2006 Wyre Forest District Council election

The 2006 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]

Map of the results of the 2006 Wyre Forest District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Health Concern in pink and Liberal in orange. Wards in grey were not contested in 2006.

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Campaign

Before the 2006 election the Conservatives had 18 seats on the council, both Health Concern and the Liberals had 8 seats, Labour had 4 seats and both the Liberal Democrats and independents had 2 seats.[3] Since the last election in 2004 one Conservative councillor, Louise Edginton, had left the party to become an independent, after not being selected as a candidate for the 2005 Worcestershire County Council election.[4]

14 seats were contested in the election with the Conservatives defending 7, Health Concern 4 and the Liberals 3.[5] 50 candidates, including the leader of the council Stephen Clee, stood in the election with the Conservatives hoping to take overall control.[3]

Local health services continued to be the major issue in the campaign after the local NHS trust announced in April 2006 that it would have to cut 720 jobs in order to save money.[5] Other issues in the election included council tax, with the Conservatives saying they had reduced its burden since they began running the council in 2004, and a lack of affordable housing which Labour wanted to address.[6]

Election result

There was a net change of only one seat with Health Concern moving to 9 seats at the expense of the Liberals.[7][8] Health Concern's gain from the Liberals came in Broadwaters ward where the sitting Liberal councillor, Amanda Poole, stood down at the election.[8] Health Concern saw the election results as being excellent, with the health issue in the lead up to the election seen as having helped the party.[8]

As a result, the Conservatives failed to take the majority they had been aiming for with the Conservative leader of the council, Stephen Clee, disappointed at failing to make gains but pleased that they remained the largest party.[9] The Labour leader on the council, Jamie Shaw, described the results as "very bad indeed" after the party failed to win any seats.[8] Overall voter turnout at the election was 37.5%.[8]

Wyre Forest local election result 2006[2][10]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 7 2 2 0 50.0 39.5 10,229 +0.9%
  Health Concern 5 3 2 +1 35.7 32.3 8,362 +6.5%
  Liberal 2 0 1 -1 14.3 8.8 2,267 -2.9%
  Labour 0 0 0 0 0 15.9 4,124 -0.2%
  Liberal Democrats 0 0 0 0 0 3.1 815 -2.7%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 60 -1.8%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 42 +0.2%

Ward results
Aggborough and Spennells[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Aston 858 46.5
Liberal Democrats Samantha Walker 440 23.9
Health Concern John Griffiths 387 21.0
Labour Adrian Sewell 117 6.3
Green Katherine Spohrer 42 2.3
Majority 418 22.6
Turnout 1,844 35.7 -3.1
Conservative hold Swing
Areley Kings[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Nigel Thomas 667 38.8
Conservative Michael Partridge 657 38.2
Labour Cedric Smith 396 23.0
Majority 10 0.6
Turnout 1,720 37.5 -3.2
Health Concern gain from Conservative Swing
Bewdley and Arley[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Clee 1,018 45.7
Health Concern Elizabeth Davies 732 32.9
Labour Paul Gittins 476 21.4
Majority 286 12.8
Turnout 2,226 42.2 -1.4
Conservative hold Swing
Blakedown and Chaddesley[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pauline Hayward 1,036 66.4
Health Concern Anthony Williams 376 24.1
Labour James Brown 148 9.5
Majority 660 42.3
Turnout 1,560 47.8 +0.8
Conservative hold Swing
Broadwaters[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Howard Martin 601 32.6
Conservative Mumshad Ahmed 506 27.5
Liberal Timothy Ingram 475 25.8
Labour Stephen Hill 261 14.2
Majority 95 5.1
Turnout 1,843 32.5 +0.4
Health Concern gain from Liberal Swing
Franche[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Michael Shellie 861 39.1
Conservative Gordon Hinton 751 34.1
Labour Nigel Knowles 590 26.8
Majority 110 5.0
Turnout 2,202 41.2 +3.1
Health Concern hold Swing
Greenhill[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rachel Lewis 935 49.9
Health Concern Margaret Bradley 430 22.9
Conservative Geoffrey Bulmer 289 15.4
Labour Dean Cox 160 8.5
Independent Tavis Pitt 60 3.2
Majority 505 27.0
Turnout 1,874 32.2 -1.7
Liberal hold Swing
Habberley and Blakebrook[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern George Eeles 834 38.9
Conservative Arthur Buckley 765 35.7
Labour David Prain 543 25.4
Majority 69 3.2
Turnout 2,142 41.8 -2.3
Health Concern gain from Conservative Swing
Lickhill[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Health Concern Dixon Sheppard 1,042 53.7
Conservative Christopher Rogers 654 33.7
Labour Donovan Giles 245 12.6
Majority 388 20.0
Turnout 1,941 35.6 +1.3
Health Concern hold Swing
Mitton[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Salter 833 44.0
Health Concern Patricia Rimell 822 43.4
Labour Gary Watson 238 12.6
Majority 11 0.6
Turnout 1,893 34.9 -0.2
Conservative gain from Health Concern Swing
Offmore and Comberton[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Siriol Hayward 857 37.9
Conservative Tracey Onslow 773 34.2
Health Concern Keith Robertson 395 17.5
Labour Roy Darkes 235 10.4
Majority 84 3.7
Turnout 2,260 42.7 +2.3
Liberal hold Swing
Oldington and Foley Park[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Susan Meekings 417 38.5
Health Concern Caroline Godfrey 249 23.0
Liberal Democrats Adrian Beavis 236 21.8
Labour Paul Mills 180 16.6
Majority 168 15.5
Turnout 1,082 31.1 -0.5
Conservative hold Swing
Sutton Park[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John-Paul Campion 912 49.5
Health Concern Raymond Barber 540 29.3
Labour Leroy Wright 251 13.6
Liberal Democrats Clive Parsons 139 7.5
Majority 372 20.2
Turnout 1,842 34.5 -0.7
Conservative hold Swing
Wribbenhall[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Yarranton 760 51.7
Health Concern Anne Mace 426 29.0
Labour Jennifer Knowles 284 19.3
Majority 334 22.7
Turnout 1,470 38.5 -0.5
Conservative gain from Health Concern Swing

References
  1. "Local elections: Wyre Forest". BBC News Online. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  2. "Local elections". The Times. 5 May 2006. p. 9.
  3. "Tories seeking overall control". Malvern Gazette. 6 April 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  4. Evans, Oliver (10 March 2005). "Selection row Tory stalwart quits party". Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  5. Brady, Emma (5 May 2006). "Health still dominates political landscape ; Wyre Forest". Birmingham Post. p. 4.
  6. "West Midlands: Health matters". BBC News Online. 26 April 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  7. "Labour lose control of Redditch". BBC News Online. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  8. "Health Concern move up". Malvern Gazette. 11 May 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  9. "West Midlands: Crown jewels". BBC News Online. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  10. "District Council Election Results 2006". Wyre Forest District Council. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
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