2002 St Albans City and District Council election

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Map of the results of the 2002 St Albans City and District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Labour in red.

The 2002 St Albans City and District Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of St Albans District Council in Hertfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background[edit]

Before the election the Liberal Democrats were the largest party on the council with 23 councillors, compared to 19 for the Conservatives, 15 for Labour and there was 1 independent.[3] 7 councillors stood down at the election, Liberal Democrats John Henchley, John Peters and Brian Roberts, Conservatives Richard Blossom, Patrick Johnston and Julian Turner, and Labour's David Enright.[3]

The Liberal Democrats targeted Labour held seats in Ashley and St Peter's, while Labour aimed to pick up a seat in Cunningham.[3] As well as the 3 main political parties, voters could also vote for the No Candidate Deserves My Vote! party in some wards, which was standing in order to give voters the chance to register their abstention at the polls.[4]

Voting trial[edit]

A trial took place in Sopwell and Verulam wards under which voters could vote either by internet, phone, post or at the polling station using a touch screen system.[5][6] The internet voting trial was funded by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as part of an attempt to get more people involved in elections.[7] As a result of the trial one of the wards set the fastest declaration time at only 4 minutes after the close of polling.[8] However turnout was actually down from 24.1% to 23.3% in Sopwell ward and down from 41.9% to 38.9% in Verulam ward compared to the last election in 2000.[9]

Election result[edit]

The Conservatives gained 3 seats from the Liberal Democrats in Colney Heath, Harpenden North and Sandridge to become the largest party on the council with 21 councillors.[9] The Liberal Democrats dropped to 20 seats, but did gain an increased share of the votes, while Labour stayed on 15 seats.[9] There also remained 1 independent councillor and one seat was vacant after the death of Verulam Conservative councillor Michael Pugh on 22 April 2002.[10] Overall turnout at the election was 38.22%,[11] up from 33.56% at the 2000 election.[12]

St Albans local election result 2002[11][13]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 8 3 0 +3 38.1 35.8 13,722 -4.4%
  Liberal Democrats 7 0 3 -3 33.3 38.8 14,896 +6.1%
  Labour 6 0 0 0 28.6 25.1 9,632 +1.2%
  No Candidate Deserves My Vote! 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 117 +0.3%

Ward results[edit]

Ashley[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Malachy Pakenham 768 41.3 -7.0
Liberal Democrats Alan Marshall 678 36.5 +9.4
Conservative Alec Campbell 382 20.5 -4.1
No Candidate Deserves My Vote! Rosemary Flanagan 31 1.7 +1.7
Majority 90 4.8 -16.5
Turnout 1,859
Labour hold Swing
Batchwood (2 seats)[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roma Mills 993 59.9 -0.6
Labour Martin Leach 871 52.6 -7.5
Conservative Margaret Brownlie 343 20.7 -6.0
Conservative Pamela Farley 339 20.5 -6.2
Liberal Democrats Richard Biddle 323 19.5 +6.7
Liberal Democrats Debbie Williams 267 16.1 +3.3
Turnout 1,657
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Clarence[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Joyce Lusby 1,095 59.2 +11.9
Labour Taufiq Lodhi 423 22.9 -5.7
Conservative Louisa-Jane Rosalki 331 17.9 -6.2
Majority 672 36.3 +17.6
Turnout 1,849
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Colney Heath[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Clarke 621 44.0 +18.2
Liberal Democrats Christopher Brazier 514 36.4 -11.1
Labour David Mclean 276 19.6 -6.2
Majority 107 7.6
Turnout 1,411
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Cunningham[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Robert Prowse 842 43.3 +0.3
Labour Andrew Gilson 699 36.0 -0.7
Conservative Diana Hall 402 20.7 +0.4
Majority 143 7.3 +0.9
Turnout 1,943
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Harpenden East[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Alison Steer 1,013 46.7 +1.1
Conservative Victor Holley 830 38.3 -1.4
Labour David Crew 324 15.0 +2.0
Majority 183 8.4 +2.5
Turnout 2,167
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Harpenden North[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Grenfell-Hill 935 47.9 -7.4
Liberal Democrats John Coad 812 41.6 +6.9
Labour Rosemary Ross 206 10.5 +0.4
Majority 123 6.3 -14.3
Turnout 1,953
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Harpenden South[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Teresa Heritage 1,254 63.4 -2.5
Liberal Democrats Christopher Canfield 461 23.3 +3.7
Labour David Lawlor 263 13.3 -1.1
Majority 793 40.1 -5.2
Turnout 1,978
Conservative hold Swing
Harpenden West[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Wicks 1,211 60.1 -7.0
Liberal Democrats Nigel Jenkinson 505 25.1 +6.3
Labour Benjamin Dearman 299 14.8 +0.6
Majority 706 35.0 -13.3
Turnout 2,015
Conservative hold Swing
London Colney[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Etheldreda Gordon 1,075 61.9 +2.9
Conservative Geoffrey Brooking 409 23.5 -2.4
Liberal Democrats Carol Prowse 253 14.6 -0.5
Majority 666 38.4 +5.3
Turnout 1,737
Labour hold Swing
Marshalswick North[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Thomas Clegg 942 47.5 +0.4
Conservative John Foster 724 36.5 -1.4
Labour John Baughan 319 16.1 +1.0
Majority 218 11.0 +1.8
Turnout 1,985
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Marshalswick South[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Michael Ketley 1,353 57.8 +16.5
Conservative Roderick Douglas 667 28.5 -13.8
Labour Janet Smith 321 13.7 -2.7
Majority 686 29.3
Turnout 2,341
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Park Street[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Aislinn Lee 1,276 65.5 +27.7
Conservative James Vessey 418 21.5 -22.0
Labour Janet Blackwell 253 13.0 -5.7
Majority 858 44.0
Turnout 1,947
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Redbourn[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Patricia Schofield 997 52.3 +9.4
Conservative Paul Finigan 753 39.5 +9.5
Labour Clive Newport 158 8.3 -2.2
Majority 244 12.8
Turnout 1,908
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Sandridge[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Beric Read 548 41.3 +5.7
Liberal Democrats William Morris 531 40.0 +2.1
Labour Christine Dawson 226 17.0 -0.5
No Candidate Deserves My Vote! Cliff Miller 21 1.6 N/A
Majority 17 1.3
Turnout 1,326
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Sopwell[9][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Dawn Pratley 664 58.3 -2.1
Conservative Marilyn Madden 242 21.3 -5.5
Liberal Democrats Moira Seton 196 17.2 +4.4
No Candidate Deserves My Vote! Michael Horan 36 3.2 +3.2
Majority 422 37.0 +3.5
Turnout 1,138 23.3 -0.8
Labour hold Swing
St Peters[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Winifred Dunleavy 783 43.7 +0.3
Liberal Democrats Ilyas Khan 684 38.1 +0.8
Conservative Virginia Walker 326 18.2 -1.1
Majority 99 5.6 -0.5
Turnout 1,793
Labour hold Swing
St Stephen[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Susan Carr 1,086 55.3 -0.9
Liberal Democrats Jadwiga Baillie 584 29.7 +0.2
Labour Patricia Allen 295 15.0 +0.8
Majority 502 25.6 -1.1
Turnout 1,965
Conservative hold Swing
Verulam[9][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pauline Buffham 934 48.7 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Martin Frearson 711 37.1 -5.1
Labour Linda Spiri 243 12.7 +2.1
No Candidate Deserves My Vote! Peter Goodall 29 1.5 +1.5
Majority 223 11.6 +6.6
Turnout 1,917 38.9 -3.0
Conservative hold Swing
Wheathampstead[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stammers 967 48.4 -2.7
Liberal Democrats Paul Edelston 859 43.0 +3.3
Labour Mary Cheale 173 8.7 -0.5
Majority 108 5.4 -6.0
Turnout 1,999
Conservative hold Swing

By-elections between 2002 and 2003[edit]

A by-election was held in Verulam ward on 27 June 2002 after the death of Conservative councillor Michael Pugh.[14] The seat was gained for the Liberal Democrats by Martin Frearson with a majority of 24 votes over the Conservatives, after Frearson had come second to the Conservatives in the seat at the council election in May.[14]

Turnout increased by 2% from the May council election and the number of spoiled ballots dropped to 2 from 30 at the May election when the trial of electronic voting had taken place in the ward.[14]

Verulam by-election 27 June 2002[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Martin Frearson 960 46.6 +9.5
Conservative Marilyn Madden 936 45.5 -3.2
Labour Linda Spiri 145 7.0 -5.7
No Candidate Deserves My Vote Peter Goodall 17 0.8 -0.7
Majority 24 1.1
Turnout 2,058 40.9
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

References[edit]

  1. ^ "St Albans". BBC News Online. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  2. ^ "Election results; Local Elections". The Times. 3 May 2002. p. 6.
  3. ^ a b c Morris, Owen (15 April 2002). "Parties ready to do battle". Hertfordshire County Publications. NewsBank.
  4. ^ "Protest vote". Liverpool Echo. 6 April 2002. p. 4.
  5. ^ "Local election campaign round-up". The Guardian. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 29 April 2002.
  6. ^ Steiner, Rupert (7 April 2002). "Voters tick with a click". The Sunday Times. p. 24.
  7. ^ "U.K. puts online voting to the test". CNET News. 26 April 2002. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  8. ^ "Brian Rudman: There's no easy panacea for voter apathy". The New Zealand Herald. 27 May 2002. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  9. ^ a b c d e Morris, Owen (9 May 2002). "Lib Dems lose three to Tories". Hertfordshire County Publications. NewsBank.
  10. ^ Morris, Owen (3 May 2002). "Tories take three wards". Hertfordshire County Publications. NewsBank.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "District Council Election Results 2nd May 2002". St Albans City and District Council. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  12. ^ "District Council Election Results - 4 May 2000". St Albans City and District Council. Archived from the original on 1 October 2002. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Local elections: early results". The Independent. 3 May 2002. p. 7.
  14. ^ a b c Price, Shannon (4 July 2002). "Lib-Dem victory this time around". Hertfordshire County Publications. NewsBank.
  15. ^ "Verulam Ward By Election Result 27th June 2002". St Albans City and District Council. Archived from the original on 1 October 2002. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  16. ^ "East Enders desert BNP". theguardian.com. 28 June 2002. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
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