West Berkshire Council election, 2003

Map of the results of the 2003 West Berkshire Borough Council election. Conservative in blue and Liberal Democrats in yellow.

The 2003 West Berkshire Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of West Berkshire 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 2.^[1] The Liberal Democrats lost overall control of the council to no overall control.^[2]

Background

At the last election in 2000 the Liberal Democrats held control of the council with 28 councillors, compared to 25 for the Conservatives and there was 1 independent councillor.^[3] However boundary changes took place for the 2003 election, which reduced the number of seats from 54 to 52 and affected all but 3 of the wards.^[4]

Election result

Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats won 26 seats, meaning that the Liberal Democrats lost the majority on the council that they had held for the previous 12 years.^[4] The Liberal Democrat leader on the council, Lena Rust was defeated in Basildon ward by the Conservatives, while in Westwood ward the Conservatives gained the seat by 4 votes after 4 recounts.^[4] However the Liberal Democrats did pick up a seat in the new Theale ward.^[4]

Following the election the Liberal Democrats were able to continue running the election due to the chairman's casting vote.^[4]

Ward results

By-elections between 2003 and 2007

Victoria

The Liberal Democrats remained in control of the council with the chairman's casting vote after retaining Victoria ward in a by-election on 4 December 2003.^[6]

Thatcham North

A by-election was held in Thatcham North on 5 May 2005 after Liberal Democrat councillor Bob Judge resigned from the council.^[8] The seat was gained for the Conservatives by Sheila Ellison with a majority of 175 votes over the Liberal Democrats, which gave the Conservatives a majority on the council.^[9]

Pangbourne

A by-election was held in Pangbourne ward on 20 April 2006 after the resignation of Conservative councillor Susie Kemp.^[10][11] The seat was held for the Conservatives by Pamela Bale with a majority of 574 votes over the Liberal Democrats.^[10][11]

References

Council elections in Berkshire
Bracknell Forest Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1997 1999 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015
Reading Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Slough Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2012 2014 2015 2016
West Berkshire Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1997 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1997 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015
Wokingham Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Berkshire County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

(2002 ←)   United Kingdom local elections, 2003   (→ 2004)
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