2003 Wychavon District Council election

The 2003 Wychavon District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999 reducing the number of seats by four.[1] The Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.[2]

Map of the results of the 2003 Wychavon District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Labour in red.

Background

Before the election the Conservatives controlled the council with 33 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats had 10 seats, Labour had 3, there was 1 independent and 2 seats were vacant.[3] Boundary changes since 1999 reduced the number of wards from 36 to 32 and the number of councillors fell by four.[4] Although all of the seats on the council were up for election, in Norton and Whittington, and Pinvin, there was no election as there was only one candidate in each ward.[3]

One-third of the Conservative councillors stood down at the election,[3] as well as independent John Smith who had represented Pershore on Wychavon District Council from its first election in 1973.[5]

Election result

The Conservatives remained in control of the council after winning 31 of the 45 seats on the council.[4] The Liberal Democrats remained the largest opposition with 12 seats, while Labour took two seats.[6] Overall turnout at the election was 37.94%, almost 4% higher than at the 1999 election.[7]

Among the defeated candidates was the Labour leader on Worcestershire County Council, Peter Pinfield, who lost in Droitwich East.[4] Meanwhile, the Conservative leader of the council, Malcolm Meikle, held his seat by 39 votes and the Liberal Democrat group leader, Margaret Rowley was elected by 19 votes after recounts in both wards.[4] However the Conservatives did lose seats in Pershore, where the Liberal Democrats won all three seats for the ward.[7]

Wychavon local election result 2003[2][8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 31 -2 68.9 53.6 23,316 +8.0%
  Liberal Democrats 12 +2 26.7 28.3 12,316 +0.4%
  Labour 2 -2 4.4 11.1 4,841 -4.2%
  Independent 0 -2 0 6.4 2,767 -2.2%
  Green 0 0 0 0.7 285 +0.0%

Ward results
Badsey[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Sonya Ealey 321 50.7
Conservative Reginald Jakeman 312 49.3
Majority 9 1.4
Turnout 633 30.1
Bengeworth (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Martin Jennings 514
Conservative Emma Stokes 421
Labour Stephen Selby 319
Independent Albert Booth 312
Turnout 1,566 28.9
Bowbrook[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Alexandra Rowley 471 51.0
Conservative Christopher Hartwright 452 49.0
Majority 19 2.1
Turnout 923 47.9
Bredon[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Adrian Hardman 487 63.5
Liberal Democrats Jeanette Way 218 28.4
Labour Peter Kelson 62 8.1
Majority 269 35.1
Turnout 767 38.9
Bretforton and Offenham[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats George Bourne 409 67.0
Conservative Patrick Clifford 201 33.0
Majority 208 34.1
Turnout 610 30.3
Broadway and Wickhamford (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Folkes 964
Conservative David Noyes 774
Liberal Democrats Carolyn Harford 343
Turnout 2,081 32.7
Dodderhill[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Judith Pearce 393 69.1
Liberal Democrats Derek Prior 176 30.9
Majority 217 38.1
Turnout 569 32.2
Drakes Broughton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Middlebrough 417 58.8
Liberal Democrats Josephine Wilkinson 292 41.2
Majority 125 17.6
Turnout 709 37.5
Droitwich Central[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Graham Gopsill 238 37.4
Labour Eve Freer 235 36.9
Conservative Glenise Noyes 164 25.7
Majority 3 0.5
Turnout 637 30.2
Droitwich East (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Barratt 788
Conservative Pamela Davey 716
Labour Peter Pinfield 691
Labour Sheila Neary 667
Turnout 2,862 35.3
Droitwich South East (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Eileen Hope 730
Conservative Donald Lawley 645
Independent Ronald Waters 487
Labour Bill Baker 286
Labour Jon Baker 264
Turnout 2,412 33.8
Droitwich South West (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Spencer 497
Conservative Maureen Lawley 476
Liberal Democrats Wendy Carter 391
Independent Claude Heeley 358
Labour John Cook 324
Liberal Democrats Pamela Jackson-Smith 282
Labour Sheila Seabourne 278
Turnout 2,606 34.6
Droitwich West (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roy Seabourne 473
Labour John Wrenn 442
Conservative Laurence Evans 314
Conservative Alan Fisher 306
Turnout 1,535 21.1
Ecckington[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Wright 507 59.1
Liberal Democrats Roy Chiverton 234 27.3
Labour Priscilla Cameron 117 13.6
Majority 273 31.8
Turnout 858 39.0
Elmley Castle and Somerville[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dorothy Mackison 558 62.3
Liberal Democrats Garth Raymer 338 37.7
Majority 220 24.6
Turnout 896 45.1
Evesham North (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Josephine Sandalls 461
Conservative Roma Kirke 436
Labour Robin Lunn 302
Liberal Democrats Pauline Christie 298
Independent Paul Rencher 220
Turnout 1,717 28.1
Evesham South (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Cartwright 549
Conservative Robert Banks 504
Liberal Democrats Diana Brown 354
Turnout 1,407 22.9
Fladbury[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Malcolm Meikle 558 49.3
Liberal Democrats Thomas McDonald 522 46.1
Labour Ross Hayman 52 4.6
Majority 36 3.2
Turnout 1,132 52.0
Great Hampton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Smith 420 68.4
Liberal Democrats Edward Martin 194 31.6
Majority 226 36.8
Turnout 614 29.8
Hartlebury[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Muriel Mathews 435 77.1
Labour Steven Westwood 129 22.9
Majority 306 54.3
Turnout 564 26.0
Havington and Norton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Clive Holt 425 58.7
Liberal Democrats Noel Christie 299 41.3
Majority 126 17.4
Turnout 724 35.4
Honeybourne and Pebworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Thomas Bean 295 47.6
Independent Sharon Summers 180 29.0
Conservative Lesley Auden 145 23.4
Majority 115 18.5
Turnout 620 32.6
Inkberrow (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Audrey Steel 1,262
Conservative David Lee 1,093
Liberal Democrats Martin Davey 632
Liberal Democrats Donald Aldridge 518
Turnout 3,505 41.3
Little Hampton (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Dyke 480
Liberal Democrats John Payne 420
Conservative John Stych 333
Turnout 1,233 21.5
Lovett and North Claines (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Coley 897
Conservative Andrew Christian-Brookes 870
Liberal Democrats Anthony Miller 556
Liberal Democrats Janet Saunders 457
Turnout 2,780 35.8
Norton and Whittington[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Adams unopposed
Ombersley[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jean Dowty 539 80.6
Liberal Democrats Judith Cussen 130 19.4
Majority 409 61.1
Turnout 669 36.5
Pershore (3 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Gaynor Amphhlett 898
Liberal Democrats John Grantham 785
Liberal Democrats Charles Tucker 731
Conservative Richard Hampton 654
Conservative Valerie Wood 607
Conservative Maurene Wilson 529
Independent Trudy Burge 455
Independent Raith Annis 328
Green David Shaw 285
Independent Malcolm Dalley 216
Independent Kenneth Rowe 211
Labour Susan Hayman 155
Turnout 5,854 36.3
Pinvin[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Malcolm Argyle unopposed
South Bredon Hill[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Adrian Darby 555 57.3
Conservative Beverley Hardman 368 38.0
Labour Fiona Cameron 45 4.6
Majority 187 19.3
Turnout 968 50.6
The Littletons[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Smith 532 60.0
Liberal Democrats Helen Martin 354 40.0
Majority 178 20.1
Turnout 886 40.5
Upton Snodsbury[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Tucker 605 50.9
Conservative Linda Robinson 583 49.1
Majority 22 1.9
Turnout 1,188 55.8

References
  1. "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  2. "English councils - Non-metropolitan districts". The Times. NewsBank. 3 May 2003. p. 47.
  3. "Tories under siege at polls". Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications. NewsBank. 11 April 2003.
  4. "Victory fails to bring control". Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications. NewsBank. 2 May 2003.
  5. "'Mr Pershore' John standing down after 56 year's service". Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications. NewsBank. 10 April 2003.
  6. "Local election results - Wychavon". Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications. NewsBank. 2 May 2003.
  7. "Tory joy at the local elections". Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications. NewsBank. 8 May 2003.
  8. "District Council election" (PDF). Wychavon District Council. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
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