Map of the results of the 2003 Derbyshire Dales District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red and independents in grey.
The 2003 Derbyshire Dales District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Derbyshire Dales District Council in Derbyshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999.[1] The Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.[2]
Background
Before the election the Conservatives had a majority on the council with 21 seats, compared to 9 for the Liberal Democrats, 6 for Labour and 3 independents.[3]
Issues at the election included housing, with the Conservatives saying they would make more land available, council tax, where the Liberal Democrats attacked the Conservatives for a 19.9% increase, and waste collection, with Labour objecting to the end of large waste collection, which they said had led to fly tipping.[3] The Liberal Democrats said they were targeting seats in the villages of Baslow and Taddington, while Labour said they were aiming for Darley Dale.[3] However the Conservatives were guaranteed seats after the election, as 13 of their candidates faced no opposition,[3] the highest number of any council in the country.[4]
Election result
The Conservatives gained 3 seats to increase their majority on the council with 24 councillors, after gaining seats from independents in Bakewell ward.[5] The Liberal Democrats remained on 9 seats, while Labour finished with 5 seats and 1 independent was elected.[5] Turnout at the election varied between a high of 52% and a low of 24%,[6] but was down on the 1999 election.[5]
A by-election in All Saints Matlock was held on 27 November 2003 after the Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Burfoot was forced to resign after complaints of a conflict of interest due to his holding a position on the Peak District National Park Authority.[8] His wife Sue Burfoot held the seat for the Liberal Democrats.[8]
All Saints Matlock by-election 27 November 2003[9][10][8]
^"Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^ ab"Local council election results". The Daily Telegraph. 3 May 2003. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^ abcd"Public urged to voice their view". Matlock Mercury. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^"Less choice in elections". Matlock Mercury. 1 May 2003. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^ abc"Tories keep control". Derbyshire Times. 8 May 2003. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^"Town council to have new faces". Matlock Mercury. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"District Council election 1st. May 2003" (PDF). Political Science Resources. Derbyshire Dales District Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^ abc"All Saints gets new councillor". Matlock Mercury. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^ abcd"Local Authority Byelection Results". Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^"Small byelection gain for Lib Dems". The Guardian. 28 November 2003. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^"Tories lose council majority in key marginal". The Guardian. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 11 December 2011.