Hart Council election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Hart Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Hart
District
Council in Hampshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
East, which Peter Hutcheson had held for the Conservatives for over 20 years, to the CCH. The other gain saw the CCH win Crondall
by 2 votes over the Conservatives, gaining the seat which had formerly been held by independent
Norman Lambert. Lambert had resigned from the Conservative group in 2005 after admitting making false claims for council tax
and housing benefit
. The changes meant that the Conservatives remained the largest party on the council with 16 seats but were vulnerable to a coalition among the other groups. Overall turnout
in the election was 39.35%.
Following the election the Conservative administration of the council, which had run the council for the previous 8 years, was voted out. They were replaced by a new Coalition Political Group, which was formed by the 12 Liberal Democrats, 5 Community Campaign (Hart) councillor
s and 1 of the 2 independents
, Denis Gotel. The leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, David Neighbour, became leader of the new group and the new leader of the council.
Hart (district)
Hart is a local government district in Hampshire, England, named after the River Hart. Its council is based in Fleet. It was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the urban district of Fleet, and the Hartley Wintney Rural District.Hart District is one of the...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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 council stayed under no overall control
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
.
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...
16 - Liberal Democrat 12
- Community Campaign (Hart) 5
- 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...
2
Election result
The results saw 2 seats change hands with the Community Campaign (Hart) (CCH) group winning them both. One gain saw the Conservatives lose the seat of Church CrookhamChurch Crookham
Church Crookham is a suburb, village and civil parish on the southern edge of the town of Fleet, in north east Hampshire, England, located south west of London...
East, which Peter Hutcheson had held for the Conservatives for over 20 years, to the CCH. The other gain saw the CCH win Crondall
Crondall
Crondall is a village and large civil parish in the north east of Hampshire, England and is all that remains of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. Various earlier spellings have in common the use of a "u" instead of the "o" and the village is still properly...
by 2 votes over the Conservatives, gaining the seat which had formerly been held by independent
Independent (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...
Norman Lambert. Lambert had resigned from the Conservative group in 2005 after admitting making false claims for council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
and housing benefit
Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit is a means tested social security benefit in the UK that is intended to help meet Housing costs for rented accommodation. The primary legislation governing Housing Benefit is the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992. Operationally, the governing Regulations are...
. The changes meant that the Conservatives remained the largest party on the council with 16 seats but were vulnerable to a coalition among the other groups. 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 39.35%.
Following the election the Conservative administration of the council, which had run the council for the previous 8 years, was voted out. They were replaced by a new Coalition Political Group, which was formed by the 12 Liberal Democrats, 5 Community Campaign (Hart) councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s and 1 of the 2 independents
Independent (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...
, Denis Gotel. The leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, David Neighbour, became leader of the new group and the new leader of the council.