Solihull Council election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Solihull Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Solihull
Metropolitan Borough
Council in the West Midlands
, England
.
The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003
. The Conservative party
stayed in overall control of the council.
suffered 2 defections. Firstly councillor
Jim Ryan quit the party to sit as an independent
after disagreements over policy. He was then followed in May 2004 by Jeff Potts who defected to join the Conservatives and blamed infighting within the Labour party for his decision. Both councillors contested the election, Jim Ryan as an independent, and Jeff Potts as a Conservative in Kingshurst
and Fordbridge
ward
.
The election saw the British National Party
(BNP) contest 2 seats in Chelmsley Wood
and Olton
wards, while the National Front contested Silhill ward. The presence of these candidates led the leaders of each of the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties on the council to condemn the policies of both the BNP and National Front.
where former Labour councillor Jim Ryan was re-elected onto the council as an independent. Overall turnout
increased by 10% from 2003 to reach 39%.
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
Metropolitan Borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
Council in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, 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
Solihull Council election, 2003
The 2003 Solihull Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England.One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council....
. The Conservative party
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...
stayed in overall control of the council.
Campaign
During the lead up to the election the Labour partyLabour 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...
suffered 2 defections. Firstly councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
Jim Ryan quit the party to sit as an 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...
after disagreements over policy. He was then followed in May 2004 by Jeff Potts who defected to join the Conservatives and blamed infighting within the Labour party for his decision. Both councillors contested the election, Jim Ryan as an independent, and Jeff Potts as a Conservative in Kingshurst
Kingshurst
Kingshurst is a post war housing estate and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands. It lies about east of Birmingham city centre...
and Fordbridge
Fordbridge
Fordbridge is a civil parish and suburb between Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the West Midlands county, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is east of Birmingham City Centre. It has a town council...
ward
Wards 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:...
.
The election saw the 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...
(BNP) contest 2 seats in Chelmsley Wood
Chelmsley Wood
Chelmsley Wood is a neighbourhood, civil parish and large housing estate in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 13,010. It is located near Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. It lies adjacent to Birmingham...
and Olton
Olton
Olton is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. In the 13th century the Lords of the Manor moved their seat and formed a new settlement, in the junction of two major roads, that village has now grown into a big town called Solihull...
wards, while the National Front contested Silhill ward. The presence of these candidates led the leaders of each of the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties on the council to condemn the policies of both the BNP and National Front.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives stay in control of the council but with their majority cut from 5 to 3 seats. The Conservative dropped by 1 seat, while the Liberal Democrats became the next largest party on the council after gaining 5 seats. Labour dropped by 5 seats, 3 of which could be put down to the boundary changes, while another seat was lost by Labour to the Conservatives in Kingshurst and Fordbridge. The final Labour loss came in BickenhillBickenhill
Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.-History:...
where former Labour councillor Jim Ryan was re-elected onto the council as an independent. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
increased by 10% from 2003 to reach 39%.