Sandwell Council election, 2000
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Sandwell Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Sandwell
Metropolitan
Council in the West Midlands
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour
party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
s compared to 9 Liberal Democrats, 3 Conservatives
and 1 independent
, with 1 Labour seat being vacant. The vacant seat was in Oldbury
ward, after the former councillor, Mohammed Niwaz, was convicted of fraud the previous December. Among those who were defending seats in the election was the leader of the council, Tarsem King, in West Bromwich
Central ward
.
Both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties were hoping to make gains after some recent school closures, as well as dissatisfaction with the national Labour government. The Liberal Democrats were hoping to gain Hateley Heath
, after having won a seat there in a by-election
the previous November, and Oldbury. Meanwhile the Conservatives aimed to take Wednesbury
South and were defending Charlemont after the councillor defected to them from the Liberal Democrats. Labour defended their record, pointing to the lowest council tax
rise in the region, and hoped to improve on recent low turnouts
.
from Labour, while the Liberal Democrats took Hateley Heath from Labour. Alan Burkitt also held off the Liberal Democrats in Charlemont for the Conservatives.
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
Metropolitan
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 the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, 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 Labour
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...
party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- 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...
55 - Liberal Democrat 10
- 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...
6 - 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...
1
Campaign
Before the election Labour ran the council with 58 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 compared to 9 Liberal Democrats, 3 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...
and 1 independent
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...
, with 1 Labour seat being vacant. The vacant seat was in Oldbury
Oldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
ward, after the former councillor, Mohammed Niwaz, was convicted of fraud the previous December. Among those who were defending seats in the election was the leader of the council, Tarsem King, in West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
Central 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:...
.
Both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties were hoping to make gains after some recent school closures, as well as dissatisfaction with the national Labour government. The Liberal Democrats were hoping to gain Hateley Heath
Hateley Heath
Hateley Heath is a residential area of West Bromwich in the West Midlands of England.-History:It was developed during the early 1950s to rehouse people from town centre slum clearances, with hundreds of new homes being built by the local council...
, after having won a seat there in 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....
the previous November, and Oldbury. Meanwhile the Conservatives aimed to take Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
South and were defending Charlemont after the councillor defected to them from the Liberal Democrats. Labour defended their record, pointing to the lowest council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
rise in the region, and hoped to improve on recent low turnouts
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...
.
Election result
The results saw the Labour party stay in control of the council, but they did lose some seats. The Conservatives gained the seats of Old Warley and Princes EndPrinces End
Princes End is an area of Tipton, West Midlands, England, near the border with Coseley , which was heavily developed during the 19th century with the construction of factories. Several hundred terraced houses were built around the same time to accommodate the factory workers...
from Labour, while the Liberal Democrats took Hateley Heath from Labour. Alan Burkitt also held off the Liberal Democrats in Charlemont for the Conservatives.