West Berkshire Council election, 2003

Map of the results of the 2003 West Berkshire Borough Council election. Conservative in blue and Liberal Democrats in yellow.

The 2003 West Berkshire Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of West Berkshire Council in Berkshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000 reducing the number of seats by 2.[1] The Liberal Democrats lost overall control of the council to no overall control.[2]

Background

At the last election in 2000 the Liberal Democrats held control of the council with 28 councillors, compared to 25 for the Conservatives and there was 1 independent councillor.[3] However boundary changes took place for the 2003 election, which reduced the number of seats from 54 to 52 and affected all but 3 of the wards.[4]

Election result

Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats won 26 seats, meaning that the Liberal Democrats lost the majority on the council that they had held for the previous 12 years.[4] The Liberal Democrat leader on the council, Lena Rust was defeated in Basildon ward by the Conservatives, while in Westwood ward the Conservatives gained the seat by 4 votes after 4 recounts.[4] However the Liberal Democrats did pick up a seat in the new Theale ward.[4]

Following the election the Liberal Democrats were able to continue running the election due to the chairman's casting vote.[4]

West Berkshire local election result 2003[2][5]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 26 +1 50.0 50.3 33,815
  Liberal Democrat 26 -2 50.0 45.6 30,628
  Labour 0 0 0 3.1 2,104
  Green 0 0 0 0.5 307
  Independent 0 -1 0 0.4 294
  Socialist Labour 0 0 0 0.1 59

Ward results

Aldermaston[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Irene Neill 677 70.4
Liberal Democrat Douglas Gibbons 284 29.6
Majority 393 40.9
Turnout 961 48
Basildon[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Christopher Webber 684 55.9
Liberal Democrat Lena Rust 539 44.1
Majority 145 11.9
Turnout 1,223 55
Birch Copse (3 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Michael Mooney 806
Conservative Anthony Linden 733
Conservative Andrew Kilgour 716
Labour Clive Taylor 443
Liberal Democrat Stephen Bown 412
Liberal Democrat Vera Barnett 356
Liberal Democrat Nagalingamudaly Sidamparaooillai 316
Turnout 3,782
Bucklebury (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Graham Pask 1,345
Conservative Quentin Webb 1,188
Liberal Democrat Alastair Reed 523
Liberal Democrat Astrid Roberts 425
Turnout 3,481
Burghfield (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Royce Longton 975
Liberal Democrat John Farrin 933
Conservative Anthony Orme 688
Conservative Deborah Bartley-Brown 656
Turnout 3,252
Calcot (3 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Brian Bedwell 972
Conservative Peter Argyle 876
Conservative Manohar Gopal 835
Labour Michael Thompson 428
Liberal Democrat Craig Drury 285
Liberal Democrat Chris Gee 282
Liberal Democrat Paul Walter 255
Turnout 3,933
Chieveley[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Nora French 468 68.3
Liberal Democrat Sarah Hendel-Blackford 217 31.7
Majority 251 36.6
Turnout 685 38
Clay Hill (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Philip Barnett 793
Liberal Democrat Trevor Banning 732
Conservative Jeoffrey Beck 669
Conservative Alma Beck 666
Labour Barry Lambert 103
Turnout 2,963 35
Cold Ash[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Geoffrey Findlay 598 55.2
Liberal Democrat Christopher Marriage 486 44.8
Majority 112 10.3
Turnout 1,084 50
Compton[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Barbara Alexander 622 60.4
Liberal Democrat Patricia Harris 408 39.6
Majority 214 20.8
Turnout 1,030 46
Downlands[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Chandler 609 60.0
Independent John Morgan 294 29.0
Labour Paul Johnston 112 11.0
Majority 315 31.0
Turnout 1,015 46
Falkland (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Caroline Suggett 1,137
Liberal Democrat Valerie Bull 1,068
Conservative Adrian Edwards 1,026
Conservative Richard Kingsley 982
Labour Carol Sambrook 158
Turnout 4,371 46
Greenham (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat William Drummond 728
Liberal Democrat Julian Swift-Hook 675
Conservative Brian Jolly 585
Conservative Antony Forward 555
Turnout 2,543 38
Hungerford (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Denise Gaines 1,065
Liberal Democrat James Mole 1,046
Conservative David Liddiard 885
Conservative Victoria Clarke 881
Turnout 3,877
Kintbury (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Anthony Stansfeld 1,000
Conservative Andrew Rowles 997
Liberal Democrat Linda Alton 439
Liberal Democrat James Russell 403
Turnout 2,839 37
Lambourn Valley (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Arthur Jones 705
Conservative Amos Lundie 502
Liberal Democrat Susan Cocker 447
Liberal Democrat John Davies 389
Turnout 2,043 24
Mortimer (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Keith Lock 1,104
Liberal Democrat Sandra Harding 1,047
Conservative Antony Barker 440
Conservative Francis Shorrock 400
Turnout 2,991 39
Northcroft (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Susan Farrant 460
Liberal Democrat Anthony Vickers 407
Conservative Charlotte Farrow 330
Conservative Barrington Tristram 302
Labour Stephen Billcliffe 152
Turnout 1,651
Pangbourne[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Susan Kemp 591 74.2
Liberal Democrat Christopher Cutler 127 15.9
Labour Cara Brenda 79 9.9
Majority 464 58.2
Turnout 797 36
Purley on Thames (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Timothy Metcalfe 577
Conservative John Chapman 550
Liberal Democrat Brian Dowding 414
Liberal Democrat Robert Bird 376
Green Miriam Kennet 194
Green Marlyn Lee 113
Labour Senan Hartney 108
Turnout 2,332 24
Speen (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Paul Bryant 1,006
Conservative Marcus Franks 910
Liberal Democrat Clive Hillman 756
Liberal Democrat Michaela Tod 692
Labour Michael Lamden 90
Turnout 3,454 39
St Johns (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Sally Hannon 838
Conservative Emma Webster 818
Conservative Michael Johnston 815
Liberal Democrat Roger Hunneman 803
Labour Derek Brear 124
Turnout 3,398 40
Sulhamstead[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Keith Chopping 460 51.2
Liberal Democrat David Shepherd 439 48.8
Majority 21 2.3
Turnout 899 44
Thatcham Central (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Alexander Payton 717
Liberal Democrat Paul Pritchard 690
Conservative Ellen Crumly 529
Conservative Richard Crumly 528
Turnout 2,464
Thatcham North (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Robert Judge 703
Liberal Democrat Mollie Lock 626
Conservative Paul Broome 431
Conservative Luke Smith 386
Turnout 2,146
Thatcham South and Crookham (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Owen Jeffery 757
Liberal Democrat Terence Port 657
Conservative Samantha Bennett 437
Conservative Piero Pagliaroli 380
Turnout 2,231
Thatcham West (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Jeffrey Brooks 760
Liberal Democrat Keith Woodhams 758
Conservative Rosemary Goodchild 443
Conservative Matthew Wilson 411
Turnout 2,372
Theale[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Alan Macro 283 41.4
Conservative Lionel Turner 231 33.8
Labour Terence Jackson 169 24.7
Majority 52 7.6
Turnout 683 32
Victoria (2 seats)[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat John Craw 662
Liberal Democrat Michael Rodger 645
Conservative Brian Goodall 315
Conservative Rebecca Smith 306
Socialist Labour Katrina Howse 59
Turnout 1,987 30
Westwood[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Laszlo Zverko 293 40.7
Liberal Democrat Graham Reeves 289 40.1
Labour Robert Tutton 138 19.2
Majority 4 0.6
Turnout 720 32

By-elections between 2003 and 2007

Victoria

The Liberal Democrats remained in control of the council with the chairman's casting vote after retaining Victoria ward in a by-election on 4 December 2003.[6]

Victoria by-election 4 December 2003[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Roger Hunneman 727 58.6 -5.3
Conservative Jeffrey Beck 461 37.2 +6.8
Labour Barry Lambert 52 4.2 +4.2
Majority 266 21.5
Turnout 1,240 39.9 +10
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

Thatcham North

A by-election was held in Thatcham North on 5 May 2005 after Liberal Democrat councillor Bob Judge resigned from the council.[8] The seat was gained for the Conservatives by Sheila Ellison with a majority of 175 votes over the Liberal Democrats, which gave the Conservatives a majority on the council.[9]

Thatcham North by-election 5 May 2005[8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sheila Ellison 1,431 53.3 +15.0
Liberal Democrat Graham Reeves 1,256 46.7 -15.0
Majority 175 6.5
Turnout 2,687 68.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrat Swing

Pangbourne

A by-election was held in Pangbourne ward on 20 April 2006 after the resignation of Conservative councillor Susie Kemp.[10][11] The seat was held for the Conservatives by Pamela Bale with a majority of 574 votes over the Liberal Democrats.[10][11]

Pangbourne by-election 20 April 2006[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Pamela Bale 725 74.6 +0.4
Liberal Democrat Stephen Brown 151 15.5 -0.4
Labour Senan Hartney 96 9.9 +0.0
Majority 574 59.1 +0.9
Turnout 972 45.1 +9
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 "English councils - Unitary authorities". The Times. NewsBank. 3 May 2003. p. 47.
  3. ↑ "West Berkshire". BBC News Online. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "West Berks Council hung - Lib Dems' 12-year grip over". Reading Post. NewsBank. 2 May 2003.
  5. 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 27 28 29 30 31 "West Berkshire". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Labour loses council seat to Socialist". Press Association. theguardian.com. 5 December 2003. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Voting and Elections". West Berkshire Council. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  8. 1 2 "District Council By-Election: Thatcham North - 5th May 2005" (PDF). West Berkshire Council. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  9. 1 2 "English elect councils and mayors". BBC News Online. 7 May 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 "District Council By-Election: Pangbourne Ward 20th April 2006" (PDF). West Berkshire Council. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 "Local Authority Byelection Results - April 2006". Local Authority Byelection Results. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
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