Solihull Council election, 2000
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Solihull Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Solihull
Metropolitan Borough
Council in the West Midlands
, England
.
One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
gained overall control of the council from no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
with the party needing 2 gains to win an overall majority. Among the councillor
s defending seats in the election were the Conservative leader of the council in Castle Bromwich
ward
and the Labour
group leader.
The Conservatives campaigned on promises to protect the green belt and carefully manage the council's finances, while the national party's hard line on asylum seekers was also seen by the party as helping in the election. Labour defended its strongholds in the north of the council area, pledging to target spending on addressing social problems in an area with high unemployment
.
from the Labour party, Packwood and Shirley
East from the Liberal Democrats and Shirley South where an independent
councillor stood down at the election. Meanwhile the Labour group leader Mick Corser lost the election in Bickenhill
after having been deselected in his previous ward of Fordbridge
. Overall turnout
in the election was 30.1%, a rise from 28.3% in 1999.
The Labour party blamed the threatened closure of the Longbridge plant
for a disappointing performance in the election, while the Conservatives put their success down to local campaigning and the national issue of pensions only going up by 75 pence. Following the election the former deputy group leader Hugh Hendry was elected as the new leader of the Labour group.
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
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 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 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...
gained overall control of the council from 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...
.
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...
28 - 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...
14 - Liberal Democrat 9
Campaign
Solihull was a top target for the Conservatives in the 2000 local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2000
Local elections took place in some parts of England on 4 May 2000. A third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs were elected along with elections in many of the unitary authorities and district councils...
with the party needing 2 gains to win an overall majority. Among the 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 defending seats in the election were the Conservative leader of the council in Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
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:...
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...
group leader.
The Conservatives campaigned on promises to protect the green belt and carefully manage the council's finances, while the national party's hard line on asylum seekers was also seen by the party as helping in the election. Labour defended its strongholds in the north of the council area, pledging to target spending on addressing social problems in an area with high 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...
.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives win a majority of 5 on the council to have majority control for the first time since 1991. Solihull also became the first metropolitan borough with a Conservative majority since the mid 1990s. The Conservative gained ElmdonElmdon
Elmdon is a village in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, near the boundary with Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. The undulating nature of the local topography differentiates it from countryside to the north which is predominantly fenland and flat....
from the Labour party, Packwood and Shirley
Shirley, West Midlands
Shirley is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the county of West Midlands, England. It is a residential and shopping neighbourhood, and a suburb of Solihull.-History:...
East from the Liberal Democrats and Shirley South where an 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...
councillor stood down at the election. Meanwhile the Labour group leader Mick Corser lost the election in Bickenhill
Bickenhill
Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.-History:...
after having been deselected in his previous ward of Fordbridge
Fordbridge
Fordbridge is a civil parish and suburb between Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the West Midlands county, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is east of Birmingham City Centre. It has a town council...
. 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 30.1%, a rise from 28.3% in 1999.
The Labour party blamed the threatened closure of the Longbridge plant
Longbridge plant
The Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
for a disappointing performance in the election, while the Conservatives put their success down to local campaigning and the national issue of pensions only going up by 75 pence. Following the election the former deputy group leader Hugh Hendry was elected as the new leader of the Labour group.