2004 Eastbourne Borough Council election

Map of the results of the 2004 Eastbourne Borough Council election. Conservatives in blue and Liberal Democrats in yellow.

The 2004 Eastbourne Borough Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Eastbourne Borough Council in East Sussex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from the Liberal Democrats.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

10 seats were contested at the election, with 2 seats being available in Old Town ward after Liberal Democrat councillor Bert Leggett stood down.[3]

During the campaign both the national Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy and Conservative leader Michael Howard came to Eastbourne to support their parties.[3][4]

Election result

The Conservatives gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats to take a one-seat majority on the council with 14 councillors, compared to 13 for the Liberal Democrats.[5] The Conservative gain came in Old Town ward, where Conservative Simon Herbert gained one of the two seats from the Liberal Democrats with 1,926 votes, while Liberal Democrat Maurice Skilton held the other seat with 1,854 votes.[3] Overall turnout at the election was 40.97%, up from 33.6% at the 2003 election.[6]

Eastbourne local election result 2004[2][6]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 5 1 0 +1 50.0 50.3 15,709 +0.8
  Liberal Democrats 5 0 1 -1 50.0 36.0 11,230 -3.2
  Green 0 0 0 0 0.0 7.9 2,464 +3.8
  Labour 0 0 0 0 0.0 5.9 1,827 -0.8

Ward results

Devonshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Margaret Bannister 1,177 44.7 −13.4
Conservative Kenneth Graham 1,040 39.5 +5.2
Green Clive Gross 239 9.1 +1.5
Labour Richard Goude 178 6.8 +6.8
Majority 137 5.2 −18.5
Turnout 2,634 35.3 +8.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Hampden Park[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Michael Thompson 988 44.9 −5.0
Conservative Edward Abella 636 28.9 +7.3
Labour David Brinson 356 16.2 −6.7
Green Leslie Dalton 222 10.1 +4.5
Majority 352 16.0 −10.9
Turnout 2,202 31.6 +5.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Langney[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Irene Sims 1,210 49.8 +2.9
Conservative Thomas Walters 921 37.9 −3.0
Labour Steven Scott 164 6.7 −2.0
Green Christine Quarrington 137 5.6 +2.1
Majority 289 11.9 +5.9
Turnout 2,432 34.1 +10.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Meads[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Barry Taylor 2,672 71.2 −0.1
Liberal Democrats Steven Wallis 589 15.7 −1.1
Green Kate Arnold 271 7.2 +2.2
Labour Dennis Scard 221 5.9 −1.1
Majority 2,083 55.5 +1.0
Turnout 3,753 49.6 +10.2
Conservative hold Swing
Old Town (2 seats)[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Simon Herbert 1,926
Liberal Democrats Maurice Skilton 1,854
Conservative John Stanbury 1,816
Liberal Democrats Patricia Habets 1,739
Green Catharine Birchwood 355
Green Jocelyn McCarthy 289
Labour Jonathan Pettigrew 155
Labour Robert Rossetter 132
Turnout 8,266 54.9 +8.0
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Ratton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Barbara Goodall 2,227 65.8 +1.0
Liberal Democrats Peter Durrant 702 20.7 −2.7
Labour Martin Falkner 233 6.9 −0.5
Green Kevin Moore 225 6.6 +2.2
Majority 1,525 45.0 +3.6
Turnout 3,387 44.7 +8.6
Conservative hold Swing
St Anthony's[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jon Harris 1,441 47.1 −7.1
Conservative Judith Kim-Symes 1,200 39.2 +6.6
Green Hugh Norris 242 7.9 +7.9
Labour Nora Ring 176 5.8 −1.8
Majority 241 7.9 −13.8
Turnout 3,059 38.4 +7.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Sovereign[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christopher Williams 1,517 59.4 +4.7
Liberal Democrats Margaret Salsbury 806 31.6 −13.7
Green Nancy Dalton 229 9.0 +9.0
Majority 711 27.9 +18.5
Turnout 2,552 38.1 +0.3
Conservative hold Swing
Upperton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Lacey 1,754 59.6 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Patrick Rodohan 724 24.6 −7.6
Green Finbar O'Shea 255 8.7 +3.2
Labour Margaret Pettigrew 212 7.2 +1.4
Majority 1,030 35.0 +10.8
Turnout 2,945 40.1 +5.1
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Eastbourne council". BBC News Online. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Local elections 2004" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Local elections: Tory joy in Eastbourne". The Argus. 14 June 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  4. ^ "Kennedy on electoral trail". The Argus. 19 May 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  5. ^ Lydall, Ross (11 June 2004). "Tories claim to have turned tide". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Results of elections held Thursday 10 June 2004". Eastbourne Borough Council. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.