Stratford-on-Avon Council election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Stratford-on-Avon Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Stratford-on-Avon
District
Council in Warwickshire
, 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
had their only remaining council seat up for election in Southam
ward
, leading to the possibility that they could fail to be represented on the council after the election.
, Southam, Stratford Guild and Hathaway and Wellesbourne
wards and only suffered 1 loss to the Liberal Democrats in Studley
. While the Liberal Democrats lost ground as a result, the defeat in Southam meant Labour was no longer represented on the council.
The Conservatives said they were pleased with the results, that saw them win almost half of the vote, and which they put down to a strong positive campaign. Overall turnout
in the election was higher than the national average at 43.5%.
Stratford-on-Avon (district)
Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district of southern Warwickshire in England.The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" to distinguish it from its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based, although this name often causes confusion .The district is mostly rural and...
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 Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, 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 20
- 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...
3
Background
19 of the 53 seats on the council were contested in the election. The Conservatives were defending 11 of the seats and this was seen as giving the Liberal Democrats a chance at taking over control of the council, which had a one seat Conservative majority before the election. Meanwhile 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...
had their only remaining council seat up for election in Southam
Southam
Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
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:...
, leading to the possibility that they could fail to be represented on the council after the election.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives strengthen their majority on the council up to 7 seats. They gained 4 seats in HarburyHarbury
Harbury is a village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 2,485....
, Southam, Stratford Guild and Hathaway and Wellesbourne
Wellesbourne
Wellesbourne is a large village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of the UK. In the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Walton, had a population of 5,691 Wellesbourne is a large village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire,...
wards and only suffered 1 loss to the Liberal Democrats in Studley
Studley
Studley is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Situated on the western edge of Warwickshire near the border with Worcestershire it is southeast of Redditch and northwest of Stratford. The Roman road of Ryknild Street, now the A435, passes...
. While the Liberal Democrats lost ground as a result, the defeat in Southam meant Labour was no longer represented on the council.
The Conservatives said they were pleased with the results, that saw them win almost half of the vote, and which they put down to a strong positive campaign. 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 higher than the national average at 43.5%.