Basingstoke and Deane Council election, 1998
Encyclopedia
The 1998 Basingstoke and Deane Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Basingstoke and Deane
Borough
Council in Hampshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
had 22 seats, compared to 17 for the Liberal Democrats and 14 for Labour
. However Liberal Democrat Paula Baker was leader of the council in an alliance with the Labour party.
An important issue in the election was development, with opposition to the building of more houses in the area. The national Conservative leader William Hague
visited Oakley
during the campaign with his party attacking the building of homes in green field
areas. The Liberal Democrats accepted there needed to be houses built in the area, but called for local people to be able to decide where, while Labour criticised the previous Conservative for the national targets on the number of houses to be built.
Other issues in the election included the performance of the council and council tax
levels.
Basingstoke and Deane
Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
Council in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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 council stayed under 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...
.
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...
25 - 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...
15 - Liberal Democrats 13
- 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...
4
Campaign
Before the election the ConservativesConservative 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...
had 22 seats, compared to 17 for the Liberal Democrats and 14 for Labour
Labour 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...
. However Liberal Democrat Paula Baker was leader of the council in an alliance with the Labour party.
An important issue in the election was development, with opposition to the building of more houses in the area. The national Conservative leader William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
visited Oakley
Oakley, Hampshire
Oakley is a semi-rural affluent large village and parish situated west of the large town, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 5,322, verging on 'minor town' status. The village was recorded and mentioned in the Domesday book...
during the campaign with his party attacking the building of homes in green field
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
areas. The Liberal Democrats accepted there needed to be houses built in the area, but called for local people to be able to decide where, while Labour criticised the previous Conservative for the national targets on the number of houses to be built.
Other issues in the election included the performance of the council and 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...
levels.