South Lakeland Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 South Lakeland Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of South Lakeland
District
Council in Cumbria
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
19, Labour
9 and independents
3. 17 seats were being contested with the Conservatives defending 10, the Liberal Democrats 6 and an independent 1 seat. 2 sitting Liberal Democrat councillor
s stood down at the election, Patricia Himsworth in Arnside
and Beetham
, and Claire Chorley in Burneside
.
Major issues in the election included housing, regeneration, recycling
, public toilets, affordable transport and refuse collection.
and Low Furness & Swarthmoor
and 1 seat from an independent in Whinfell. However the Conservatives did take 1 seat back from the Liberal Democrats in Arnside & Beetham to hold 18 seats. Labour remained on 9 seats, while independents dropped to 2 seats. Overall turnout
in the election was 44%, with a low of 33.9% in Windermere Applethwaite to a high of 54.2% in Kirkby Lonsdale
.
South Lakeland
South Lakeland is a local government district in Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Kendal. It includes much of the Lake District.The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and 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...
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under 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
- Liberal Democrat 23
- 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...
18 - 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...
9 - 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...
2
Background
Before the election the Liberal Democrats had 21 seats, the ConservativesConservative 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...
19, 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...
9 and 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...
3. 17 seats were being contested with the Conservatives defending 10, the Liberal Democrats 6 and an independent 1 seat. 2 sitting Liberal Democrat 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 down at the election, Patricia Himsworth in Arnside
Arnside
Arnside is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. It faces the estuary of the River Kent on the north eastern corner of Morecambe Bay, within the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
and Beetham
Beetham
Beetham is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, situated on the border with Lancashire. It is part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-Demography:The parish had a population of 1,724 recorded in the 2001 census,...
, and Claire Chorley in Burneside
Burneside
Burneside is a small village in South Lakeland in Cumbria, England. It is located to the north of Kendal and to the south east of Staveley, on the River Kent, just upstream from the confluence of the River Sprint...
.
Major issues in the election included housing, regeneration, recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, public toilets, affordable transport and refuse collection.
Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats remain the largest party with 23 seats, but without a majority, after gaining 2 seats from the Conservatives in CartmelCartmel
Cartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, situated north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. Historically it was in Lancashire; boundary changes brought it into the newly created county of Cumbria in 1974, yet keeping it within the boundaries of the traditional County Palatine...
and Low Furness & Swarthmoor
Swarthmoor
Swarthmoor is a village near Ulverston, in Cumbria, England. Like the nearby peninsula of Furness, it is historically part of Lancashire.-Etymology:...
and 1 seat from an independent in Whinfell. However the Conservatives did take 1 seat back from the Liberal Democrats in Arnside & Beetham to hold 18 seats. Labour remained on 9 seats, while independents dropped to 2 seats. 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 44%, with a low of 33.9% in Windermere Applethwaite to a high of 54.2% in Kirkby Lonsdale
Kirkby Lonsdale
Kirkby Lonsdale is a small town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically within Westmorland, it is situated south east of Kendal along the A65. The parish had a population of 1,771 recorded in the 2001 census.Notable buildings include St...
.