Windsor and Maidenhead Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Windsor and Maidenhead Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Windsor and Maidenhead
Unitary
Council in Berkshire
, England
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000
reducing the number of seats by 1. The Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council from no overall control
.
. The party had come close to taking the Maidenhead parliamentary constituency
at the last general election in 2001
and were optimistic of taking control of the council. The Liberal Democrats were expected to benefit from the support of the estimated 3,000 Muslims who lived in the council area due to the party's opposition to the Iraq War. The issue of a proposed extension to a local mosque was also used for the Liberal Democrats, but the Conservatives accused them of pandering to the Muslim community.
The council had been controlled by the Conservatives since the 2000 election in an allince with 2 of the independent
councillor
s. However the Liberal Democrats attacked the council for having raised council tax
by 9.3% in the last year and by 20% over the 3 years since the last election. They also criticised the council for its plans to demolish the town hall and pointed to a weak rating for the council by the Audit Commission
. However the Conservatives said Windsor and Maidenhead's council tax was still one of the lowest in the south east and that if the Liberal Democrats implemented the policies in their manifesto it would mean a 27% increase in council tax.
Boundary changes which reduced the number of seats by 1, meant both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats needed 1 less seat to take control of the council. With the election important to both parties, the Conservative party chairman
and local MP
Theresa May
and the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy
both campaigned in the area.
The council again used a mobile polling station
to go to railway stations and supermarkets in an attempt to increase turnout
.
within the constituency against 33.6% for the Conservatives.
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998.It is home to Windsor Castle, Eton College, Legoland and Ascot Racecourse....
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 Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, 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 2000
Windsor and Maidenhead Council election, 2000
The 2000 Windsor and Maidenhead Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Windsor and Maidenhead Unitary Council in Berkshire, England...
reducing the number of seats by 1. The Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council from 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...
.
Campaign
Windsor and Maidenhead council was a top target for the Liberal Democrats in the 2003 local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2003
Local elections took place in various parts of the United Kingdom on 1 May 2003, the same day as the Scottish Parliamentary and the Welsh Assembly elections. There were local elections for all councils in Scotland and in most of England...
. The party had come close to taking the Maidenhead parliamentary constituency
Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidenhead is a county constituency in Berkshire which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system...
at the last general election in 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
and were optimistic of taking control of the council. The Liberal Democrats were expected to benefit from the support of the estimated 3,000 Muslims who lived in the council area due to the party's opposition to the Iraq War. The issue of a proposed extension to a local mosque was also used for the Liberal Democrats, but the Conservatives accused them of pandering to the Muslim community.
The council had been controlled by the Conservatives since the 2000 election in an allince with 2 of the independent
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...
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. However the Liberal Democrats attacked the council for having raised 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 9.3% in the last year and by 20% over the 3 years since the last election. They also criticised the council for its plans to demolish the town hall and pointed to a weak rating for the council by the Audit Commission
Audit Commission
The Audit Commission is a public corporation in the United Kingdom.The Commission’s primary objective is to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government, housing and the health service, directly through the audit and inspection process and also through value for money...
. However the Conservatives said Windsor and Maidenhead's council tax was still one of the lowest in the south east and that if the Liberal Democrats implemented the policies in their manifesto it would mean a 27% increase in council tax.
Boundary changes which reduced the number of seats by 1, meant both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats needed 1 less seat to take control of the council. With the election important to both parties, the Conservative party chairman
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
and local MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
and the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
both campaigned in the area.
The council again used a mobile polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
to go to railway stations and supermarkets in an attempt to increase 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 Liberal Democrats take control of the council, after gaining 13 seats. The election results were seen as giving the Liberal Democrats hope for the next general election in the Maidenhead constituency after the party won 61% of the vote in wardsWards 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:...
within the constituency against 33.6% for the Conservatives.