The 1999 Bromsgrove District Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Bromsgrove district council in Worcestershire, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from the Labour Party.[1]

Campaign

The Labour party had won control of the council in the previous election in 1995 for the first time and were hopeful of staying in control of the council.[2] They pledged to maintain bus passes for the elderly and press on with CCTV in the town centre.[2] However the Conservatives attacked Labour for having increased council tax over the last four years, including 9.73% in the last year.[3] A proposed development on the local recreation ground for an arts and leisure centre was a major issue in the campaign, with Labour saying it would be good for Bromsgrove, while the Conservatives pledged to try to save the recreation ground.[3] During the campaign the Conservative party leader William Hague visited Bromsgrove with the local Member of Parliament Julie Kirkbride to rally party activists.[2]

Before the election the Conservatives required a 7% swing to gain control of the council, with Bromsgrove seen as a key council in the local elections across England.[4][5] A by-election in October 1998 in Catshill ward was seen as a good sign for the Conservatives after they gained the seat with a swing of over 25%.[6] In total 80 candidates stood in the election from the Labour party, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and the Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association.[7] Candidates included seven couples and former Conservative councillors such as Joy Buchby and Nick Psirides. Meanwhile, the only Liberal Democrat councillor, Sandra Docker, stood down at the election.[7]

Just before the election there was controversy over Labour Party leaflets that were sent to pensioners claiming that the Conservatives would abolish free bus passes for pensioners.[8] The Conservatives denied they would end the bus passes and reported Labour to the Data Protection Registrar, claiming that confidential council records had been used to send the leaflets to target pensioners, although Labour denied this.[8]

Election result

The results in Bromsgrove were one of the first to come in across the country and saw the Conservatives retake control of the council gaining 17 seats.[9] Conservative gains included the Labour leader on the council, Trevor Porter in Sidemoor ward,[10] and the council chairman, Trevor Crashley in Whitford ward.[11] The Conservatives also made two wins in Sidemoor ward, where they had never won any seats before, with swings reaching up to 40% in some wards.[10]

Defeated candidates saw a low turnout and the plans to develop the recreation ground as responsible for their defeats,[11] with the neighbouring Labour MP Michael John Foster blaming the results on local, rather than national, issues.[12] Following the election William Hague visited Bromsgrove again to celebrate the results, both in Bromsgrove and nationally.[13] Overall turnout in the election was 37.4%.[14]

Bromsgrove Local Election Result 1999[15][16]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 30 +17 76.9 56.6 29,876
  Labour 7 -16 17.9 35.3 18,637
  Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association 2 0 5.1 4.5 2,382
  Liberal Democrats 0 -1 0 3.6 1,912

Ward results

Alvechurch (3)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J Luck 1,108
Conservative J Griffiths 1,044
Conservative B Taylor 1,002
Labour D Waters 723
Labour S Oliver 677
Labour A Clewlow 604
Turnout 5,158 37.3
Barnt Green (2)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative A Doyle 1,309
Conservative M Taylor 1,253
Liberal Democrats T Gray 458
Labour J Cochrane 412
Turnout 3,432 43.1
Beacon (2)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D McGrath 598
Labour P Williamson 509
Conservative G Bennett 432
Liberal Democrats G Ray 298
Turnout 1,837 34.5
Catshill (3)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P Collins 1,095
Conservative S Bushby 999
Conservative D Gardner 941
Labour S Farr 551
Labour G Witcomb 543
Labour A Deakin 534
Turnout 4,663 35.0
Charford (2)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour L McNamara 829
Labour C Brooks 798
Conservative B Graham 494
Conservative J Pardoe 440
Turnout 2,561 30.7
Cofton Hackett[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative R Deeming 370 72.0
Labour J Peel 144 28.0
Majority 226 44.0
Turnout 514 35.5
Drakes Cross (3)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J Dyer 811
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association G Denaro 662
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association J Gardener 659
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association L Wright 620
Conservative D Woodward-Sheath 592
Labour C Brooks 286
Turnout 3,630 24.8
Furlongs (2)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P Barnsley 932
Conservative T Matthews 834
Labour M Harford 318
Turnout 2,084 36.9
Hagley (2)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative M Oliver 914
Conservative H Whitehouse 869
Labour A Zalin 274
Turnout 2,057 34.9
Majors Green[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P Duddy 383 63.3
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association P Harrison 149 24.6
Labour E Holmes 73 12.1
Majority 234 38.7
Turnout 605 36.6
Norton (3)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative D Norton 1,542
Conservative C Lanham 1,466
Conservative N Psirides 1,418
Labour P Baker 892
Labour R Clayton 876
Labour W Newnes 831
Turnout 7,025 43.9
Sidemoor (3)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative R Dent 844
Labour C Mole 736
Conservative J Hancox 733
Conservative B Gall 707
Labour T Porter 624
Labour G Hulett 620
Liberal Democrats M Parr 341
Turnout 4,605 37.6
South Wythall[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative S Peters 318 47.3
Wythall Ratepayers' and Residents' Association H Allen 292 43.5
Labour P O'Connor 62 9.2
Majority 26 3.8
Turnout 672 36.7
Stoke Prior[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative C Tidmarsh 613 66.6
Labour A Wardle 308 33.4
Majority 305 33.2
Turnout 921 41.5
Stoney Hill (2)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative A Hadley 1,130
Conservative E Shaw 1,123
Labour C Rudge 753
Labour S Shannon 739
Liberal Democrats G Selway 155
Turnout 3,900 46.9
Tardebigge[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P Whittaker 502 78.4
Labour R Cooke 138 21.6
Majority 364 56.8
Turnout 640 46.0
Uffdown and Waseley (3)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour P McDonald 788
Conservative D Hancox 741
Labour C Wilson 636
Labour K McNamara 601
Liberal Democrats G Mack 438
Turnout 3,204 39.3
Whitford (3)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative E Tibby 814
Conservative K Gall 776
Conservative G Pardoe 762
Labour T Crashley 704
Labour M Holmes 672
Labour J Marshall 631
Liberal Democrats M Mihailovic 222
Turnout 4,581 36.9
Woodvale[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative M Gill 565 78.7
Labour B Sutherland 153 21.3
Majority 412 57.4
Turnout 718 41.2

References

  1. ^ "How Britain voted: Council Election Results". The Independent. 8 May 1999. p. 12.
  2. ^ a b c Summers, Deborah (21 April 1999). "Hague outsmarts Labour with bacon butty detour". Birmingham Post. p. 4.
  3. ^ a b "Candidates in battle of the giants Bromsgrove: Tories promise to save the Rec". Birmingham Mail. 9 April 1999. p. 6.
  4. ^ Frean, Alexandra (5 May 1999). "Tory gains will give Hague little comfort". The Times. p. 9.
  5. ^ "The armchair guide". The Times. 6 May 1999. p. 17.
  6. ^ Game, Chris (6 May 1999). "Getting into the swing of parish pump issues Polling today may produce very different results to a General Election, says Chris Game". Birmingham Post. p. 13.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Sue (5 May 1999). "Local election countdown: Bromsgrove". Birmingham Mail. p. 6.
  8. ^ a b Summers, Deborah (5 May 1999). "Tories cry foul over Labour's bus pass scare election leaflets". Birmingham Post. p. 1.
  9. ^ Frean, Alexandra (7 May 1999). "Tory gains are shot in the arm for party". The Times. p. 5.
  10. ^ a b "Tories regain Bromsgrove". The Times. 7 May 1999. p. 6.
  11. ^ a b Smith, Sue (7 May 1999). "Tories swept back in big turn-about: Worcestershire". Birmingham Mail. p. 7.
  12. ^ Woodward, Will (7 May 1999). "Britain's elections:Tories claim gains put them back in business Labour takes comfort from mid-term vote share but lead belies national poll ratings". The Guardian. p. 8.
  13. ^ Gray, Chris (8 May 1999). "The revival starts here vows Hague". Birmingham Post. p. 1.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "District Council Election" (PDF). Bromsgrove District Council. Retrieved 12 September 2009.[dead link]
  15. ^ "Bromsgrove". BBC News Online. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  16. ^ "How the nations voted". The Times. 8 May 1999. p. 48.
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