2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

Map of the results of the 2003 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue.

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

Four councillors stood down at the election, Michael Blaney, Patricia Martinez-Williams, John Mealor and Bill Noctor, from Marshalls Cross, Windle, Haydock and West Sutton wards respectively.[3] In Marshalls Cross two seats were contested in 2003, after the death of councillor Valerie Beirne in 2002.[3]

Both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties contested all 19 seats that were up for election, while the Conservatives had 18 candidates and there was 1 Socialist Alliance and 1 independent candidate.[4] The Conservatives targeted gaining a seat in Windle, where the party had taken a seat from Labour for the last two election, while the Liberal Democrats aimed to make progress in Grange Park and Haydock wards.[4]

For the 2003 election St Helens had a trial of all postal voting across the whole council in an attempt to double the 26% turnout at the last election in 2002.[3] By the 29 April 2003 turnout had reached an average of 42% across the council,[5] with the final turnout being 48% and with a high of 57% in Eccleston.[6]

Election result

Labour retained control of the council with 33 councillors after gaining one seat from Socialist Labour, but losing one to the Conservatives.[7][2] The Labour gain came in Grange Park ward, while the Conservatives took an extra seat in Windle.[7] This meant the Liberal Democrats remained on 15 seats, while the Conservative gain took them to 6 councillors.[2]

St Helens local election result 2003[2][8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 11 1 1 0 57.9 48.5 32,246 +0.9%
  Liberal Democrats 6 0 0 0 31.6 33.4 22,209 -1.0%
  Conservative 2 1 0 +1 10.5 17.0 11,330 -0.6%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 0.9 581 +0.8%
  Socialist Alliance 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 168 +0.3%
  Socialist Labour 0 0 1 -1 0 0 0 -0.3%

Ward results
Billinge and Seneley Green[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alma Atherton 2,686 59.9 +0.1
Conservative Vera Stanton 1,072 23.9 +0.9
Liberal Democrats Christine Langley 728 16.2 -1.0
Majority 1,614 36.0 -0.8
Turnout 4,486
Labour hold Swing
Blackbrook[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Albert Smith 2,046 62.7 -0.7
Liberal Democrats Matthew Dunn 791 24.2 -2.7
Conservative Joan Foster 426 13.1 +3.4
Majority 1,255 38.5 +1.9
Turnout 3,263
Labour hold Swing
Broad Oak[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terence Shields 1,885 64.2 +8.5
Liberal Democrats Gail Mills 890 30.3 -8.9
Conservative Mark Collins 163 5.5 +0.4
Majority 995 33.9 +17.5
Turnout 2,938
Labour hold Swing
Eccleston[6][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Shirley Evans 3,197 66.2 -5.1
Labour Jean West 844 17.5 +3.2
Conservative William Highcock 788 16.3 +2.0
Majority 2,353 48.7 -8.3
Turnout 4,829 57 +23
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Grange Park[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stephen Glover 1,639 49.8 -2.1
Liberal Democrats David Evans 1,192 36.2 +9.0
Conservative Michael Marriott 461 14.0 -0.9
Majority 447 13.6 -11.1
Turnout 3,292
Labour gain from Socialist Labour Swing
Haydock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Janet Richardson 2,325 52.9 -10.3
Liberal Democrats Eric Sheldon 1,632 37.2 +14.1
Conservative Anthony Rigby 435 9.9 -3.7
Majority 693 15.8 -24.3
Turnout 4,392
Labour hold Swing
Marshalls Cross (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Topping 1,477
Liberal Democrats Alec Mills 1,421
Labour Michael Glover 807
Labour Derek Maylor 689
Conservative Barbara Johnson 198
Turnout 4,592
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Moss Bank[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Richard Ferry 2,026 47.0 -9.4
Labour Barbara Jakubiak 1,859 43.1 +5.2
Conservative John Cunliffe 425 9.9 +4.2
Majority 167 3.9 -14.6
Turnout 4,310
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Newton East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Astbury 1,827 48.3 -11.1
Labour Mark Rahaman 1,588 42.0 +8.5
Conservative Margaret Harvey 370 9.8 +2.6
Majority 239 6.3 -19.6
Turnout 3,785
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Newton West[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Leon Maguire 2,293 60.5 -1.3
Liberal Democrats Virginia Taylor 950 25.1 -1.2
Conservative Catherine Perks 547 14.4 +2.5
Majority 1,343 35.4 -0.1
Turnout 3,790
Labour hold Swing
Parr and Hardshaw[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jeffery Molyneux 1,731 69.2 -2.9
Liberal Democrats Kenneth Knowles 419 16.7 -2.4
Conservative Madeline Wilcock 185 7.4 +1.2
Socialist Alliance Leslie Teeling 168 6.7 +6.7
Majority 1,312 52.4 -0.6
Turnout 2,503
Labour hold Swing
Queens Park[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret McLachlan 1,962 61.2 +6.4
Liberal Democrats Lesley Ronan 857 26.7 -9.7
Conservative Charmian Pyke 386 12.0 +3.3
Majority 1,105 34.5 +16.1
Turnout 3,205
Labour hold Swing
Rainford[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Parr 2,045 57.1 -3.3
Labour David Wood 1,233 34.4 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Gary Pulfer 302 8.4 +0.0
Majority 812 22.7 -6.5
Turnout 3,580
Conservative hold Swing
Rainhill[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph DeAsha 2,479 57.2 -1.9
Conservative Jonathan Mackie 803 18.5 -6.0
Independent Neil Thompson 581 13.4 +13.4
Liberal Democrats Noreen Knowles 469 10.8 -5.5
Majority 1,676 38.7 +4.1
Turnout 4,332
Labour hold Swing
Sutton and Bold[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephanie Topping 2,086 56.4 -2.4
Labour Philip Wiseman 1,380 37.3 +0.9
Conservative Jill Jones 231 6.2 +1.5
Majority 706 19.1 -3.3
Turnout 3,697
Labour hold Swing
Thatto Heath[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sheila Seddon 2,090 63.8 -5.0
Liberal Democrats Carol Pearl 812 24.8 +4.2
Conservative Barbara Woodcock 375 11.4 +0.8
Majority 1,278 39.0 -9.2
Turnout 3,277
Labour hold Swing
West Sutton[2][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Wiseman 1,580 62.4 -2.1
Liberal Democrats Marise Roberts 663 26.2 +2.2
Conservative Ian Hunt 290 11.4 -0.1
Majority 917 36.2 -4.4
Turnout 2,533 41 +22
Labour hold Swing
Windle[2][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kenneth Roughley 2,130 57.1 +7.8
Labour Susan Murphy 1,130 30.3 -12.0
Liberal Democrats Katrina Young 470 12.6 +4.1
Majority 1,000 26.8 +19.8
Turnout 3,730 55 +20
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

References
  1. "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. "Local Elections 2003: Sefton battle remains in the balance". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank. 2 May 2003.
  3. Neild, Larry (4 April 2003). "Local elections 2003: Final bow for the last `fortyniner'". Liverpool Daily Post. NewsBank.
  4. Kelly, Andy (28 April 2003). "Local elections 2003: It's stick or twist for town hall voters". Liverpool Daily Post. NewsBank.
  5. Kilmurray, Andrew (30 April 2003). "Voting turnout reaches 42 per cent". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  6. Harker, Sarah (8 May 2003). "Take a bow Mr Postie". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  7. "Local elections 2003: St Helens". Liverpool Daily Post. NewsBank. 2 May 2003.
  8. "Latest Releases". St. Helens Council. Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
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