South Tyneside Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 South Tyneside Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of South Tyneside
Metropolitan Borough
Council in Tyne and Wear
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour
party kept overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
had 14 candidates, Liberal Democrats 12, independents
7, Progressives 5 and the British National Party
1. As well as the postal voting
that had been used in the 2002 election
, South Tyneside was one of 4 councils which also trialed e-voting
, enabling votes to be sent by phone, text message, e-mail
and be placed in special electronic voting kiosks.
Labour were guaranteed to keep a majority on the council whatever the results, but both the Liberal Democrats and the Progressives hoped to make gains in the election, while the Conservatives aimed to gain a presence on the council. Hebburn
Quay was seen as being a key ward
as the sitting Liberal Democrat councillor
Catherine Tolson stood down at the election, and Labour had only been 20 votes from winning in 1999. Labour defended their record in power including regeneration
and improving care for the elderly, however they were attacked for increasing council tax
bills and for the closure of leisure facilities.
and East Boldon and Whiteleas wards.
The results saw Labour keep a strong majority on the council despite losing 2 seats to independents in Hebburn South and Whiteleas wards. The Liberal Democrats managed to hold onto Hebburn Quay ward, but lost Cleadon and East Boldon to the Conservatives. The Conservative candidate in Cleadon and East Boldon, Donald Wood, won by 3 votes and thus became the first member of the party on the council since 1992. Overall turnout
in the election was 46.11%.
South Tyneside
South Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear in North East England.It is bordered by four other boroughs - Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead to the west, Sunderland in the south, and North Tyneside to the north. The border county of Northumberland lies further north...
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 Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, 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 kept 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...
49 - Liberal Democrat 5
- Progressives 3
- 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 - 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...
1
Campaign
59 candidates stood in the election for the 20 seats that were being contested. Labour stood in all 20 seats, while 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...
had 14 candidates, Liberal Democrats 12, 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...
7, Progressives 5 and the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
1. As well as the postal voting
Postal voting
Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system....
that had been used in the 2002 election
South Tyneside Council election, 2002
The 2002 South Tyneside Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England...
, South Tyneside was one of 4 councils which also trialed e-voting
Electronic voting
Electronic voting is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes....
, enabling votes to be sent by phone, text message, e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
and be placed in special electronic voting kiosks.
Labour were guaranteed to keep a majority on the council whatever the results, but both the Liberal Democrats and the Progressives hoped to make gains in the election, while the Conservatives aimed to gain a presence on the council. Hebburn
Hebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
Quay was seen as being a key 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:...
as the 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:...
Catherine Tolson stood down at the election, and Labour had only been 20 votes from winning in 1999. Labour defended their record in power including regeneration
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
and improving care for the elderly, however they were attacked for increasing 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...
bills and for the closure of leisure facilities.
Election result
At the count the results were delayed for over an hour after there was a problem with the electronic counting system. When the count was done, recounts were needed in both CleadonCleadon
Cleadon is a suburban village in South Tyneside, North East England in the county of Tyne and Wear. The population of Cleadon is 4,795, and there are a few shops including Bon Appetit Deli, Boutiques store and a Post Office. Cleadon is a short walk from the local East Boldon Metro Station. Nearby...
and East Boldon and Whiteleas wards.
The results saw Labour keep a strong majority on the council despite losing 2 seats to independents in Hebburn South and Whiteleas wards. The Liberal Democrats managed to hold onto Hebburn Quay ward, but lost Cleadon and East Boldon to the Conservatives. The Conservative candidate in Cleadon and East Boldon, Donald Wood, won by 3 votes and thus became the first member of the party on the council since 1992. 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 46.11%.