Swindon Council election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Swindon Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Swindon
Unitary
Council in Wiltshire
, 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
s not defending their seats. From the parties defending seats in the election these included 19 each from the Conservative and Labour
parties and 15 Liberal Democrats. Other candidates included 11 from the Green party
, 2 Socialist Unity
and 3 independents
. The election also saw the British National Party
(BNP) stand for Swindon council for the first time, with one candidate, Reg Bates, standing in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward
. His candidature led a group comprising trade union
s, the Labour party, community groups and some independent socialist
s to form an alliance in opposition to the BNP.
Issues in the election included regeneration, with the different parties proposing different ideas including a library, art gallery, redeveloped car park and the preservation of green spaces. The Conservatives defended their record in control of the council, saying that they had improved services and increased council tax
by lower percentages than Labour had when they had been in control of the council. Labour said they would protect services the Conservatives were cutting, deal with anti-social behaviour
and criticised the Conservatives for increasing council tax. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats said they would stand up for local residents and make the town centre attractive for everyone.
For the election a new website was launched by the council where voters could register in order to get reminders to vote, in an effort to inrease turnout
.
.
Swindon (borough)
The Borough of Swindon is a local government authority in South West England. It is centred on the town of Swindon and forms part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire...
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 Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, 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...
40 - 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...
14 - Liberal Democrat 3
- 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...
2
Campaign
19 seats were contested in the election, with a total of 70 candidates standing and 10 sitting 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 not defending their seats. From the parties defending seats in the election these included 19 each from the Conservative and 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...
parties and 15 Liberal Democrats. Other candidates included 11 from the Green party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
, 2 Socialist Unity
Socialist Unity Network
The Socialist Unity Network is a small network of the British left which is not affiliated with any single political party. It grew out of the Socialist Alliance in England, and was originally initiated by several non-aligned members of the SA executive in March 2004.Members of the Network are ...
and 3 independents
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...
. The election also saw 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...
(BNP) stand for Swindon council for the first time, with one candidate, Reg Bates, standing in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst 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:...
. His candidature led a group comprising trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s, the Labour party, community groups and some independent socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
s to form an alliance in opposition to the BNP.
Issues in the election included regeneration, with the different parties proposing different ideas including a library, art gallery, redeveloped car park and the preservation of green spaces. The Conservatives defended their record in control of the council, saying that they had improved services and increased council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
by lower percentages than Labour had when they had been in control of the council. Labour said they would protect services the Conservatives were cutting, deal with 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...
and criticised the Conservatives for increasing council tax. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats said they would stand up for local residents and make the town centre attractive for everyone.
For the election a new website was launched by the council where voters could register in order to get reminders to vote, in an effort to inrease 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...
.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives strengthen their control of the council after gaining 5 seats to hold 40 of the 59 seats. 3 of the gains came from Labour who were reduced to 14 seats, with both of Labour's Swindon Members of Parliament blaming the defeats on national issues. The other two Conservative gains were from the Liberal Democrats who fell to 3 seats, while the 2 independent councillors were not defending seats in 2006. Overall turnout in the election was 34.21%, up on the 32.7% in the 2004 electionSwindon Council election, 2004
The 2004 Swindon Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Swindon Unitary Council in Wiltshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.After the election, the composition...
.