2003 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election

The 2003 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council in West Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was

Election result

The results saw Labour lose 2 seats to the Conservatives in Pontefract South and Wakefield Rural, and 1 seat to the Liberal Democrats in Ossett.[3] Labour remained firmly in control, and while they were disappointed to lose 3 seats, the results were seen as being "not too bad" by the Labour council leader Peter Box.[3][4] No other party won any seats, but the votes for the British National Party concerned the other political leaders.[3][4] Voter turnout was lowest in South Elmsall ward at 18.6%.[5]

Wakefield Local Election Result 2003[2][6]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 17 0 3 -3 81.0 46.1 27,678 -7.4%
  Conservative 3 2 0 +2 14.3 25.3 15,168 +0.6%
  Liberal Democrats 1 1 0 +1 4.8 11.2 6,700 -0.2%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 11.5 6,896 +5.5%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 2.4 1,413 +2.4%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 913 +1.0%
  Socialist Labour 0 0 0 0 0 1.2 707 -1.7%
  Socialist Alternative 0 0 0 0 0 0.6 390 +0.0%
  Socialist Alliance 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 141 -0.2%

Ward results

Castleford Ferry Fryston[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Nicholson 1,117 58.7 −16.9
Independent John Bird 621 32.6 +32.6
Conservative Madge Richards 166 8.7 −5.7
Majority 496 26.1 −35.1
Turnout 1,904 20.7 +1.3
Labour hold Swing
Castleford Glasshoughton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paul Phelps 1,655 80.6 −1.5
Conservative Charles Scholes 399 19.4 +8.2
Majority 1,256 61.2 −9.7
Turnout 2,054 19.5 −1.7
Labour hold Swing
Castleford Whitwood[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Box 1,424 75.3 −7.6
Conservative Elizabeth Rhodes 320 16.9 +6.1
Socialist Labour Kathryn Summerscales 148 7.8 +1.5
Majority 1,104 58.4 −13.7
Turnout 1,892 19.9 −2.2
Labour hold Swing
Crofton & Ackworth[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roy Hirst 1,310 40.3 −10.9
Liberal Democrats James McDougall 769 23.7 +1.8
Independent Christopher Hazell 640 19.7 +19.7
Conservative Michael Ledgard 530 16.3 −1.8
Majority 541 16.6 −12.7
Turnout 3,249 26.8 +1.4
Labour hold Swing
Featherstone[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Graham Isherwood 1,554 71.3 −11.7
Conservative Terence Brown 433 19.9 +2.9
Socialist Labour Zane Carpenter 192 8.8 +8.8
Majority 1,121 51.4 −14.6
Turnout 2,179 20.4 +0.0
Labour hold Swing
Hemsworth[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Glyn Lloyd 1,384 61.1 −11.4
Independent Roy Bateman 579 25.6 +25.6
Conservative Eamonn Mullins 301 13.3 −3.2
Majority 805 35.5 −20.5
Turnout 2,264 21.5 +0.7
Labour hold Swing
Horbury[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Janet Holmes 1,519 37.4 −5.8
Conservative Caroline Smith 1,054 26.0 −11.6
Liberal Democrats Mark Goodair 695 17.1 −0.3
BNP John Aveyard 629 15.5 +15.5
Independent John Alexander 161 4.0 +4.0
Majority 465 11.4 +5.8
Turnout 4,058 34.1 +7.1
Labour hold Swing
Knottingley[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Graham Clarke 1,297 60.4 −15.5
Conservative David Howarth 403 18.8 −5.3
Liberal Democrats Carey Chambers 261 12.2 +12.2
UKIP Colin Batty 185 8.6 +8.6
Majority 894 41.6 −10.2
Turnout 2,146 21.2 +0.5
Labour hold Swing
Normanton & Sharlston[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Barry Smith 1,354 49.1 −0.7
Independent Graeme Milner 797 28.9 +3.6
Conservative Allan Couch 370 13.4 +0.2
Socialist Labour Norman Hartshorne 237 8.6 −3.1
Majority 557 20.2 −4.3
Turnout 2,758 21.9 +1.3
Labour hold Swing
Ossett[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Knowles 1,639 38.8 −16.1
Labour Donald Hitchen 1,112 26.3 −5.4
BNP Suzy Cass 784 18.6 +18.6
Conservative Glenn Armitage 689 16.3 +3.0
Majority 527 12.5 −10.7
Turnout 4,224 34.4 +3.3
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Pontefract North[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clive Tennant 1,443 58.2 −10.0
Conservative Richard Molloy 536 21.6 −1.6
UKIP Howard Burdon 352 14.2 +14.2
Socialist Alternative John Gill 149 6.0 +1.1
Majority 907 36.6 −8.4
Turnout 2,480 19.7 −1.3
Labour hold Swing
Pontefract South[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Booth 1,290 44.1
Labour Patricia Garbutt 1,270 43.4
UKIP James Marran 224 7.7
Socialist Alliance Alan Hyman 141 4.8
Majority 20 0.7
Turnout 2,925 27.9 −0.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
South Elmsall[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Allan Garbutt 1,398 67.8 −0.3
Conservative Ian Hall 664 32.2 +14.2
Majority 736 35.6 −14.5
Turnout 2,062 18.6 −2.6
Labour hold Swing
South Kirkby[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mollie Wright 1,714 81.0 +35.8
Conservative Christian l'Anson 403 19.0 +14.0
Majority 1,311 62.0
Turnout 2,117 20.9 −3.2
Labour hold Swing
Stanley & Altofts[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kevin Swift 1,129 35.4 −16.5
Conservative Pauline Mitchell 849 26.6 +3.3
Liberal Democrats Michael Burch 578 18.1 −4.1
Independent Steve Gilks 501 15.7 +15.7
Socialist Labour Thomas Appleyard 130 4.1 +1.5
Majority 280 8.8 −19.8
Turnout 3,187 23.4 +0.3
Labour hold Swing
Stanley & Wrenthorpe[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Lund 1,266 34.3 −11.7
Conservative James Dick 954 25.9 −5.5
Independent Alexander Adie 808 21.9 +21.9
Liberal Democrats Margaret Dodd 658 17.9 −4.7
Majority 312 8.4 −6.2
Turnout 3,686 24.8 +0.8
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield Central[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Denise Jeffery 1,430 44.0 −4.9
Conservative Jane Brown 1,251 38.5 −0.4
Independent Catherine Holmes 567 17.5 +17.5
Majority 179 5.5 −4.5
Turnout 3,248 30.0 −8.5
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield East[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Hayward 1,091 37.1 −8.3
Conservative John Berry 639 21.7 +5.3
Liberal Democrats Alan Dale 532 18.1 +9.3
Independent Georgina Fenton 436 14.8 +5.2
Socialist Alternative Michael Griffiths 241 8.2 +0.7
Majority 452 15.4 −13.6
Turnout 2,939 26.1 −0.5
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield North[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Elizabeth Rhodes 1,103 39.7 −16.1
Conservative Michael Mitchell 708 25.5 +1.4
Liberal Democrats Douglas Dale 558 20.1 +4.3
Independent Jeffrey Warriner 254 9.2 +9.2
UKIP Keith Wells 152 5.5 +1.2
Majority 395 14.2 −17.5
Turnout 2,775 25.9 +1.1
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield Rural[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative June Drysdale 1,514 41.8 −1.8
Labour Maurren Cummings 1,132 31.2 −11.6
Independent Michael Greensmith 527 14.5 +14.5
Liberal Democrats Susan Morgan 451 12.4 −1.1
Majority 382 10.6 +9.8
Turnout 3,623 28.5 +0.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Wakefield South[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Hopkins 1,695 40.0 +11.0
Labour Hazel Chowcat 976 23.0 −3.9
Independent Nicholas Hazell 873 20.6 −12.9
Liberal Democrats Stephen Nuthall 559 13.2 +2.7
Independent Stephen Selby 132 3.1 +3.1
Majority 719 17.0
Turnout 4,235 35.1 −2.9
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Election results; English Councils; Local elections 2003". The Times. 2 May 2003. p. 16. ISSN 0140-0460.
  3. ^ a b c "Wounded Labour still in charge". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2 May 2003. ISSN 0963-2255.
  4. ^ a b "Council leader warns against complacency". Wakefield Express. 2 May 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Turned out bad again...". Yorkshire Evening Post. 3 May 2003. ISSN 0963-2255.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Local Election Results 1st May 2003". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2009.