Winchester Council election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Winchester Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Winchester
District
Council in Hampshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats lost overall control of the council to no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
and Independents
2 each and Labour
1 seat. The Liberal Democrats were expected to be deprived of their majority on the council as they only needed to lose 1 seat for this to happen. The Conservatives were the main challengers, with Labour only in contention in the wards
of St John and All Saints and St Luke. With the election being held at the same time as the European elections, the presence of 6 candidates from the United Kingdom Independence Party
for the first time was seen as possibly affecting the results.
Issues in the election included planning, the status of local neighbourhoods and the council tax
.
in the election was significantly up at 48.8%, compared to 39.76% in the 2003 election
.
Following the election the Liberal Democrats continued to run the council as a minority administration.
City of Winchester
Winchester is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with city status. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham....
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 Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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 Liberal Democrats lost overall control of the council to 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
- Liberal Democrat 26
- 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...
22 - 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...
5 - 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...
4
Campaign
19 seats were contested in the election with the Liberal Democrats defending 14, 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...
and 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...
2 each 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...
1 seat. The Liberal Democrats were expected to be deprived of their majority on the council as they only needed to lose 1 seat for this to happen. The Conservatives were the main challengers, with Labour only in contention in the 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:...
of St John and All Saints and St Luke. With the election being held at the same time as the European elections, the presence of 6 candidates from the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
for the first time was seen as possibly affecting the results.
Issues in the election included planning, the status of local neighbourhoods and the 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...
.
Election result
The Liberal Democrats lost their majority on the council for the first time since 1995, with the Conservatives gaining 4 seats from them. However the Liberal Democrats did gain one seat from Labour in St John and All Saints ward. Voter 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...
in the election was significantly up at 48.8%, compared to 39.76% in the 2003 election
Winchester Council election, 2003
The 2003 Winchester Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Winchester District Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council....
.
Following the election the Liberal Democrats continued to run the council as a minority administration.