Harrogate Council election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Harrogate Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Harrogate
Borough
Council in North Yorkshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
. The Conservatives had gained a majority after 2 Liberal Democrats defected to the Conservatives in autumn 2003. 16 seats were contested in the election, all from the rural areas of the council. The candidates in the election were 16 Conservatives, 16 Liberal Democrats, 2 independents and 1 candidate from the British National Party
. The election was held under all postal voting
, for the first time in Harrogate.
A significant issue in the election was the future of the Royal Hall in Harrogate. The Conservative administration refused to fund the restoration of the building and said they would consider financing other projects elsewhere in the council area from the money saved. However the Liberal Democrats would have put 2.6 million pounds
towards restoring it, as they said future generations would have to spend even more if the council did not take action.
from the Liberal Democrats, but Conservative cabinet member Brian Lumsden was defeated in Boroughbridge
by Liberal Democrat Peter Phillips, in what had been considered a safe seat. The Conservatives won 62.5% of the vote, compared to 34.2% for the Liberal Democrats. As a result the Conservatives remained on 29 seats, the Liberal Democrats on 21 and 4 independents.
Meanwhile the British National Party came in last in the only seat they contested in Nidd Valley with 131 votes, with Leslie Ellington holding the seat for the Conservatives, after having defected from the Liberal Democrats since the 2003 election. Overall turnout
in the election was 55.2%, an increase on the 34.7% in the 2003 election
and the 38.7% at the 2002 election
.
Harrogate (borough)
Harrogate is a local government district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate but it also includes surrounding towns and villages...
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
Council in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
29 - Liberal Democrat 21
- IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
4
Campaign
Before the election the Conservatives ran the council with 28 seats, while the Liberal Democrats had 21 seats and there were 4 independentsIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. The Conservatives had gained a majority after 2 Liberal Democrats defected to the Conservatives in autumn 2003. 16 seats were contested in the election, all from the rural areas of the council. The candidates in the election were 16 Conservatives, 16 Liberal Democrats, 2 independents and 1 candidate from the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. The election was held under all postal voting
Postal voting
Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system....
, for the first time in Harrogate.
A significant issue in the election was the future of the Royal Hall in Harrogate. The Conservative administration refused to fund the restoration of the building and said they would consider financing other projects elsewhere in the council area from the money saved. However the Liberal Democrats would have put 2.6 million pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
towards restoring it, as they said future generations would have to spend even more if the council did not take action.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives stay in control, with no change in the party composition of the council. The Conservatives gained Lower NidderdaleNidderdale
Nidderdale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows south through the dale, forming several reservoirs including the Gouthwaite Reservoir, before turning east and eventually joining the River Ouse.The only town in the dale is...
from the Liberal Democrats, but Conservative cabinet member Brian Lumsden was defeated in Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge is a small town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of York. Until its bypass was built, it was on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh...
by Liberal Democrat Peter Phillips, in what had been considered a safe seat. The Conservatives won 62.5% of the vote, compared to 34.2% for the Liberal Democrats. As a result the Conservatives remained on 29 seats, the Liberal Democrats on 21 and 4 independents.
Meanwhile the British National Party came in last in the only seat they contested in Nidd Valley with 131 votes, with Leslie Ellington holding the seat for the Conservatives, after having defected from the Liberal Democrats since the 2003 election. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
in the election was 55.2%, an increase on the 34.7% in the 2003 election
Harrogate Council election, 2003
The 2003 Harrogate Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Harrogate Borough Council in North Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control....
and the 38.7% at the 2002 election
Harrogate Council election, 2002
The 2002 Harrogate Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Harrogate Borough Council in North Yorkshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000 reducing the number of seats by 5...
.