2003 Basildon District Council election

The 2003 Basildon District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.[4]

2003 Basildon District Council election[1][2][3]
1 May 2003
14 of the 42 seats to Basildon District Council
22 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats
Last election 21 18 3
Seats before 21 16 3
Seats won 8 5 1
Seats after 23 14 3
Seat change Increase2 Decrease4 Decrease1
Popular vote 12,090 7,441 5,255
Percentage 45.3% 27.9% 19.7%
  Fourth party
 
Party Basildon Independent Residents
Last election 0
Seats before 2
Seats won 0
Seats after 2
Seat change Steady
Popular vote n/a
Percentage n/a
Map of the results of the 2003 Basildon council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red and Liberal Democrats in yellow. Wards in grey were not contested in 2003.
Council control before election

No overall control

 Council control after election

Conservative Party

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

The previous election in 2002 saw the Conservatives win exactly half of the seats, but Labour remained in control of the council with the support of the Liberal Democrats.[6] However 6 months before the 2003 election 2 Labour councillors defected and the Conservatives took over the administration of the council.[7]

Election result

The results saw the Conservatives win a majority for only the second time in the history of Basildon council.[8]

Following the election the Labour leader on the council Nigel Smith was replaced by his group with Paul Kirkman.[7]

2003 Basildon Local Election Result[9]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 8 2 0 Increase2 57.1 45.3 12,090
  Labour 5 0 2 Decrease2 35.7 27.9 7,441
  Liberal Democrats 1 0 0 Steady 7.1 19.7 5,255
  BNP 0 0 0 Steady 0 4.1 1,104
  Independent 0 0 0 Steady 0 1.9 510
  Green 0 0 0 Steady 0 1.1 299

Ward results

Billericay East
Location of Billericay East ward
Billericay East[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative David Dadds 1,563 66.2
Liberal Democrats James Edwards 526 22.3
Labour Patricia Reid 272 11.5
Majority 1,037 43.9
Turnout 2,361
Conservative hold

Billericay West
Location of Billericay West ward
Billericay West[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Stephen Horgan 1,712 69.5
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Taylor 514 20.9
Labour Geoffrey Viney 238 9.7
Majority 1,198 48.6
Turnout 2,464
Conservative hold

Burstead
Burstead ward in Basildon 2002
Location of Burstead ward
Burstead[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Kevin Blake 1,213 51.6
Liberal Democrats Belinda Jackson 902 38.4
Labour Margaret Viney 234 10.0
Majority 311 13.2
Turnout 2,349
Conservative hold

Fryerns
Location of Fryerns ward
Fryerns[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Julia Woods 966 43.4
BNP William Bake 487 21.9
Conservative Kenneth Evens 427 19.2
Liberal Democrats John Lutton 223 10.0
Green Adam Ellis 124 5.6
Majority 479 21.5
Turnout 2,227
Labour hold

Laindon Park
Location of Laindon Park ward
Laindon Park[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative David Walsh 844 43.6
Labour Anthony Borlase 780 40.3
Liberal Democrats Dorothy Edwards 163 8.4
Independent Jason Richardson 97 5.0
Independent Michael Payne 51 2.6
Majority 64 3.3
Turnout 1,935
Conservative gain from Labour

Lee Chapel North
Lee Chapel North ward in Basildon 2002
Lee Chapel North[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Richard Rackham 766 40.6
Conservative Richard Hyland 434 23.0
BNP Sidney Chaney 285 15.1
Liberal Democrats Michael Martin 207 11.0
Green Ernest Humphries 114 6.0
Independent Steven Denne 80 4.2
Majority 332 17.6
Turnout 1,886
Labour hold

Nethermayne
Location of Nethermayne ward
Nethermayne[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Democrats Benjamin Williams 1,168 48.1
Labour Lynda Gordon 672 27.7
Conservative Henry Tucker 586 24.2
Majority 496 20.4
Turnout 2,426
Liberal Democrats hold

Pitsea North West
Location of Pitsea North West ward
Pitsea North West[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Philip Rackley 738 48.3
Conservative Mark Levey 541 35.4
Liberal Democrats Martin Howard 248 16.2
Majority 197 12.9
Turnout 1,527
Labour hold

Pitsea South East
Location of Pitsea South East ward
Pitsea South East[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Malcolm Geddes 771 36.1
Labour Michael Plant 717 33.6
BNP David King 332 15.5
Liberal Democrats Vivien Howard 169 7.9
Independent Raymond Abrahall 87 4.1
Green David Wilkinson 61 2.9
Majority 54 2.5
Turnout 2,137
Conservative gain from Labour

St Martin's
Location of St Martin's ward
St Martin's[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Colin Payn 563 47.0
Conservative Deborah Allen 351 29.3
Liberal Democrats Michael Dickinson 178 14.8
Independent Alfred Viccary 107 8.9
Majority 212 17.7
Turnout 1,199
Labour hold

Vange
Location of Vange ward
Vange[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Swatantra Nandanwar 507 41.9
Conservative Philip Johnson 452 37.4
Liberal Democrats Mark Hersom 163 13.5
Independent John Cord 88 7.3
Majority 55 4.5
Turnout 1,210
Labour hold

Wickford Castledon
Location of Wickford Castleton ward
Wickford Castledon[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Sylvia Buckley 1,121 68.1
Labour Andrew Powderly 269 16.3
Liberal Democrats Fane Cummings 256 15.6
Majority 852 51.8
Turnout 1,646
Conservative hold

Wickford North
Location of Wickford North ward
Wickford North[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Michael Mowe 1,396 63.4
Labour Clive Thomas 451 20.5
Liberal Democrats Ian Robertson 355 16.1
Majority 945 42.9
Turnout 2,202
Conservative hold

Wickford Park
Location of Wickford Park ward
Wickford Park[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Christopher Jackson 679 60.1
Labour Christopher Wilson 268 23.7
Liberal Democrats Michael Woods 183 16.2
Majority 411 36.4
Turnout 1,130
Conservative hold

References
  1. "Council compositions by year". The Elections Centre.
  2. "Local Election Summaries 2003". The Elections Centre.
  3. "Vote 2003". BBC News.
  4. "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  5. "Basildon: Lower taxes at top of Tories' agenda". Southend Standard. 16 May 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  6. "Basildon: Nigel is appointed leader". Southend Standard. 17 May 2002. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  7. "Basildon: Labour ousts Smith as leader". Southend Standard. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  8. "South Essex: It's a blue day as Tories run riot". Southend Standard. 2 May 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  9. "27.1 Basildon". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
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