2002 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election

The 2002 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council in West Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was

Campaign

Before the election the council had 55 Labour, 4 Conservative, 3 Independent and 1 Liberal Democrat members.[3] Each of the Labour and Conservative parties stood candidates in all 21 wards, along with 11 Liberal Democrats and 15 other candidates from various parties.[3] Labour were defending 20 seats in the election, with two seats being contested in Pontefract South due to the resignation of a councillor,[4] while the other 2 seats were held by independents.[3] One of the 2 independents who was defending his seat in Wakefield South was Norman Hazell, a former leader of the Conservatives in Wakefield, who had defected from the party in 2001.[3]

During the campaign an investigation was started by West Yorkshire Police after allegations of fraud in South Kirkby ward.[5] Here over a quarter of the 900 postal vote applications had been found to be invalid.[5]

Election result

The Labour party remained firmly in control of the council and were pleased with only losing 2 seats in the election.[2] The Conservatives gained Wakefield Rural, while the Liberal Democrats took Ossett.[2] Meanwhile, both independents held their seats, with Norman Hazell's defence of Wakefield South as an independent being seen as a surprise result.[2] Overall turnout in the election was 23.5%.[2]

Wakefield Local Election Result 2002[4]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 18 0 2 -2 81.8 53.5 34,330 +2.3%
  Independent 2 0 0 0 9.1 6.0 3,852 +1.8%
  Conservative 1 1 0 +1 4.5 24.7 15,817 -7.3%
  Liberal Democrats 1 1 0 +1 4.5 11.4 7,337 +0.5%
  Socialist Labour 0 0 0 0 0 2.9 1,831 +1.3%
  Socialist Alternative 0 0 0 0 0 0.6 386 +0.6%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 313 +0.5%
  Socialist Alliance 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 285 +0.4%

Ward results
Castleford Ferry Fryston[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stephen Groves 1,404 75.6 +17.2
Conservative Madge Richards 267 14.4 +6.3
Socialist Labour Trevor Holderson 186 10.0 +10.0
Majority 1,137 61.2 +36.4
Turnout 1,857 19.4 -0.2
Labour hold Swing
Castleford Glasshoughton[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mark Burns-Williamson 1,864 82.1 +5.6
Conservative Charles Scholes 255 11.2 -4.2
Socialist Labour Angela Herbert 152 6.7 -1.5
Majority 1,609 70.9 +9.8
Turnout 2,271 21.2 +3.8
Labour hold Swing
Castleford Whitwood[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Colin Churm 1,812 82.9 +5.6
Conservative Jean Molloy 237 10.8 -4.7
Socialist Labour Mary Appleyard 137 6.3 -0.9
Majority 1,575 72.1 +10.3
Turnout 2,186 22.1 +2.0
Labour hold Swing
Crofton & Ackworth[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paul Beckett 1,564 51.2 +2.6
Liberal Democrats James McDougall 669 21.9 -1.1
Conservative Catherine Campbell-Reitzik 554 18.1 -10.3
UKIP Howard Burden 194 6.3 +6.3
Socialist Labour David Bruce 76 2.5 +2.5
Majority 895 29.3 +9.1
Turnout 3,057 25.4 +4.4
Labour hold Swing
Featherstone[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robin Tuffs 1,867 83.0 +28.6
Conservative Elizabeth Hick 383 17.0 +4.0
Majority 1,484 66.0 +44.2
Turnout 2,250 20.4 -2.4
Labour hold Swing
Hemsworth[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Wayne Jenkins 1,629 72.5 -2.3
Conservative Eamonn Mullins 372 16.5 -8.7
Socialist Labour Maurice Kent 247 11.0 +11.0
Majority 1,257 56.0 +6.4
Turnout 2,248 20.8 +2.7
Labour hold Swing
Horbury[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian Holmes 1,408 43.2 +10.8
Conservative Caroline Sheen 1,225 37.6 -7.4
Liberal Democrats Mark Goodair 567 17.4 -5.2
Socialist Labour Karen Bruce 60 1.8 +1.8
Majority 183 5.6
Turnout 3,260 27.0 +0.5
Labour hold Swing
Knottingley[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Graham Stokes 1,667 75.9 +4.4
Conservative David Howarth 530 24.1 -4.4
Majority 1,137 51.8 +8.8
Turnout 2,197 20.7 +2.9
Labour hold Swing
Normanton & Sharlston[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Loosemore 1,306 49.8 -11.5
Independent Graeme Milner 665 25.3 +25.3
Conservative Allan Couch 346 13.2 -6.5
Socialist Labour Mick Appleyard 308 11.7 -7.3
Majority 641 24.5 -17.1
Turnout 2,625 20.6 +1.5
Labour hold Swing
Ossett[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Walker 2,138 54.9 +18.6
Labour Maureen Cummings 1,235 31.7 -3.5
Conservative Terence Brown 518 13.3 -15.2
Majority 903 23.2 +22.1
Turnout 3,891 31.1 +6.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Pontefract North[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jack Kershaw 1,875 68.2 -2.9
Conservative Richard Molloy 638 23.2 -5.7
Socialist Alternative John Gill 134 4.9 +4.9
Socialist Labour Zane Carpenter 103 3.7 +3.7
Majority 1,237 45.0 +2.8
Turnout 2,750 21.0 +4.2
Labour hold Swing
Pontefract South (2)[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Trevor Izon 1,581
Labour Martyn Ward 1,317
Conservative Ian Bloomer 1,250
Conservative Philip Booth 1,243
Socialist Alliance Carol Ives 285
Turnout 5,676 28.4 +4.2
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
South Elmsall[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Devine 1,655 68.1 -2.6
Conservative Ian Hall 438 18.0 -11.3
Liberal Democrats Mary Neale 339 13.9 +13.9
Majority 1,217 50.1 +8.7
Turnout 2,432 21.2 +4.9
Labour hold Swing
South Kirkby[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Harold Mills 1,288 49.9 +49.9
Labour Malcolm Evans 1,167 45.2 -17.9
Conservative Michael Ledgard 128 5.0 -5.9
Majority 121 4.7
Turnout 2,583 24.1 +4.9
Independent hold Swing
Stanley & Altofts[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Atkinson 1,670 51.9 +3.3
Conservative Norma Crossley 750 23.3 -4.8
Liberal Democrats Michael Burch 715 22.2 -1.2
Socialist Labour Kathryn Summerscales 83 2.6 +2.6
Majority 920 28.6 +8.1
Turnout 3,218 23.1 +3.0
Labour hold Swing
Stanley & Wrenthorpe[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rosaline Lund 1,655 46.0 +0.9
Conservative James Dick 1,131 31.4 -5.7
Liberal Democrats Margaret Dodd 813 22.6 +4.8
Majority 524 14.6 +6.6
Turnout 3,599 24.0 +2.6
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield Central[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Antony Richardson 1,758 48.9 +6.7
Conservative Jane Brown 1,396 38.9 -3.5
Liberal Democrats Susan Morgan 376 10.5 -0.4
Socialist Labour Paul Turek 62 1.7 -2.8
Majority 362 10.0
Turnout 3,592 38.5 +14.3
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Olivia Rowley 1,533 45.4 -8.9
Conservative John Berry 552 16.4 -9.5
Socialist Labour Abdul Aziz 417 12.4 +12.4
Independent Georgina Fenton 324 9.6 +9.6
Liberal Democrats Alan Dale 298 8.8 -3.1
Socialist Alternative Michael Griffiths 252 7.5 +7.5
Majority 981 29.0 +0.6
Turnout 3,376 26.6 +3.9
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield North[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Rhodes 1,562 55.8 +3.4
Conservative Michael Mitchell 674 24.1 -8.8
Liberal Democrats Douglas Dale 442 15.8 +1.1
UKIP Keith Wells 119 4.3 +4.3
Majority 888 31.7 +12.2
Turnout 2,797 24.8 +3.4
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield Rural[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Harvey 1,566 43.6 -8.1
Labour John Newsome 1,536 42.8 +6.3
Liberal Democrats David Neale 486 13.5 +1.7
Majority 30 0.8 -14.4
Turnout 3,588 27.9 +3.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Wakefield South[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Norman Hazell 1,575 33.5 +32.3
Conservative Christian L'Anson 1,364 29.0 -36.2
Labour Hazel Chowcat 1,265 26.9 +3.7
Liberal Democrats Stephen Nuthall 494 10.5 +0.1
Majority 211 4.5
Turnout 4,698 38.0 +5.6
Independent hold Swing

References
  1. "Wakefield". BBC News Online. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  2. "Labour loses two seats as Norman survives". Wakefield Express. 3 May 2002. ISSN 0961-2459. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.
  3. "'Turn out and vote' urge rivals". Wakefield Express. 12 April 2002. ISSN 0961-2459. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.
  4. "Summary of Wakefield District Council Elections Results 2002". City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. Archived from the original on 8 December 2002. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  5. "Local elections: Arrests amid claims that postal voting threatens ballot secrecy". Local Government Chronicle. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
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