Wyre Forest Council election, 2000
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Wyre Forest Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Wyre Forest
District
Council in Worcestershire
, 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
, 7 Health Concern
, 5 Conservative
, 5 independent
, 4 Liberal Democrat and 3 Liberal
councillor
s, with one seat vacant. The council was run by an alliance of all groups apart from Labour.
57 candidates stood in the election with 15 seats being contested, which included 2 seats in Greenhill ward
due to a by-election being held at the same time.
and Blakebrook ward. The only other group to make a gain in the election was the Conservatives in Oldington and Foley Park ward where they took a seat from Labour.
The defeats for Labour were put down to the downgrading of Kidderminster
hospital, despite the local party opposing the move. Labour said that the results would be a disaster as they said Health Concern had no policies in many areas. However Health Concern put their success down to disillusionment with political parties that had failed to take action over the hospital and that they would represent local opinion.
Following the election the Health Concern group said they wanted to continue the alliance with the other groups apart from Labour.
Wyre Forest (district)
This article is about the local government district in WorcestershireWyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, England, covering the towns of Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley, and several civil parishes and their villages...
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 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
- Health ConcernIndependent Kidderminster Hospital and Health ConcernIndependent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern is a political party based in Kidderminster, United Kingdom...
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...
11 - 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...
5 - Liberal Democrat 4
- LiberalLiberal Party (UK, 1989)The Liberal Party is a United Kingdom political party. It was formed in 1989 by a group of individuals within the original Liberal Party who felt that the merger of the party with the Social Democratic Party, to form the Liberal Democrats, had ended the spirit of the Liberal Party, claiming that...
3
Campaign
Before the election the council had 17 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 Health Concern
Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern
Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern is a political party based in Kidderminster, United Kingdom...
, 5 Conservative
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...
, 5 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...
, 4 Liberal Democrat and 3 Liberal
Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
The Liberal Party is a United Kingdom political party. It was formed in 1989 by a group of individuals within the original Liberal Party who felt that the merger of the party with the Social Democratic Party, to form the Liberal Democrats, had ended the spirit of the Liberal Party, claiming that...
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, with one seat vacant. The council was run by an alliance of all groups apart from Labour.
57 candidates stood in the election with 15 seats being contested, which included 2 seats in Greenhill 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:...
due to a by-election being held at the same time.
Election result
The results saw Health Concern become the largest group on the council after making 8 gains. Health Concern was also boosted by the decision of 3 independent councillors to join the group. Labour losses included the deputy leader of the party and the longest-serving member of the council, Michael Kelly, in HabberleyHabberley, Worcestershire
Habberley was one of the hamlet of the ancient parish of Kidderminster in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is now divided so that part of it is an area of the town of Kidderminster Habberley was one of the hamlet of the ancient parish of Kidderminster in the county of Worcestershire,...
and Blakebrook ward. The only other group to make a gain in the election was the Conservatives in Oldington and Foley Park ward where they took a seat from Labour.
The defeats for Labour were put down to the downgrading of Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
hospital, despite the local party opposing the move. Labour said that the results would be a disaster as they said Health Concern had no policies in many areas. However Health Concern put their success down to disillusionment with political parties that had failed to take action over the hospital and that they would represent local opinion.
Following the election the Health Concern group said they wanted to continue the alliance with the other groups apart from Labour.