The eighth full elections for Guildford Borough Council took place on 6 May 1999.[1]

The Liberal Democrats had won control of the council in May 1995 with a majority of 1. However the first half of 1997 had seen the Liberal Democrats lose their majority as a result of three councillors (2 Stoughton councillors and 1 from Tongham) resigning from the party and a by election defeat in Merrow & Burpham ward.[2]

Going into the election there were 19 Liberal Democrats, 14 Conservatives, 6 Labour and 6 independents. These 6 independents formed three distinct groups. There were 3 councillors for Ash and Tongham wards (two of whom were former Liberal Democrat councillors, one having resigned from the party in the 1991-95 session and one during the 1995-1999 session) who classed themselves as the "Independent Group". Two former Liberal Democrat councillors representing Stoughton ward classed themselves as Liberals. The councillor for Tillingbourne classed himself as an independent councillor.

The May 1999 election saw 20 Liberal Democrats, 17 Conservatives, 6 Labour and 2 Independents elected. The council remained hung.

The Liberal Democrats gained 1 net seat (3 losses and 4 gains) on the position they held going into the election. The Liberal Democrats lost 3 seats to the west of the borough, 2 in Ash ward and 1 in Normandy. The Liberal Democrats retook the Merrow & Burpham seat which they had lost to the Conservatives in a by election in May 1997, plus they retook the 2 Stoughton seats which they had lost to resignations in February 1997. The Liberal Democrats also gained Effingham ward from the Conservatives.

The Conservatives made 3 net gains (2 losses and 5 gains) on the position which they held going into the election. The Conservatives lost the Merrow & Burpham seat which they had taken in the May 1997 by election. The Conservative also lost Effingham to the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives gained 2 Ash Vale seats from the Independent Group, plus they gained from the Liberal Democrats 3 of the other seats in the west of the borough, 2 in Ash and 1 in Normandy.

The Independent Group did not contest its 2 seats in Ash Vale. These were gained by the Conservatives. The one member of the Independent Group who did contest his seat held on to it in Tongham. Neither councillor belonging to the Liberal Group sought reelection in Stoughton and the Liberal Democrats regained these two seats.

Relative to 1995, the changes were not as dramatic as they were relative to the position going into the election. Overall there was a shift to the Conservatives in the Ash and Normandy region to the west of the borough, but much less change between the parties elsewhere in the borough. The Liberal Democrats lost all their remaining seats in the Ash, Tongham and Normandy region, having won all 7 of the seats there as recently as 1991. After the election the Ash, Tongham and Normandy area had 1 independent and 6 Conservative councillors. Elsewhere in the borough the only seat to change hands relative to 1995 was Effingham, where a Conservative marginal, was captured by the Liberal Democrats.

Results

Ash (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Ades 1325
Conservative John Cassar 1100
Conservative Nick Sutcliffe 1009
Liberal Democrats Alan Hilliar 901
Liberal Democrats Christine Frampton 790
Liberal Democrats Peter Morgan 725
Labour Kevin Jenkinson 267
Labour Kazimierz Jaskinski 237
Labour Donald Hirsch 212
Majority 108
Turnout 30.47
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Ash Vale (top 2 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Lawson 752
Conservative Marsha Moseley 729
Liberal Democrats Denise Smith 665
Liberal Democrats Geraldine Pettitt 624
Labour Alex MacDonald 124
Labour Brian Stace 113
Majority 64
Turnout 32
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Christchurch (top 2 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Hodges 1102
Liberal Democrats Vivienne Johnson 945
Conservative David Hunter 912
Liberal Democrats Tom Sharp 792
Labour Vijay Luthra 126
Labour Carole Barber 119
Majority 33
Turnout 52.56
Conservative hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Clandon & Horsley (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jennifer Powell 1705[3]
Conservative Andrew French 1604
Conservative Jennifer Wicks 1568
Liberal Democrats Margaret Burnham 404
Liberal Democrats Clive Wicks 384
Liberal Democrats Philip Palmer 340
Labour Meriel Beynon 305
Labour Carolyn Fiddes 274
Labour Julie Roxburgh 253
Majority 1164
Turnout 36.49
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Effingham (only 1 candidate elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Hogger 573
Conservative Valerie Chapman 459
Labour Carol Hayton 25
Majority 114
Turnout 53.47
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Friary & St. Nicolas (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Richard Marks 1226
Liberal Democrats Robert Blundell 1224
Liberal Democrats David Goodwin 1152
Conservative Mark Hoban 454
Conservative Philip Hooper 449
Conservative John Fairley 442
Labour Tristan Brown 320
Labour Helen Ayscough 302
Labour Alexander Ayscough 278
Majority 698
Turnout 31.60
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Holy Trinity (top 2 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tamsy Baker 842
Liberal Democrats Gordon Bridger 792
Conservative Sarah Creedy 758
Conservative Peter Le Cheminant 710
Labour Racheal Chesterton 106
Labour Barry Hall 105
Majority 34
Turnout 36.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Lovelace (only 1 candidate elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Fenston 558
Labour David Hide 146
Liberal Democrats John Telfer 104
Majority 412
Turnout 44.06
Conservative hold Swing
Merrow & Burpham (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Charles Shepperd 2134
Liberal Democrats Andrew Allan 2050
Liberal Democrats Anne Lee 1960
Conservative Jennifer Jordan 1628
Conservative Nicholas Brougham 1600
Conservative Sheridan Westlake 1576
Labour Malcolm Hill 413
Labour William Scott 367
Labour Mary Wu 359
Majority 332
Turnout 41.52
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Normandy (only 1 candidate elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Diana Lockyer-Nibbs 498
Liberal Democrats Robert Rendell 454
Labour Peter Newmark 61
Majority 44
Turnout 43.09
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Onslow (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lynda Strudwick 1046
Liberal Democrats Tony Phillips 1003
Liberal Democrats Steven Freeman 895
Conservative Bernard Parke 847
Conservative Adrian Chandler 746
Conservative Simon Anglim 705
Labour Florence Flynn 382
Labour Carmel Rogers 358
Labour Raymond Rogers 346
Majority 48
Turnout 33.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Pilgrims (top 2 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Rolfe 700
Conservative Alan Dewhurst 671
Liberal Democrats Marliyn Merryweather 234
Liberal Democrats Peter Dyer 222
Labour Elizabeth Bullock 115
Labour Kathleen Parfitt 100
Majority 437
Turnout 34.93
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Pirbright (only 1 candidate elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Nevins 440
Liberal Democrats May Laker 285
Labour Caroline Lloyd 30
Majority 155
Turnout 41.96
Conservative hold Swing
Send (top 2 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Taylor 694
Conservative Jason Dobson 611
Liberal Democrats Dee Appardurai 349
Liberal Democrats Rupert Sheard 334
Labour Benedict Marlow 142
Labour Shelia Bean 141
Majority 262
Turnout 38.23
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Shalford (only 1 candidate elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Vasilis Kapsalis 634
Liberal Democrats David Thomson 501
Labour Michael Jeram 169
Majority 133
Turnout 43.52
Conservative hold Swing
Stoke (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sallie Thornberry 1091
Labour Keith Chesterton 1057
Labour Angela Gunning 1015
Liberal Democrats Alan Lawrence 297
Liberal Democrats Stephen Wright 294
Liberal Democrats William Plaskett 267
Conservative Michael Dale 258
Conservative David Quelch 239
Conservative Paul Newman 235
Majority 718
Turnout 30.56
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Stoughton (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Pauline Searle 973
Liberal Democrats Jayne Marks 965
Liberal Democrats Fiona White 846
Labour Gary Hills 540
Labour Stella Payne 445
Labour Susan Pickering 439
Conservative Roger Majoribanks 358
Conservative Paul Johnson 355
Conservative Caroline Newman 338
Majority 306
Turnout 27.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats gain from Independent Swing
Liberal Democrats gain from Independent Swing
Tillingbourne (top 2 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Keith Childs 1144
Liberal Democrats Patricia Gumbrell 904
Conservative John Foster 848
Labour Edward Williams 169
Labour James Farrell 86
Majority 56
Turnout 45.48
Independent hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Tongham (only 1 candidate elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tongham Independent Michael Pooley 208
Conservative George Grundy 182
Liberal Democrats Patricia Hughes 123
Labour Frank Gunning 62
Majority 26
Turnout 33.21
Independent hold Swing
Westborough (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Woodhatch 954
Labour Peter Jennings 826
Labour Joan O'Byrne 822
Liberal Democrats Kenneth Briggs 367
Liberal Democrats Andrew Bevan 328
Liberal Democrats Joanna Hazelwood 323
Conservative Mary Johns 216
Conservative Barbara Dale 213
Conservative Pamela Parke 208
Majority 455
Turnout 25.46
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Worplesdon (top 3 candidates elected)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Terry King 1256
Liberal Democrats Auriol Earle 1207
Liberal Democrats Nigel Sutcliffe 1192
Conservative Ken Johns 739
Conservative Jonny Scriven 713
Conservative Bev Thomas 674
Farmer Bob, Burpham Court Farm Conservationist Bob Dearnley 379
Labour Alan Ritchie 224
Labour Ron Medlow 189
Labour Saiful Islam 158
Majority 453
Turnout 38.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References

  1. ^ Results were published in the Surrey Advertiser 13 May 1999 edition.
  2. ^ For the loss of the Liberal Democrat majority on Guildford Borough Council during 1997 see a) 2 Liberal Democrat councillors for Stoughton quit the party to be Independent Liberals in February 1997 reducing the number of LD councillors from 23 to 21: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/80053_leading_lib_dem_couple_quit_party b) Liberal Democrats lose Merrow & Burpham by-election to Conservatives in May 1997 reducing number of LD councillors from 21 to 20. Fuller details of this by-election are listed at [Guildford local elections]; and c) 1 Liberal Democrat councillor for Tongham quit the party to join the Put Ash Vale First Group (which was then renamed the Independent Group) in May 1997 reducing the number of LD councillors from 20 to 19. See: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/80321_borough_chaos_as_councillor_defects . At the time 23 seats were needed for a majority.
  3. ^ The Surrey Advertiser 14 May 1999 lists Jennifer Powell's vote as "705". As Jennifer Powell topped the poll in 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections in Clandon & Horsley, clearly beating her Conservative co candidates in the process, it is highly unlikely that in the 1999 election she polled less than half the votes of her Conservative co candidates. It therefore has been assumed that a "1" was mistakenly omitted from the front of this number when published in the newspaper and the correct figure is actually 1705.
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