Sunderland Council election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Sunderland Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Sunderland
Metropolitan Borough
Council in Tyne and Wear
, England
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003
. The Labour
party stayed in overall control of the council.
s stood down at the election. Labour was the only party to have a full 75 candidates, while the next most number of candidates was from the Conservative party
who had 54 candidates. Candidates in the election also included 25 from the British National Party
after the party failed to win any seats in the 2003 election but came second in 6 wards
.
Labour described their record in control of the council as being positive and that they were making progress, but the Conservatives described Labour as being "arrogant and remote". The Conservatives targeted wards in the town of Washington
as well as Millfield, St Chad's and St Peters, while Barnes ward was seen as being a three way battle between Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
At the election count anti Nazi demonstrators had a scuffle with British National Party supporters when the candidates entered the building, with one British National Party candidate being arrested on suspicion of assault.
was 40.26%, down on the 47.47% in 2003 but up on the 22% at the 2002 election
before all postal voting was used.
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
Metropolitan Borough
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 Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, 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 with boundary changes since the last election in 2003
Sunderland Council election, 2003
The 2003 Sunderland Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England...
. 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.
Campaign
Every seat was contested in the election for the first time since 1982 after boundary changes. Labour held a big majority before the election with 63 seats, but almost a quarter of Labour's councillorCouncillor
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 stood down at the election. Labour was the only party to have a full 75 candidates, while the next most number of candidates was from 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...
who had 54 candidates. Candidates in the election also included 25 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...
after the party failed to win any seats in the 2003 election but came second in 6 wards
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:...
.
Labour described their record in control of the council as being positive and that they were making progress, but the Conservatives described Labour as being "arrogant and remote". The Conservatives targeted wards in the town of Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
as well as Millfield, St Chad's and St Peters, while Barnes ward was seen as being a three way battle between Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
At the election count anti Nazi demonstrators had a scuffle with British National Party supporters when the candidates entered the building, with one British National Party candidate being arrested on suspicion of assault.
Election result
The results saw Labour hold control of the council with a large majority, but the Conservatives made some gains in Barnes, Fulwell and St Michael's. This meant Labour ended with 61 seats, while the Conservatives were up 3 on 12 seats. The Liberal Democrats retained 2 seats, while the British National Party failed to win any seats. Overall turnoutVoter 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 40.26%, down on the 47.47% in 2003 but up on the 22% at the 2002 election
Sunderland Council election, 2002
The 2002 Sunderland Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England...
before all postal voting was used.