Worcester Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Worcester Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Worcester
District
Council in Worcestershire
, 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
after a Labour
councillor
stood down. Labour defended 7 seats as against 5 for the Conservatives and 1 for the independents
. Meanwhile the decision of the British National Party
to put up a candidate in Holy Trinity ward received attention in the press.
Worcester was a top Conservative target council in the 2003 local elections
, with gains here seen as important signal for the parties performance at the next general election. The Conservatives had controlled the council as a minority administration since the 2000 election
and were hoping to win a majority. They said Labour had been out of touch when they ran the council and had made poor decisions suching as using green fields for transport schemes. However Labour attacked the Conservatives for the council's budget, including a council tax
rise of 9.5% and poor waste collection
services; as well as the controversy over the closing and then rescue of Swan Theatre in Worcester.
The level of postal voting
in the election was up on previous years with 5,000 postal voting forms being sent, compared to 3,000 in 2002.
was low, dropping as low as 18% in St Barnabus ward.
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
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 Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, 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...
19 - 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...
10 - 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...
5 - Liberal Democrat 2
Campaign
13 seats were contested in the election with 2 seats available in St Nicholas wardWards 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:...
after a 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...
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:...
stood down. Labour defended 7 seats as against 5 for the Conservatives and 1 for the 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...
. Meanwhile the decision of 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...
to put up a candidate in Holy Trinity ward received attention in the press.
Worcester was a top Conservative target council in the 2003 local elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2003
Local elections took place in various parts of the United Kingdom on 1 May 2003, the same day as the Scottish Parliamentary and the Welsh Assembly elections. There were local elections for all councils in Scotland and in most of England...
, with gains here seen as important signal for the parties performance at the next general election. The Conservatives had controlled the council as a minority administration since the 2000 election
Worcester Council election, 2000
The 2000 Worcester Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Worcester District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party lost overall control of the council to no overall control....
and were hoping to win a majority. They said Labour had been out of touch when they ran the council and had made poor decisions suching as using green fields for transport schemes. However Labour attacked the Conservatives for the council's budget, including a 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 of 9.5% and poor waste collection
Waste collection
Waste collection is the component of waste management which results in the passage of a waste material from the source of production to either the point of treatment or final disposal...
services; as well as the controversy over the closing and then rescue of Swan Theatre in Worcester.
The level of 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....
in the election was up on previous years with 5,000 postal voting forms being sent, compared to 3,000 in 2002.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives win a majority on the council, after gaining 2 seats from Labour but losing 1 seat to the Liberal Democrats. This meant that Labour only held 10 seats which was the lowest number of seats they had held on the council up to then. However Labour did manage to retain Holy Trinity ward, defeating the British National Party who came second in the ward. Voter turnoutVoter 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...
was low, dropping as low as 18% in St Barnabus ward.