Wyre Forest Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Wyre Forest Council election took place on 1 May 2003 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 Conservative
, 5 Labour
, 5 Liberal
, 2 Liberal Democrat and 2 independent
councillor
s. 15 seats were up for election with Health Concern needing to gain one seat to win a majority but the other parties predicted they could make gains instead. The seats being defended in the election were 6 Health Concern, 3 Conservative, 3 Labour, 1 Liberal, 1 Liberal Democrat and 1 independent, which included 2 seats in Oldington and Foley Park ward
where a Conservative councillor had stood down.
. They put their gains down to a focus on "community issues" including crime, tax and health and disillusionment with Health Concern.
Meanwhile Labour dropped to only holding 4 seats, their lowest number of seats on the council since the late 1970s and their joint lowest ever. Other changes included 2 gains for the Liberals in Broadwaters and Habberley
and Blakebrook, while the Liberal Democrats lost 1 seat but gained another in Aggborough and Spennells
.
Voter turnout
in the election was down to below 31%, the lowest since 1998, with only 2 wards seeing a turnout of over 35%. This was attributed to the lack of strong issues during the campaign compared to previous elections where controversy over Kidderminster
hospital and a planned incincerator increased interest.
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 - 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...
9 - 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...
7 - 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...
4 - Liberal Democrat 2
- 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...
1
Campaign
Before the election the council was composed of 21 Health ConcernIndependent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern
Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern is a political party based in Kidderminster, United Kingdom...
, 7 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 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...
, 5 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...
, 2 Liberal Democrat and 2 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...
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. 15 seats were up for election with Health Concern needing to gain one seat to win a majority but the other parties predicted they could make gains instead. The seats being defended in the election were 6 Health Concern, 3 Conservative, 3 Labour, 1 Liberal, 1 Liberal Democrat and 1 independent, which included 2 seats in Oldington and Foley Park 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:...
where a Conservative councillor had stood down.
Election result
The results saw Health Concern suffer a net loss of 2 seats after losing 3 and only gaining 1 in Oldington and Foley Park. Despite the losses Health Concern said that would continue as a minority administration on the council. The Conservatives strengthened their position as the main opposition on the council after increasing their number of seats to 9 including a shock gain from Labour in WolverleyWolverley
Wolverley is a village, and with Cookley together, a civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. It is located a few miles to the north west of Kidderminster, near the town of Bewdley, and the villages of Kinver and Cookley...
. They put their gains down to a focus on "community issues" including crime, tax and health and disillusionment with Health Concern.
Meanwhile Labour dropped to only holding 4 seats, their lowest number of seats on the council since the late 1970s and their joint lowest ever. Other changes included 2 gains for the Liberals in Broadwaters and Habberley
Habberley, 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, while the Liberal Democrats lost 1 seat but gained another in Aggborough and Spennells
Spennells
Spennells is a neighbourhood of Kidderminster near Stone, Offmore, Comberton Aggborough and Hoobrook. Spennells has a park with some woodland/nature reserve area around it. The area includes several shops including a supermarket, a pharmacy, a florist, a hairdresser, a Kemp Hospice Shop, and two...
.
Voter 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 down to below 31%, the lowest since 1998, with only 2 wards seeing a turnout of over 35%. This was attributed to the lack of strong issues during the campaign compared to previous elections where controversy over 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 and a planned incincerator increased interest.