The 2004 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council in West Yorkshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003.[1] The Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.[2]

Campaign

Before the election Labour held 50 of the 63 seats on the council and this was seen as being an insurmountable majority for the other parties.[3] However the Conservatives stood a full slate of 63 candidates and were hopeful of making gains due to dissatisfaction among Labour supporters.[3] The British National Party stood 12 candidates in the election, a substantial increase on the 2 they had stood in the 2003 election but not the 20 candidates the party had been hoping to stand.[4][5] Other candidates included 19 Liberal Democrats, 18 independents, 5 Socialist Alternative, 3 from the United Kingdom Independence Party and 1 Green Party.[3] All postal voting in the election was expected to increase turnout, which was seen by analysts as making the results difficult to predict.[3]

Election result

The results saw Labour lose 7 seats but remained firmly in control of the council with 43 of the 63 seats.[6] The Conservatives gained 4 and the independents 3, with the gains for the independents in Featherstone being put down to the closure of a local swimming pool.[6][7] The Liberal Democrats held their 3 seats in Ossett but neither they nor the British National Party made any gains.[7] Overall voter turnout was 39.6%.[8]

Labour saw the results as not being as bad as they could have been given the losses the party was suffering nationally, which was put down to improved services and listening to local people.[7] Meanwhile, the Conservatives were disappointed that they had not made more gains.[7]

Wakefield Local Election Result 2004[8][9]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 43 -7 68.3 45.7 108,222 -0.4%
  Conservative 11 +4 17.5 29.8 70,679 +4.5%
  Independent 6 +3 9.5 9.9 23,475 -1.6%
  Liberal Democrats 3 0 4.8 8.3 19,719 -2.9%
  BNP 0 0 0 4.0 9,492 +1.6%
  UKIP 0 0 0 1.1 2,601 -0.4%
  Socialist Alternative 0 0 0 0.6 1,538 +0.0%
  Green 0 0 0 0.5 1,111 +0.5%

Ward results

Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Allan Garbutt 1,951
Labour Alan Bell 1,526
Labour Linda Broom 1,362
Liberal Democrats James McDougall 1,259
Conservative Keith Wilson 1,241
Conservative Katie Denson 1,060
Conservative Sheila Scholes 1,021
Independent John Evans 974
Liberal Democrats Kenneth Ridgway 784
Liberal Democrats Margaret Dodd 725
Turnout 11,903 38.6
Airedale and Ferry Fryston[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Graham Phelps 2,025
Labour Yvonne Crewe 1,811
Labour Stephen Groves 1,751
Independent John Bird 997
Liberal Democrats Paul Kirby 679
Conservative Mary Barton 469
Conservative Pamela Ledgard 418
Conservative Rodney Williams 409
Turnout 8,559 34.0
Altofts and Whitwood[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Box 1,993
Labour Heather Hudson 1,939
Labour Darran Travis 1,855
Liberal Democrats Michael Burch 876
BNP William Draper 701
Liberal Democrats Simon Curtis 700
Conservative Allen Glendinning 625
Conservative Tom Dixon 584
Liberal Democrats Carey Chambers 566
Conservative Jean Molloy 559
Turnout 10,398 38.0
Castleford Central and Glasshoughton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mark Burns-Williamson 2,797
Labour Anthony Wallis 2,692
Labour Denise Jeffery 2,286
BNP Rita Robinson 948
Conservative Stanley Hick 507
Conservative Val Moorey 484
Conservative Joan Revitt 483
Turnout 10,197 36.7
Crofton, Ryhill and Walton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Albert Manifield 1,995
Labour Maureen Cummings 1,757
Labour Graham Isherwood 1,729
Independent Christopher Hazell 1,436
Independent Nicholas Hazell 1,265
Conservative Michael Ledgard 1,261
Conservative Allan Couch 1,058
Conservative Alan West 937
BNP Robert Jaques 815
Turnout 12,253 43.8
Featherstone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Kay Binnersley 2,356
Independent Pauline Guy 2,143
Independent Roy Bickerton 1,859
Labour Margaret Isherwood 1,771
Labour David Bond 1,703
Labour Robin Tuffs 1,583
BNP David Lumb 685
Conservative Phyllis Brake 322
Conservative Jean Yarwood 312
Conservative Brigid Hopkins 308
Turnout 13,042 41.2
Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Glyn Lloyd 2,613
Labour Wayne Jenkins 2,256
Labour Hazel Chowcat 2,019
Conservative Rebecca Mullins 712
Conservative Alfred Hall 661
Conservative Norma Crossley 654
BNP Ian Kitchen 508
Turnout 9,423 34.1
Horbury and South Ossett[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Janet Holmes 1,724
Labour Brian Holmes 1,621
Conservative Graham Smith 1,578
Conservative Caroline Smith 1,507
Conservative Roger Robinson 1,452
Liberal Democrats Mark Goodair 1,245
Labour Robert Kirk 1,228
Liberal Democrats David Rowland 1,176
BNP John Aveyard 978
Liberal Democrats Edmund Marshall 929
Independent Mark Harrop 452
Turnout 13,890 45.4
Knottingley[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Graham Stokes 1,946
Labour Glenn Burton 1,734
Labour Patricia Doyle 1,657
Conservative Christopher Burns 892
BNP Mark Burton 831
Conservative Michael Plumbley 695
Conservative Madge Richards 587
Turnout 8,342 35.3
Normanton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Barry Smith 2,105
Independent Graeme Milner 1,694
Labour Peter Loosemore 1,627
Labour Christine Sharman 1,463
Conservative Sue Mountain 877
Conservative Betty Charlesworth 611
Conservative John Scollan 555
Turnout 8,932 33.1
Ossett[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Alec Metcalfe 2,312
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Knowles 2,067
Liberal Democrats Peter Walker 1,975
Labour Donald Hitchen 1,220
Labour David Watts 1,174
Labour Paul McCartan 1,143
Conservative John Smith 958
BNP Suzy Cass 945
Conservative Jane Garfit 801
Conservative Andrew Garfit 791
Turnout 13,386 43.1
Pontefract North[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jack Kershaw 2,008
Labour Patricia Garbutt 1,716
Labour Clive Tennant 1,599
UKIP Stephanie Wilder 994
UKIP Howard Burdon 848
Conservative Geoffrey Walsh 838
Conservative Eamonn Mullins 838
Conservative Catherine Campbell-Reitzik 783
Socialist Alternative John Gill 232
Turnout 9,856 35.6
Pontefract South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Trevor Izon 2,474
Conservative Philip Booth 2,464
Labour James Nicholson 2,374
Conservative Richard Molloy 2,103
Labour Sylvia Burton 2,059
Conservative David Howarth 1,963
BNP David Redfearn 651
Turnout 14,088 46.0
South Elmsall and South Kirkby[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mollie Wright 2,414
Independent Harold Mills 2,162
Labour Laurie Harrison 1,898
Labour John Evans 1,884
BNP Linda Westwood 853
Liberal Democrats Christopher Wright 832
Conservative Christian l'Anson 495
Conservative David Charlesworth 335
Conservative Patricia Foster 327
Turnout 11,200 37.3
Stanley and Outwood East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Atkinson 2,156
Labour Clive Hudson 1,686
Labour Jacqueline Williams 1,645
Conservative Elizabeth Hick 1,640
Conservative David Barton 1,594
Conservative Charles Scholes 1,498
Turnout 10,219 36.2
Wakefield East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hilary Mitchell 1,559
Labour Ronald Halliday 1,466
Labour Olivia Rowley 1,434
Independent Meherban Khan 1,024
Conservative Donald Saunders 874
Conservative Terence Brown 763
Conservative John Berry 732
BNP Michael Wain 620
Socialist Alternative Michael Griffiths 436
Turnout 8,908 37.2
Wakefield North[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Elizabeth Rhodes 1,434
Labour Melvyn Taylor 1,360
Labour Keith Rhodes 1,316
Conservative Jane Brown 1,105
Conservative Angela Holwell 1,022
Conservative Patrick Williams 1,000
Liberal Democrats Douglas Dale 902
UKIP Keith Wells 759
Socialist Alternative Adrian O'Malley 351
Socialist Alternative Diane Shepherd 297
Socialist Alternative Robert Crabb 222
Turnout 9,768 38.6
Wakefield Rural[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Harvey 2,614
Conservative Bryan Denson 2,440
Conservative June Drysdale 2,374
Labour Martyn Johnson 1,549
Labour Matthew Morley 1,448
Labour David Dagger 1,354
Independent Michael Greensmith 1,123
Green John Lumb 1,111
Turnout 14,013 42.0
Wakefield South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Hopkins 1,955
Conservative Monica Graham 1,745
Independent Norman Hazell 1,671
Conservative Nadeem Ahmed 1,452
Independent Brian Hazell 1,197
Independent Christian Hazell 999
Labour Richard Hayward 992
Liberal Democrats Stephen Nuthall 950
Labour John Anderson 878
Liberal Democrats Jack Smith 793
Labour Fred Walker 787
Independent Georgina Fenton 317
Turnout 13,736 48.8
Wakefield West[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Walker 2,637
Conservative William Sanders 2,586
Conservative John Colley 2,491
Labour Janet Deighton 1,620
Labour John Devine 1,218
Labour Paul Phelps 1,133
Liberal Democrats Susan Morgan 949
Turnout 12,634 44.0
Wrenthorpe and Outwood West[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Antony Calvert 1,852
Labour Philip Dobson 1,719
Labour David Lund 1,552
Conservative Glenn Armitage 1,496
Labour Rosaline Lund 1,434
Conservative Tony Ayoade 1,274
BNP Grant Rowe 957
Independent Alexander Adie 952
Independent Robert Baulch 854
Turnout 12,090 43.2

References

  1. ↑ "Wakefield council". BBC News Online. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  2. ↑ "Elections 2004: Local authorities in England and Wales". The Independent. 12 June 2004. p. 9. ISSN 0951-9467.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Election preview: Education remains key issue as parties poised to undergo test". The Yorkshire Post. 14 May 2004. p. 1. ISSN 0963-1496.
  4. ↑ Norfolk, Andrew (12 May 2004). "BNP targets local seats in Yorkshire". The Times. p. 12. ISSN 0140-0460.
  5. ↑ "BNP's ballot target". Yorkshire Evening Post. 12 May 2004. ISSN 0963-2255.
  6. 1 2 "Poll axe". Yorkshire Evening Post. 12 June 2004. ISSN 0963-2255.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Independents in local baths row triumph". The Yorkshire Post. 12 June 2004. p. 1. ISSN 0963-1496.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Local Election Results 11th June 2004". City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. Archived from the original on 24 June 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  9. ↑ "Elections 2004: Results at a glance". The Guardian. 12 June 2004. p. 10. ISSN 0261-3077.
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