Northamptonshire Council election, 2005
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Northamptonshire Council election took place on 5 May 2005 to elect members of Northamptonshire
County Council
England
. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party
gained overall control of the council from the Labour Party
.
, this meant that turnout was significantly higher than is usual for local government elections. However, between 1997 and 2005 County Council Elections coincided with General Elections, meaning that turnout
was significantly higher than would otherwise be expected. Every seat was single member, elected using the First Past the Post system used for most local elections in England and Wales
.
|}
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
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...
. The whole 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...
gained overall control of the council from the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
Background
The 2005 election to Northamptonshire County Council coincided with the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, this meant that turnout was significantly higher than is usual for local government elections. However, between 1997 and 2005 County Council Elections coincided with General Elections, meaning that 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...
was significantly higher than would otherwise be expected. Every seat was single member, elected using the First Past the Post system used for most local elections in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
.
Election results
Mirroring national trends the election saw a swing away from the social democratic Labour party towards the centre-right Conservative party, with the Liberal Democrats picking up a few more seats. The Conservatives captured the council ending 12 years of Labour control and producing the first Conservative majority administration in 28 years, and only the second since the councils formation in 1973. Turnout was 63.8% up 1.2% on 2001 and 28 new Councillors joined the council.|}