Southend-on-Sea Council election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Southend-on-Sea Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Southend-on-Sea
Unitary
Council in Essex
, 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 party was founded by Take a Break magazine
with a platform of addressing anti-social behaviour
in the community.
Meanwhile the Labour party
was unable to put up candidates in 5 wards after their nomination papers were stolen just before they were to be handed in.
by the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats gained 2 seats to overtake Labour as the second largest party on the council with 9 councillor
s, as against 8 for Labour. Overall turnout
in the election was 34%.
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 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...
30 - Liberal Democrat 9
- 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 - Alliance Southend 4
Campaign
The election saw a candidate from a new party, Mums' Army, stand in West Shoebury wardWards 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 party was founded by Take a Break magazine
Take a Break (magazine)
Take a Break is a weekly magazine aimed at women, currently published in the United Kingdom by H Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of the German-owned family business, the Bauer Group...
with a platform of addressing anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
in the community.
Meanwhile 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...
was unable to put up candidates in 5 wards after their nomination papers were stolen just before they were to be handed in.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives stay in control of the council after winning 11 of the 19 seats which were contested. However this was one down on before the election, after the Conservative council leader, Anna Waite, was defeated in PrittlewellPrittlewell
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 the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats gained 2 seats to overtake Labour as the second largest party on the council with 9 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, as against 8 for 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 34%.