.
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 219,600, and spans . The borough is named after its largest town, Oldham, but also includes the outlying towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton and Shaw and Crompton, the village of...
Metropolitan Borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
Council in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council 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...
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- Liberal Democrat 31
- 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...
25 - 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...
2 - GreenGreen Party of England and WalesThe 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...
2
Campaign
Before the election Labour ran the council with 32 seats compared to 25 for the Liberal Democrats who were the main opposition party on the council. However the 1999 electionOldham Council election, 1999
The 1999 Oldham Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester, England...
had seen the Liberal Democrats win more votes than Labour, 42.5% compared to 38%, and they were confident of at least depriving Labour of a majority on the council in the election.
Issues in the election included crime, education, employment, health and litter. Unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
was down at around 5%, but sill above the national average and was much higher in some of the inner city areas.
In the week before the election Labour suffered a blow when a 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:...
, Margaret Kelly, defected to 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...
. She had been a Labour member for 30 years, but said that the national Labour government was not what she had fought for in opposition.
Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats gain control of the council from the Labour party. Labour, who had run the council for the previous 20 years, suffered a number of losses including the council leader John Battye in FailsworthFailsworth
At Failsworth lies north-northwest of London. It shares common boundaries with Manchester and Oldham, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal, which crosses the...
East 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:...
. Battye, who had been leader of the council for the previous 15 years, was defeated by 1,605 votes by a 23 year old Liberal Democrat candidate Charles Glover in the most high profile contest in the election.
The swing to the Liberal Democrats was over 8% since 1996, enabling them to gain control of the council for the first time. They now had an overall majority of 2, after they gained seats in Coldhurst
Coldhurst
Coldhurst is an area of Oldham and an electoral ward of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, it had a population of 11,935...
, Hollinwood, Royton
Royton
Royton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies by the source of the River Irk, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines, north-northwest of Oldham, south-southeast of Rochdale and northeast of the city of Manchester.Historically a...
North and Royton South in addition to Failsworth East. The Liberal Democrats also regained a seat in Crompton, where the independent Liberal Democrat councillor, Michael Hambley, stood down at the election. Meanwhile 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...
doubled the number of seats they held on the council to 2, after gaining a seat in Chadderton
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire...
North from Labour.
The national Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
described the results in Oldham as a "fantastic result, showing the inroads that Liberal Democrats were making into Labour's heartlands". However the local Labour Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Phil Woolas
Phil Woolas
Philip James Woolas was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth from his election in 1997 to 2010. He was the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration in the Home Office, as well as being the Minister of State for the Treasury...
said that the election was down to local issues and had "nothing to do with the national political situation".
Following the election there were allegations of vote rigging
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
in the election. After a police investigation, 11 people were convicted of election fraud in July 2001. They were convicted after police found evidence of voters using dead people's names to vote and impersonating other voters. The offences had taken place in the wards of the Coldhurst, St Mary's and Werneth
Werneth, Greater Manchester
Werneth is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-southwest of Oldham's commercial centre and one of Oldham's most ancient localities.-History:...
and those convicted were both Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters. Another defendant
Defendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
, Liberal Democrat councillor Mohib Uddin, who had been elected in Coldhurst, was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
.