Sandwell Council election, 1999
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Sandwell Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Sandwell
Metropolitan
Council in the West Midlands
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour
party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
1 seat. The Conservative seat being defended in Wednesbury
North was one of only 2 the party held, but both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats planned to contest all 24 seats. The other seat being contested was in Tipton Green
, where an independent
Labour councillor
stood down at the election. Candidates in the election included 2 from the British National Party
and 1 from the National Front, meanwhile the Liberal Democrat candidate in Friar Park
ward
withdrew from the election.
During the election the Conservatives had an error on one of their leaflets with the phone number being for a Labour supporter.
, becoming the first muslim woman to win a seat on Sandwell council. Tipton Green also saw the British National Party win 17.2% of the vote, the best result for the party in the West Midlands area. The Liberal Democrats held the 3 seats they had been defending to keep 9 councillors, with Victoria Handy becoming the youngest councillor at the age of 21 after holding Charlemont for the party. Meanwhile the Conservatives held Wednesbury North, but failed to make any gains, to stay on just 2 seats. Overall turnout
in the election was 23.6%, with Princes End
ward seeing one of the lowest turnouts in the country.
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
Metropolitan
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
Council in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, 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 Labour
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...
party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- LabourLabour 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...
61 - Liberal Democrat 9
- 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...
2
Campaign
Before the election Labour held 60 of the 72 seats on the council, with the Liberal Democrats the main opposition on the council. Labour were defending 19 seats, the Liberal Democrats 3 and the ConservativesConservative 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...
1 seat. The Conservative seat being defended in Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
North was one of only 2 the party held, but both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats planned to contest all 24 seats. The other seat being contested was in Tipton Green
Tipton Green
Tipton Green is the central area of Tipton, a town in the West Midlands of England. It was heavily developed for industry during the 19th century, as Tipton was one of the most significant towns during the Industrial Revolution. Tipton Green is one of three electoral wards covering Tipton for...
, where an 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...
Labour 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:...
stood down at the election. Candidates in the election included 2 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...
and 1 from the National Front, meanwhile the Liberal Democrat candidate in Friar Park
Friar Park (Wednesbury)
Friar Park is an area of Wednesbury, England. It was developed by Wednesbury Urban district council in the 1920s and 1930s to rehouse families from town centre slum clearances...
ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
withdrew from the election.
During the election the Conservatives had an error on one of their leaflets with the phone number being for a Labour supporter.
Election result
The results saw Labour increase their majority on the council after gaining 1 seat to hold 61 of the 72 seats. Labour made the only gain in Tipton Green with the successful Labour candidate, Syeda KhatunSyeda Amina Khatun
Syeda Amina Khatun MBE is a Labour Party councillor for Tipton Green in the Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. She was the first Bangladeshi woman to be elected in the Midlands region in 1999.-Career:...
, becoming the first muslim woman to win a seat on Sandwell council. Tipton Green also saw the British National Party win 17.2% of the vote, the best result for the party in the West Midlands area. The Liberal Democrats held the 3 seats they had been defending to keep 9 councillors, with Victoria Handy becoming the youngest councillor at the age of 21 after holding Charlemont for the party. Meanwhile the Conservatives held Wednesbury North, but failed to make any gains, to stay on just 2 seats. 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 23.6%, with Princes End
Princes End
Princes End is an area of Tipton, West Midlands, England, near the border with Coseley , which was heavily developed during the 19th century with the construction of factories. Several hundred terraced houses were built around the same time to accommodate the factory workers...
ward seeing one of the lowest turnouts in the country.