Gateshead Council election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Gateshead Council election was held on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Gateshead Council
in Tyne and Wear
, England
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003
. The Labour
party stayed in overall control of the council.
and seats on the council unchanged while changing many of the wards. In total 216 candidates stood in the election, with the Labour and Conservative
parties standing for all of the seats. The Liberal Democrats stood in all but two wards where the Liberal Party
stood instead. There were also 17 British National Party
candidates and one independent
.
The council was expected to remain under Labour control as it had been for the previous 30 years but the Liberal Democrats hoped to make gains. Labour called on voters to re-elect them in order to keep the services provided by the council improving. The Liberal Democrats claimed that a local maternity unit and library were under threat of being closed but Labour accused them of scaremongering. Local businessman Sir John Hall
called on voters to re-elect the Labour council in order that a partnership with Newcastle
council could continue.
Printing problems meant that ballot papers for the election, which was held with all postal voting
, were about a week late in being sent out with 150,000 ballots having to be reprinted. As a result extra printers were used and ballot box
es were placed in local libraries.
Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. It is named after its largest town, Gateshead, but also spans the towns of Rowlands Gill, Whickham, Blaydon and Ryton; suburban areas include Felling, Pelaw, Dunston and Low Fell.It is bordered...
in Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, 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...
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003
Gateshead Council election, 2003
The 2003 Gateshead Council election was held on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Gateshead Council in Tyne and Wear, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council....
. The 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...
party stayed in overall control of the council.
Campaign
The boundary changes kept the number of wardsWards 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:...
and seats on the council unchanged while changing many of the wards. In total 216 candidates stood in the election, with the Labour and Conservative
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...
parties standing for all of the seats. The Liberal Democrats stood in all but two wards where the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
The Liberal Party is a United Kingdom political party. It was formed in 1989 by a group of individuals within the original Liberal Party who felt that the merger of the party with the Social Democratic Party, to form the Liberal Democrats, had ended the spirit of the Liberal Party, claiming that...
stood instead. There were also 17 British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
candidates and one independent
Independent (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 council was expected to remain under Labour control as it had been for the previous 30 years but the Liberal Democrats hoped to make gains. Labour called on voters to re-elect them in order to keep the services provided by the council improving. The Liberal Democrats claimed that a local maternity unit and library were under threat of being closed but Labour accused them of scaremongering. Local businessman Sir John Hall
John Hall (businessman)
Sir John Hall is a property developer in North East England. He is also life president and former chairman of Newcastle United.-Biography:...
called on voters to re-elect the Labour council in order that a partnership with Newcastle
Newcastle City Council
Newcastle City Council is the local government authority for Newcastle upon Tyne, a city in Tyne and Wear, England. The council consists of 78 councillors, three for each of the city's 26 wards...
council could continue.
Printing problems meant that ballot papers for the election, which was held with all postal voting
Postal voting
Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system....
, were about a week late in being sent out with 150,000 ballots having to be reprinted. As a result extra printers were used and ballot box
Ballot box
A ballot box is a temporarily sealed container, usually square box though sometimes a tamper resistant bag, with a narrow slot in the top sufficient to accept a ballot paper in an election but which prevents anyone from accessing the votes cast until the close of the voting period...
es were placed in local libraries.