Southend-on-Sea Council election, 1999
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Southend-on-Sea Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Southend-on-Sea
Unitary
Council in Essex
, 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
needed a swing of less than 5% in order to win a majority on the council, but despite targeting the council they failed to take control. However they came within a single vote of a majority, after Labour
came top in both of the seats that were being contested in Milton ward
. The second Labour candidate for the ward, Stephen George, was only one vote ahead of the sitting Conservative councillor
, Joyce Lambert, thus preventing the Conservatives from holding the critical seat that would have seen them win control of the council.
The Conservatives did gain one seat from the Liberal Democrats in Leigh ward, as the Liberal Democrats lost votes across the council. This saw a number of close results for the Liberal Democrats as they only held Prittlewell
by 5 votes from the Conservatives and Westborough by 4 votes over Labour. Overall turnout
in the election was 26.5%.
The results meant that the Liberal Democrat and Labour administration, which had run the council for the previous 5 years, would continue.
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
Unitary
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
Council in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
19 - Liberal Democrat 12
- 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...
8
Election result
Before the election 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...
needed a swing of less than 5% in order to win a majority on the council, but despite targeting the council they failed to take control. However they came within a single vote of a majority, after 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...
came top in both of the seats that were being contested in Milton 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:...
. The second Labour candidate for the ward, Stephen George, was only one vote ahead of the sitting Conservative 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:...
, Joyce Lambert, thus preventing the Conservatives from holding the critical seat that would have seen them win control of the council.
The Conservatives did gain one seat from the Liberal Democrats in Leigh ward, as the Liberal Democrats lost votes across the council. This saw a number of close results for the Liberal Democrats as they only held Prittlewell
Prittlewell
Prittlewell is an area of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Historically, Prittlewell is the original town, Southend being the south end of Prittlewell.Originally a Saxon village, Prittlewell is centred on St...
by 5 votes from the Conservatives and Westborough by 4 votes over Labour. 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 26.5%.
The results meant that the Liberal Democrat and Labour administration, which had run the council for the previous 5 years, would continue.