Oxford Council election 2006
Encyclopedia
Election
s for Oxford
City Council
were held on Thursday 4 May 2006. As Oxford City Council is elected by halves, one seat in each of the 24 wards was up for election. The exception was St Clement's, where both seats were up for election as a by-election
for the other seat was held on the same day. Therefore 25 of the 48 seats on the Council were up for election. Overall turnout
was 35.8%, down from 37.6% in 2004. The lowest turnout (24.9%) was in Carfax
ward and the highest (49.6%) in Marston.
The total number of seats on the Council after the election was:
President-Elect was the Conservative candidate in the Holywell ward. His candidacy was embroiled in controversy in late April when some of his nominators alleged that they had not signed his nomination forms, thus meaning that their signatures had been forged. An investigation was launched by Police and, as of 24 May, is still ongoing.
Several local and student newspapers launched their own investigations. The full list of Steel's supposed nominators were a seletion of students of the University of Oxford
, some of whom were officers of the Oxford University Conservative Association
(OUCA). A number of those officers subsequently complained to Oxford City Council
that they had not signed the papers.
). Turnout has been estimated by halving the number of votes cast.
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s for Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
were held on Thursday 4 May 2006. As Oxford City Council is elected by halves, one seat in each of the 24 wards was up for election. The exception was St Clement's, where both seats were up for election as a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the other seat was held on the same day. Therefore 25 of the 48 seats on the Council were up for election. 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...
was 35.8%, down from 37.6% in 2004. The lowest turnout (24.9%) was in Carfax
Carfax, Oxford
Carfax is located at the conjunction of St Aldate's , Cornmarket Street , Queen Street and the High Street in Oxford, England. It is considered to be the centre of the city, and is at...
ward and the highest (49.6%) in Marston.
Results
Note: two Independents stood in 2006, compared with three in 2004.The total number of seats on the Council after the election was:
- Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
- 19 (39.6%) - 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...
- 17 (35.4%) - 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...
- 8 (16.7%) - Independent Working Class AssociationIndependent Working Class AssociationThe Independent Working Class Association is a minor working-class political party in the United Kingdom that aims to promote the political and economic interests of the working class, regardless of the consequences to existing political and economic structures...
- 4 (8.3%)
Nomination form controversy
The Oxford University Conservative AssociationOxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
President-Elect was the Conservative candidate in the Holywell ward. His candidacy was embroiled in controversy in late April when some of his nominators alleged that they had not signed his nomination forms, thus meaning that their signatures had been forged. An investigation was launched by Police and, as of 24 May, is still ongoing.
Several local and student newspapers launched their own investigations. The full list of Steel's supposed nominators were a seletion of students of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, some of whom were officers of the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
(OUCA). A number of those officers subsequently complained to Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council
The Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
that they had not signed the papers.
Barton and Sandhills
Blackbird Leys
Carfax
Churchill
Cowley
Cowley Marsh
Headington
Headington Hill and Northway
Hinksey Park
Holywell
Iffley Fields
Jericho and Osney
Littlemore
Lye Valley
Marston
North
Northfield Brook
Quarry and Risinghurst
Rose Hill and Iffley
St Clement's
Because both seats were up for election each voter had two votes (i.e. plurality-at-large votingPlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
). Turnout has been estimated by halving the number of votes cast.
St Margaret's
St Mary's
Summertown
Wolvercote
Sources
- Election Results, from Oxford City Council
- Statement of Persons Nominated, from Oxford City Council
See also
- Oxford local electionsOxford local electionsOxford local elections for the Oxford City Council in Oxford, England, take place every two years when half of the 48 seats in the City Council are up for election. Elections are held in even-numbered years; the next is due to take place in 2012...
- UK local elections, 2006
- Elections in the United KingdomElections in the United KingdomThere are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday...