2003 Wyre Forest District Council election

The 2003 Wyre Forest District 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.[1]

Map of the results of the 2003 Wyre Forest District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Health Concern in pink, Liberal in olive, Labour in red and Liberal Democrats in yellow. Wards in grey were not contested in 2003.

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

Before the election the council was composed of 21 Health Concern, 7 Conservative, 5 Labour, 5 Liberal, 2 Liberal Democrats and 2 independent councillors.[3] 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.[3][4] 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.[5]

Election result

Health Concern suffered a net loss of 2 councillors after losing 3 seats and only gaining 1 in Oldington and Foley Park.[6][7] Despite the losses Health Concern said that would continue as a minority administration on the council.[8] 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 Wolverley.[7] They put their gains down to a focus on "community issues" including crime, tax and health and disillusionment with Health Concern.[9]

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.[10] 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.[8]

Voter turnout in the election was down to below 31%, the lowest since 1998, with only 2 wards seeing a turnout of over 35%.[11] This was attributed to the lack of strong issues during the campaign compared to previous elections where controversy over Kidderminster hospital and a planned incinerator increased interest.[11]

Wyre Forest local election result 2003[12][13]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 5 3 1 +2 33.3 27.1 5,447 +2.0%
  Health Concern 4 1 3 -2 26.7 27.0 5,416 -2.6%
  Liberal 3 2 0 +2 20.0 12.7 2,542 -0.3%
  Labour 2 1 2 -1 13.3 24.1 4,849 -0.7%
  Liberal Democrats 1 1 1 0 6.7 8.8 1,768 +2.5%
  Independent 0 0 1 -1 0 0.4 72 -0.7%

Ward results
Aggborough and Spennells[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Dyke 902 42.1 +10.9
Health Concern Jacqueline Cotterill 613 28.6 -5.6
Conservative Douglas Godwin 453 21.2 -3.4
Labour Lesley Brown 173 8.1 +1.3
Majority 289 13.5
Turnout 2,141 30.3
Liberal Democrats gain from Health Concern Swing
Areley Kings[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Maureen Mason 587 37.1 -1.5
Health Concern Nigel Thomas 478 30.2 +30.2
Labour James Cooper 467 29.5 -17.1
Liberal Democrats Paul Simpson 52 3.3 +3.3
Majority 109 6.9
Turnout 1,584 34.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Blakedown[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pauline Hayward 427 82.6
Labour Trevor Bennett 90 17.4
Majority 337 65.2
Turnout 517 34.0
Conservative hold Swing
Broadwaters[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Wheway 583 45.2 +30.3
Health Concern Michael Shellie 328 25.4 -21.2
Labour David Montague-Smith 199 15.4 -8.7
Conservative James Musk 108 8.4 -1.1
Independent David Gourley 72 5.6 +5.6
Majority 255 19.8
Turnout 1,290 26.7
Liberal gain from Independent Swing
Cookley[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christopher Nicholls 396 61.2
Conservative David Pittaway 251 38.8
Majority 145 22.4
Turnout 647 35.2
Labour hold Swing
Franche[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Leonard Barton 681 41.1 -7.0
Labour Nigel Knowles 552 33.3 +1.1
Conservative Jeffrey Baker 423 25.5 +8.0
Majority 129 7.8 -8.1
Turnout 1,656 29.2
Health Concern hold Swing
Greenhill[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Graham Ballinger 873 55.9 -1.3
Health Concern Jane Paterson 336 21.5 -0.2
Labour Geoffrey Morgan 205 13.1 -0.2
Conservative Geoffrey Bulmer 147 9.4 +1.6
Majority 537 34.4 -1.1
Turnout 1,561 29.9
Liberal gain from Health Concern Swing
Habberley and Blakebrook[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Lynn Hyde 796 44.4 +10.8
Health Concern John Clarke 694 38.7 -14.4
Conservative Neil Anderson 233 13.0 +1.7
Liberal Democrats Nigel Bryan 70 3.9 +1.9
Majority 102 5.7
Turnout 1,793 35.5
Labour gain from Health Concern Swing
Lickhill[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Brian Glass 854 52.9 -0.3
Conservative David Little 460 28.5 +1.7
Labour Donovan Giles 300 18.6 -1.4
Majority 394 24.4 -2.0
Turnout 1,614 29.1
Health Concern hold Swing
Mitton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Patricia Rimell 585 44.6 +0.1
Conservative Michael Freeman 399 30.4 -1.3
Labour Gary Watson 233 17.7 -6.1
Liberal Democrats Nigel Tackley-Goodman 96 7.3 +7.3
Majority 186 14.2 +1.4
Turnout 1,313 25.8
Health Concern hold Swing
Offmore[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frances Oborski 1,086 68.5 -5.7
Labour Keith Budden 285 18.0 +4.8
Conservative Margaret Gregory 215 13.6 +1.0
Majority 801 50.5 -10.5
Turnout 1,586 34.4
Liberal hold Swing
Oldington and Foley Park (2 seats)[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Anne Mace 361
Conservative Susan Meekings 340
Labour James Brown 324
Labour John Gretton 322
Conservative William Jones 302
Liberal Democrats Pamela Dixon 238
Liberal Democrats Michael Price 180
Turnout 2,067 25.7
Health Concern gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Sutton Park[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Dudley 751 51.0
Health Concern Peter Young 295 20.0
Liberal Democrats Stanley Ratcliff 230 15.6
Labour William Bradley 197 13.4
Majority 456 31.0
Turnout 1,473 30.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Wolverley[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nigel Addison 351 41.2
Labour John Wardle 310 36.4
Health Concern Frank Baillie 191 22.4
Majority 41 4.8
Turnout 852 49.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

References
  1. "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  2. "Election Results". The Times. 2 May 2003. p. 17.
  3. Walker, Jonathan (26 April 2003). "A far cry from three-party polls". Birmingham Post. p. 4.
  4. Blakemore, Sophie (2 May 2003). "Election 2003: Health Concern faces tough challenge ; Wyre Forest". Birmingham Post. p. 3.
  5. "Battle is on for district control". Malvern Gazette. 4 April 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  6. Lister, Sam (2 May 2003). "Independents strike at heart of local politics". The Times. p. 14.
  7. "Election round-up". Malvern Gazette. 2 May 2003. Archived from the original on 28 June 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  8. "Health party to go it alone". Malvern Gazette. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  9. "Tories aiming to build, on success". Malvern Gazette. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  10. "Vow to climb out of trough". Malvern Gazette. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  11. "Lowest turnout for five years". Malvern Gazette. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  12. "District of Wyre Forest: District Council Election" (PDF). Political Science Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  13. "Election results". Financial Times. 2 May 2003. p. 4.
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