2003 Sunderland City Council election

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2003 Sunderland City Council election
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←  2002 1 May 2003 2004  →
One third of 75 seats on Sunderland City Council
38 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats
Seats before62111
Seats won2120
Seats after6391
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1Decrease2.svg2Steady2.svg0
 Fourth partyFifth party
 
Party Independent Liberal
Seats before01
Seats won11
Seats after11
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1Steady2.svg0
Majority party before election

Labour

Majority party after election

Labour

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

Contents

Campaign

25 seats were contested in the election by a total of 92 candidates, with the Labour Party, Conservative Party and British National Party contesting every seat. [2] With the British National Party contesting every seat the issue of asylum seekers was important in the election, with the British National Party saying that Sunderland had seen a "palpable invasion of asylum-seekers". [3] However Labour, who were defending 21 of the 25 seats, said that in the previous 2 years only 1,800 had been temporarily housed in the city of a population of 289,000. [3] During the campaign a number of prominent people from the North East including the Bishop of Durham Michael Turnbull and the chairman of Sunderland Football Club Bob Murray issued a statement calling on voters to reject the British National Party. [4]

Labour defended their record pointing to an excellent rating in government league tables, having the second lowest council tax in the north east despite a 7.7% rise and to regeneration projects. [5] They targeted the Conservative wards of Hendon and St Peters, but the Conservatives attacked the management of the council for being bloated and said they could bring more efficiency. [5] Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats contested 13 seats and said there needed to be more opposition councillors to challenge Labour. [5]

The election in Sunderland saw a trial of all postal voting in an attempt to increase turnout. [6] This helped lead to turnout being over double that seen at the 2002 election at 46%. [7]

Election result

The results saw Labour hold control of the council with 63 seats after gaining 2 seats from the Conservatives who were reduced to 9 seats. [8] [9] One of the 2 gains saw the former leader of council, Bryn Sidaway, win Hendon by 39 votes after a recount, regaining the seat that he had lost in the 1999 election. [9] However Labour did lose 1 seat in Eppleton to an independent Colin Wakefield who had stood to represent a Residents Against Toxic Site campaign. [9]

The British National Party failed to win any seats, but did win 13,652 votes, 13.75% of the total [7] and came second in 5 wards. [8] The failure of the British National Party was partly attributed to the increase in turnout due to the all-postal voting. [7]

Sunderland Local Election Result 2003 [10] [11] [12]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 2121Increase2.svg184.052.552,060Decrease2.svg4.4%
  Conservative 202Decrease2.svg28.022.322,089Decrease2.svg9.6%
  BNP 000Steady2.svg0013.813,652Increase2.svg10.7%
  Liberal Democrats 000Steady2.svg007.37,265Decrease2.svg0.6
  Independent 110Increase2.svg14.02.72,669Increase2.svg2.5%
  Liberal 100Steady2.svg001.41,408Decrease2.svg1.6
  National Front 000Steady2.svg000.173Increase2.svg0.1

This resulted in the following composition of the council:

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Labour6263
Conservatives119
Liberal Democrats11
Liberal11
Independent01
Total7575
Working majority 49  51 

Ward by ward results

Castletown [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Leslie Mann2,08764.5-21.7
BNP Ian Mcdonald75223.2+23.2
Conservative Gwennyth Gibson39612.2-1.6
Majority1,33541.3-31.2
Turnout 3,23543.1
Labour hold Swing
Central [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Colin Anderson1,59449.0-10.3
BNP Christopher Lathan68621.1+21.1
Conservative Dorreen Storey48715.0-4.6
Liberal Democrats Jane Walters48715.0-6.1
Majority90827.9-10.4
Turnout 3,25442.3
Labour hold Swing
Colliery [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Norman Dent1,72252.4-9.8
Conservative John Brown87826.7-11.1
BNP Ian Leadbitter68520.9+20.9
Majority84425.7+1.4
Turnout 3,28548.4
Labour hold Swing
Eppleton [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Colin Wakefield1,83939.6+39.6
Labour Robert Heron1,78838.5-28.5
Conservative David Wilson46410.0-23.0
Liberal Democrats Philip Dowell3307.1+7.1
BNP James Davison2254.8+4.8
Majority511.1
Turnout 4,64648.9
Independent gain from Labour Swing
Fulwell [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Walton2,50653.8-12.7
Labour Rosalind Copeland1,31328.2+6.5
BNP Joseph Dobbie4319.3+4.0
Liberal Democrats Amie Leung4068.7+2.2
Majority1,19325.6-19.2
Turnout 4,65656.8
Conservative hold Swing
Grindon [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Forbes1,88562.3-4.7
Conservative David Andrew62720.7-12.3
BNP Paul Humble51517.0+17.0
Majority1,25841.6+7.7
Turnout 3,02743.2
Labour hold Swing
Hendon [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Brynley Sidaway1,71142.8-2.2
Conservative Paul Maddison1,67241.8+0.9
BNP David Guynan61915.5+1.5
Majority391.0-3.1
Turnout 4,00251.5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Hetton [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Florence Anderson2,80772.9-2.2
Conservative Olwyn Bird62416.2-8.7
BNP Andrew Morris41910.9+10.9
Majority2,18356.7+6.6
Turnout 3,85043.9
Labour hold Swing
Houghton [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Louise Farthing2,46170.1-10.2
Conservative Gordon Newton57116.3-3.4
BNP Ian Patterson48013.7+13.7
Majority1,89053.8-6.7
Turnout 3,51243.9
Labour hold Swing
Pallion [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Robert Pells1,69538.3-6.1
Conservative Stephen Daughton1,58135.8-4.1
BNP David Martin55612.6+12.6
Liberal Democrats Sham Vedhara4109.3-1.8
Independent Ronald Smith1784.0-0.7
Majority1142.6-1.9
Turnout 4,42053.5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Ryhope [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Aileen Handy2,65754.5-15.3
Liberal Democrats Martyn Herron79816.4+16.4
Conservative William Dunn73015.0-15.2
BNP Michael Matthews69114.2+14.2
Majority1,85938.1-1.5
Turnout 4,87645.9
Labour hold Swing
St Chad's [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Porthouse2,09050.2-8.0
Conservative Lee Martin1,22429.4-12.4
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Foreman43710.5+10.5
BNP Carol Dobbie41510.0+10.0
Majority86620.8+4.4
Turnout 4,16651.9
Labour hold Swing
St Michael's [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Peter Wood2,72756.7-10.2
Labour David Errington1,55132.2-0.9
BNP Stephen Bilton53411.1+11.1
Majority1,17624.4-9.5
Turnout 4,81255.8
Conservative hold Swing
St Peter's [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Christine Shattock1,48134.0-1.8
Conservative Lilian Walton1,36231.3-8.1
Liberal Democrats John Lennox84119.3-5.4
BNP Jason Dent67415.5+15.5
Majority1192.7
Turnout 4,35854.1
Labour hold Swing
Shiney Row [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Anne Hall3,06060.8-11.7
Liberal Democrats Neil Grundy87817.4+17.4
Conservative John Calvert62112.3-15.2
BNP Sharon Leadbitter4749.4+9.4
Majority2,18243.4-1.7
Turnout 5,03345.2
Labour hold Swing
Silksworth [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Patricia Smith2,76065.7-6.5
Conservative Patricia Francis64615.4-6.1
BNP Trevor Jenkins57513.7+7.4
Independent Georgina Kennedy2215.3+5.3
Majority2,11450.3-0.4
Turnout 4,20244.3
Labour hold Swing
South Hylton [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Susan Watson1,92761.7-6.7
BNP Debra Hiles67421.6+21.6
Conservative Kathryn Chamberlin52016.7-14.9
Majority1,25340.1+3.3
Turnout 3,12143.0
Labour hold Swing
Southwick [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Bryan Charlton1,51953.1-9.8
BNP Alan Brettwood51017.8-1.9
Independent Frederick Crone43115.1+15.1
Liberal Democrats Christine Griffin2177.6-3.7
Conservative Alice Mclaren1836.4+0.2
Majority1,00935.3-7.9
Turnout 2,86045.7
Labour hold Swing
Thorney Close [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Allan1,98363.7-3.4
BNP Joseph Dobbie68021.8+6.2
Conservative Paula Wilkinson45014.5-2.8
Majority1,30341.9-8.0
Turnout 3,11342.6
Labour hold Swing
Thornholme [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Winifred Lundgren1,40842.9-13.7
Labour Phillip Gibson91928.0-2.2
Conservative Marjorie Matthews49915.2+2.0
BNP Philip Clark45313.8+13.8
Majority48914.9-11.5
Turnout 3,27945.5
Liberal hold Swing
Town End Farm [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Gowan Scott1,76059.4-1.7
BNP John Martin87829.7+1.7
Conservative Gillian Connor32310.9+0.0
Majority88229.8-3.3
Turnout 2,96145.1
Labour hold Swing
Washington East [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Eric Timmins3,00361.0-1.1
Conservative Jacqueline Atkinson82216.7-6.1
Liberal Democrats Avril Kitching65013.2-1.9
BNP David Richardson3717.5+7.5
National Front Mark Farrell731.5+1.5
Majority2,18144.3+5.0
Turnout 4,91944.2
Labour hold Swing
Washington North [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Murray2,70374.0-5.5
Conservative Kathleen Irvine52814.5-6.0
BNP Ian Guilbert42211.6+11.6
Majority2,17559.5+0.5
Turnout 3,65342.2
Labour hold Swing
Washington South [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Bryan Williams3,15252.4+2.6
Liberal Democrats Owen Dumpleton1,16919.4+1.9
Conservative Michael Dixon1,11218.5-14.2
BNP Gordon Pace5869.7+9.7
Majority1,98332.9+15.8
Turnout 6,01942.4
Labour hold Swing
Washington West [10] [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Craddock2,43261.5-4.3
Liberal Democrats David Griffin64216.2-1.4
Conservative Justin Garrod53613.5-3.0
BNP Keith Byrne3478.8+8.8
Majority1,79045.2-3.0
Turnout 3,95742.8
Labour hold Swing

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References

  1. ↑ "Local elections". BBC News Online . Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  2. ↑ Redvers, Louise (2 April 2003). "BNP bid to seize Town Hall seats". Evening Chronicle . p. 10.
  3. 1 2 Norfolk, Andrew (15 April 2003). "BNP to make history at council elections". The Times . p. 16.
  4. ↑ Jennings, Lindsay (18 April 2003). "Bishop leads campaign to block BNP in North-East". The Northern Echo. p. 1.
  5. 1 2 3 Dargie, Alison (19 April 2003). "Labour set to harness optimism". The Journal. p. 28.
  6. ↑ Young, Peter (17 April 2003). "Armchair electorate put in the hotseat". Evening Chronicle . p. 18.
  7. 1 2 3 Norfolk, Andrew; S/herman, Jill (2 May 2003). "BNP surges in Burnley but stalls in Sunderland". The Times . p. 15.
  8. 1 2 Johnston, Philip; Stokes, Paul (2 May 2003). "BNP's gains will give it a first taste of power". The Daily Telegraph . p. 9.
  9. 1 2 3 "Sunderland". The Journal. 2 May 2003. p. 2.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Postal Voting - 1st May 2003". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  11. ↑ "Election results; English Councils; Local elections 2003". The Times . 2 May 2003. p. 16.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Election results". The Journal. 2 May 2003. p. 44.
Preceded by
2002 Sunderland City Council election 		Sunderland City Council elections Succeeded by
2004 Sunderland City Council election
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