Tunbridge Wells Council election, 1998
Encyclopedia
The 1998 Tunbridge Wells Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Tunbridge Wells
Borough
Council in Kent
, 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
s had defected. The Liberal Democrats however were confident of continuing to run the council, with the national party leader Paddy Ashdown
visiting the area to campaign for the party. Meanwhile Labour
were not seen as being important in the election, with the party not contesting all of the wards
.
Issues in the election included plans for traffic calming
and to widen the A21. The Liberal Democrat council's plans to create cycle and bus lane
s by using part of the common
were attacked by the Conservatives.
as an area which they had lost at the height of unopoularity in the mid 1990s.
Tunbridge Wells (borough)
Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells along with Southborough urban district, Cranbrook Rural...
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
Council in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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...
27 - Liberal Democrat 12
- 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...
7 - 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
Campaign
Before the election the council was run by the Liberal Democrats after depriving the Conservatives of a majority in 1995 and winning majority control in 1996. However the Conservatives were optimistic of making gains as they were no longer in government nationally and after some Liberal Democrat 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 had defected. The Liberal Democrats however were confident of continuing to run the council, with the national party leader Paddy Ashdown
Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
visiting the area to campaign for the party. Meanwhile 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...
were not seen as being important in the election, with the party not contesting all of the wards
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:...
.
Issues in the election included plans for traffic calming
Traffic calming
Traffic calming is intended to slow or reduce motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve the living conditions for residents as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...
and to widen the A21. The Liberal Democrat council's plans to create cycle and bus lane
Bus lane
A bus lane or bus only lane is a lane restricted to buses, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion...
s by using part of the common
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
were attacked by the Conservatives.
Election result
The results saw the Conservative win control of the council after winning all 12 seats that the Liberal Democrats had been defending. The victory was seen as being symbolic for the Conservatives in the 1998 local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 1998
Local elections took place in many parts of England on 7 May 1998. All London borough council seats were elected as well a third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs. Some unitary authorities and District councils also had elections...
as an area which they had lost at the height of unopoularity in the mid 1990s.