Wokingham Council election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Wokingham Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Wokingham Unitary
Council in Berkshire
, 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
. The results saw this situation turned round with the Conservatives winning 10 seats as compared to 8 for the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives gained seats from the Liberal Democrats in Emmbrook
and Little Hungerford wards
, while also recovering Sonning
which had been held by an independent who had defected from the Conservatives. There was controversy over the result in Whitegates when the Returning Officer
initially read the results out as a Conservative gain, while the actual vote count was a Liberal Democrat hold. Overall turnout
in the election was 30.4%.
The Conservatives described the results as an endorsement of their record, while the Liberal Democrats called them disappointing but were pleased that their vote share had increased from 2002.
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...
. 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...
33 - Liberal Democrat 20
- 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...
1
Election result
18 seats were contested with the Liberal Democrats defending 10, the Conservatives 7, while 1 seat was held by an 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...
. The results saw this situation turned round with the Conservatives winning 10 seats as compared to 8 for the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives gained seats from the Liberal Democrats in Emmbrook
Emmbrook, Berkshire
Emmbrook is a suburb of the town of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire.The suburb takes its name from the Emm Brook, a small river that is a tributary of the River Loddon....
and Little Hungerford 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:...
, while also recovering Sonning
Sonning
Sonning, occasionally called Sonning-on-Thames is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, a few miles east of Reading. The village is situated on the River Thames and was described by Jerome K...
which had been held by an independent who had defected from the Conservatives. There was controversy over the result in Whitegates when the Returning Officer
Returning Officer
In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies.-Australia:In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a State Electoral Commission who heads the local divisional office...
initially read the results out as a Conservative gain, while the actual vote count was a Liberal Democrat hold. 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 30.4%.
The Conservatives described the results as an endorsement of their record, while the Liberal Democrats called them disappointing but were pleased that their vote share had increased from 2002.