Cherwell Council election, 2003

The 2003 Cherwell Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Cherwell District Council in Oxfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

Before the election the Conservatives were expected to lose seats after a recent large council tax rise.[2] The results saw the Conservative keep a majority but suffer a net loss of 3 seats after losing 2 seats each to Labour and the Liberal Democrats.[3] The Labour winners included John Hanna who won by 44 votes after losing in the 2002 election by 8 votes.[3] However the Conservatives did gain a seat in Banbury Grimsbury & Castle from Labour for the first in over 20 years.[3] Meanwhile the National Front stood a candidate for the first time to Cherwell Council and said that they would stand in all of the Bicester wards in the next election in 2004.[3]

After the election, the composition of the council was

Election result

Cherwell Local Election Result 2003[5]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/-
  Conservative 9 1 4 -3 56.3 47.7 9,457 -3.6%
  Labour 4 2 1 +1 25.0 25.4 5,034 -6.3%
  Liberal Democrat 3 2 0 +2 18.8 23.8 4,719 +7.8%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 306 +1.1%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 0.8 155 +0.2%
  National Front 0 0 0 0 0 0.7 142 +0.7%

Ward results

Ambrosden & Chesterton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Fulljames 517 73.6 +8.7
Liberal Democrat Ralph Rookwood 185 26.4 +1.5
Majority 332 47.2 +7.2
Turnout 702
Conservative hold Swing
The Astons & Heyfords[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Richard Makepeace 718 51.2
Conservative Terence Miall 684 48.8
Majority 34 2.4
Turnout 1,402
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing
Banbury Easington[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nigel Morris 870 47.9
Labour David Bullock 340 18.7
Independent Gordon Gerry 306 16.8
Liberal Democrat Daphne Nash 223 12.3
Green Michael Cull-Dodd 79 4.3
Majority 530 29.2
Turnout 1,818
Conservative hold Swing
Banbury Grimsbury & Castle[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Back 704 50.7
Labour Gordon Ross 684 49.3
Majority 20 1.4
Turnout 1,388
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Banbury Hardwick[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Turner 504 60.4
Labour Andrew Coles 331 39.6
Majority 173 20.8
Turnout 835
Conservative hold Swing
Banbury Ruscote[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Janet Justice 676 50.9
Conservative Keith Strangwood 652 49.1
Majority 24 1.8
Turnout 1,328
Labour hold Swing
Bicester East[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Hanna 542 46.6
Conservative Anthony Kempton 498 42.8
Liberal Democrat Olatunde Afilaka 124 10.7
Majority 44 3.8
Turnout 1,164
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Bicester North[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Eamonn Gilmore 564 57.4
Labour Wendy Spencer 273 27.8
Liberal Democrat Stephen Creed 146 14.9
Majority 291 29.6
Turnout 983
Conservative hold Swing
Bicester South[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rose Stratford 405 42.6
Liberal Democrat Nicholas Cotter 387 40.7
Labour Nicholas Cherry 159 16.7
Majority 18 1.9
Turnout 951
Conservative hold Swing
Bicester Town[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Diana Edwards 564 52.3
Labour John Broad 341 31.6
Liberal Democrat Neil Walton 173 16.0
Majority 223 20.7
Turnout 1,078
Conservative hold Swing
Bicester West[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Leslie Sibley 774 43.3
Conservative Russell Hurle 690 38.6
Liberal Democrat Lorraine Read 181 10.1
National Front James Starkey 142 7.9
Majority 84 4.7
Turnout 1,787
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Cropredy[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rosemarie Higham 704 77.5
Liberal Democrat Peter Davis 204 22.5
Majority 500 55.0
Turnout 908
Conservative hold Swing
Hook Norton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derrick Gasson 597 77.6
Liberal Democrat Martin Squires 172 22.4
Majority 425 55.2
Turnout 769
Conservative hold Swing
Kidlington North[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat John Wyse 786 54.6
Conservative Susan Goodgame 408 28.4
Labour Catharine Arakelian 245 17.0
Majority 378 26.2
Turnout 1,439
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
Kidlington South[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Stansby 669 37.6
Liberal Democrat Devena Rae 602 33.9
Conservative Barry Carter 507 28.5
Majority 67 3.7
Turnout 1,778
Labour hold Swing
Yarnton, Gosford & Water Eaton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Paul Evans 818 55.2
Conservative Maurice Billington 589 39.7
Green Nicholas Goodwin 76 5.1
Majority 229 15.5
Turnout 1,483
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing

References

  1. ^ "Local elections". BBC News Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2003/locals/html/55.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
  2. ^ "Polls open for local elections". Oxford Mail. 2003-05-01. http://archive.oxfordmail.net/2003/5/1/22428.html. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Cherwell: Tories drop three seats". Oxford Mail. 2003-05-02. http://archive.oxfordmail.net/2003/5/2/22346.html. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
  4. ^ "English local elections: Results". The Guardian. 2003-05-02. p. 12. 
  5. ^ "Election Results". The Times. 2003-05-02. p. 17. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Election Results 2003". Political Science Resources. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/loc03/pages/Cherwell/election.html. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
Preceded by
Cherwell Council election, 2002		 Cherwell local elections Succeeded by
Cherwell Council election, 2004