2002 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 2 May 2002, with one-third of the council to be re-elected. There had been a number of by-elections in the gap year, with a Labour gain from the Liberal Democrats in Hindsford, effectively cancelling out an earlier loss to them in Atherton. A Labour hold in Hope Carr in-between left both parties unchanged going into the election.

Map of the results of the 2002 Wigan council election.

Candidates contesting rose slightly on the prior election's, with the Socialist Alliance's debut eclipsing the Liberal Democrat offering, with 9 candidates to 8, and the newly formed Community Action Party fielding their first handful, as well as a sole BNP contender in Abram. This counteracted the traditional opposition parties - the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - fielding slightly less this year and one fewer Independent contester than the last election.

The worrying string of poor turnout seen in recent elections was partially reversed, as turnout rose by a quarter upon the 2000s figure of 19.5%, to 25.2%. The Conservatives and the Independents fell back from their impressive performances in 2000, to the benefit of the newcomers, with Community Action immediately gaining two seats in the previously-unblemished Labour strongholds of Bryn and Lightshaw. Labour successfully defended Orrell from another Tory gain, but suffered a loss in the former Conservative bastion of Swinley, with the Conservatives holding representation in Orrell and Swinley for the first time in just shy of twenty years. Elsewhere, the Lib Dems comfortably captured another seat in Hindsford. These gains reverted Labour's majority to a more normative 58, ending their five-year peak.[1][2][3][4]

Election result
Wigan Local Election Result 2002
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 20 0 4 -4 83.3 56.7 32,772 -0.2%
  Community Action 2 2 0 +2 8.3 9.2 5,307 +9.2%
  Conservative 1 1 0 +1 4.2 17.2 9,936 -7.9%
  Liberal Democrats 1 1 0 +1 4.2 11.6 6,681 -0.3%
  Socialist Alliance 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.5 1,428 +2.5%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0.0 1.5 859 -2.9%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0.0 1.0 571 +1.0%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party Previous council New council
Labour 69 65
Liberal Democrat 2 3
Community Action 0 2
Conservative 1 2
Socialist Alliance 0 0
Independent 0 0
BNP 0 0
Total 72 72
Working majority  66   58 

Ward results
Abram[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eunice Smethurst 1,631 65.2 -3.6
BNP Dennis Shambley 571 22.8 +22.8
Conservative Alicia Eccles 292 11.7 -19.5
Rejected ballots 7 0.3
Majority 1,060 42.4 +4.7
Turnout 2,501 28.1 +15.7
Labour hold Swing -13.2
Ashton-Golborne[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Andrew Bullen 1,313 44.3 -20.1
Community Action Stanley Barnes 1,250 42.1 +42.1
Conservative Jonathan Cartwright 300 10.1 -25.5
Socialist Alliance Marian Markham 100 3.4 +3.4
Rejected ballots 4 0.1
Majority 63 2.1 -26.7
Turnout 2,967 26.9 +11.1
Labour hold Swing -31.1
Aspull-Standish[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Hilton 1,584 44.3 -5.8
Liberal Democrats Trevor Beswick 1,091 30.5 +10.8
Conservative Barry Wolley 792 22.2 -4.6
Socialist Alliance Janet Philips 105 2.9 +2.9
Rejected ballots 2 0.1
Majority 493 13.8 -9.6
Turnout 3,574 30.5 +9.1
Labour hold Swing -8.3
Atherton[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Susan Loudon 1,353 54.8 -8.6
Liberal Democrats Patricia Myler 827 33.5 +12.7
Conservative Ann Davies 155 6.3 -9.5
Independent David Shallcross 132 5.3 +5.3
Rejected ballots 1 0.0
Majority 526 21.3 -21.3
Turnout 2,468 28.6 +8.3
Labour hold Swing -10.6
Bedford-Astley[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frederick Walker Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Beech Hill[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Garry Rankin 1,416 57.8 +2.7
Liberal Democrats Malcolm Hudson 774 31.6 -7.8
Independent William Hurst 252 10.3 +10.3
Rejected ballots 9 0.4
Majority 642 26.2 +10.4
Turnout 2,451 27.1 +1.0
Labour hold Swing +5.2
Bryn[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Community Action John Hodgkinson 1,397 48.0 +48.0
Labour Alan Melling 1,311 45.0 -24.4
Conservative Marion Green 200 6.9 -23.7
Rejected ballots 3 0.1
Majority 86 2.9 -36.0
Turnout 2,911 29.4 +12.2
Community Action gain from Labour Swing +36.2
Hindley[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stuart Shaw 1,656 73.7 +24.1
Conservative Andre Walker 567 25.2 +13.4
Rejected ballots 25 1.1
Majority 1,089 48.4 +37.5
Turnout 2,248 21.3 +3.8
Labour hold Swing +5.3
Hindley Green[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stanley Simmons 1,535 71.7 +23.2
Conservative Rosina Oxley 580 27.1 +8.1
Rejected ballots 27 1.3
Majority 955 44.6 +28.7
Turnout 2,142 19.6 +3.6
Labour hold Swing +7.5
Hindsford[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Neil Hogg 1,724 55.4 +8.9
Labour Philip Loudon 1,024 32.9 -11.3
Independent Stephen Hall 234 7.5 +3.2
Conservative William Graham 125 4.0 -0.9
Rejected ballots 4 0.1
Majority 700 22.5 +20.3
Turnout 3,111 28.5 +4.8
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing +10.1
Hope Carr[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kevin Anderson 1,498 52.1 +13.0
Conservative Andrew Oxley 713 24.8 -3.0
Community Action Peter Solinas 549 19.1 +19.1
Socialist Alliance Keith Fry 104 3.6 +3.6
Rejected ballots 11 0.4
Majority 785 27.3 +16.0
Turnout 2,875 28.1 +4.3
Labour hold Swing +8.0
Ince[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joan Hurst 1,231 76.3 +1.2
Socialist Alliance Michael Doherty 200 12.4 +12.4
Conservative Robert Rees 176 10.9 -3.4
Rejected ballots 6 0.4
Majority 1,031 63.9 +3.1
Turnout 1,613 21.2 +6.2
Labour hold Swing -5.6
Langtree[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John O'Neill 1,733 51.9 +4.0
Conservative Gareth Fairhurst 988 29.6 -3.9
Liberal Democrats Freda Graham 607 18.2 -0.4
Rejected ballots 11 0.3
Majority 745 22.3 +7.9
Turnout 3,339 28.7 +8.5
Labour hold Swing +3.9
Leigh Central[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Smith 1,298 71.5 +1.3
Conservative Timothy Matthews 301 16.6 -13.2
Community Action Daniel Burrows 212 11.7 +11.7
Rejected ballots 5 0.3
Majority 997 54.9 +14.5
Turnout 1,816 21.5 +6.8
Labour hold Swing +7.2
Leigh East[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Anne Turnock 1,571 76.9 +22.2
Conservative Derek Davies 454 22.2 +2.9
Rejected ballots 17 0.8
Majority 1,117 54.7 +25.9
Turnout 2,042 19.0 +4.0
Labour hold Swing +9.6
Lightshaw[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Community Action Peter Franzen 1,899 44.5 +44.5
Labour Tom Sherratt 1,776 41.7 -18.6
Conservative James Grundy 581 13.6 -26.1
Rejected ballots 8 0.2
Majority 123 2.9 -17.6
Turnout 4,264 34.9 +13.4
Community Action gain from Labour Swing +31.5
Newtown[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christine Hitchen 1,204 76.9 +8.0
Socialist Alliance Barry Conway 332 21.2 +21.2
Rejected ballots 29 1.9
Majority 872 55.7 +9.5
Turnout 1,565 18.8 +5.8
Labour hold Swing -6.6
Norley[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jeanette Prescott 1,017 83.5 N/A
Socialist Alliance William Markham 195 16.0 N/A
Rejected ballots 6 0.5
Majority 822 67.5 N/A
Turnout 1,218 17.9 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Orrell[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ernest Swift 1,478 52.2 +3.9
Conservative Stuart Foy 1,336 47.2 -4.4
Rejected ballots 15 0.5
Majority 142 5.0 +1.8
Turnout 2,829 30.4 +9.1
Labour hold Swing +4.1
Swinley[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Davies 1,189 40.3 -1.0
Labour Susan Turner 1,084 36.8 -8.4
Liberal Democrats Alan Robinson 365 12.4 +0.3
Independent Stephen Halsall 241 8.2 +6.7
Socialist Alliance Frances Thomas 65 2.2 +2.2
Rejected ballots 5 0.2
Majority 105 3.6 -0.2
Turnout 2,949 34.4 +7.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.7
Tyldesley East[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian Wilson 1,574 64.0 +7.1
Liberal Democrats Richard Derricutt 866 35.2 +2.3
Rejected ballots 19 0.8
Majority 708 28.8 +4.8
Turnout 2,459 20.9 +5.5
Labour hold Swing +2.4
Whelley[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Roberts 1,391 70.8 -4.4
Liberal Democrats Jean Beswick 427 21.7 +21.7
Socialist Alliance Judith Ford 138 7.0 +7.0
Rejected ballots 10 0.5
Majority 964 49.0 -1.2
Turnout 1,966 24.2 -1.7
Labour hold Swing -13.0
Winstanley[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Evans 1,667 64.6 -0.7
Conservative Richard Clayton 895 34.7 +0.0
Rejected ballots 20 0.8
Majority 772 29.9 -0.7
Turnout 2,582 20.0 -5.5
Labour hold Swing -0.3
Worsley Mesnes[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Rotherham 1,427 74.6 +5.0
Conservative Thomas Sutton 292 15.3 -15.1
Socialist Alliance Jacqueline Pointon 189 9.9 +9.9
Rejected ballots 6 0.3
Majority 1,135 59.3 +20.1
Turnout 1,914 20.1 +7.1
Labour hold Swing +10.0

By-elections between 2002 and 2003
Leigh Central By-Election 26 September 2002[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Myra Whiteside 904 62.6 -8.9
Community Action Peter Solinas 392 27.1 +15.4
Conservative Tim Matthews 149 10.3 -6.3
Majority 512 35.5 -19.4
Turnout 1,445 17.1 -4.4
Labour hold Swing -12.1

References
  1. "Wigan". BBC News Online. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  2. "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  3. "Local Election Results - 2002". wiganmbc.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 13 June 2002. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  4. "Local Elections Archive Project: 2002 - W". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  5. "Myra 'thrilled to bits' by win". Leigh Reporter. 3 October 2002. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  6. "Local Authority Byelection Results". gwydir.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
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