The 2000 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was

Campaign

Before the election Labour ran the council with 58 councillors compared to 9 Liberal Democrats, 3 Conservatives and 1 independent, with 1 Labour seat being vacant.[3] The vacant seat was in Oldbury ward, after the former councillor, Mohammed Niwaz, was convicted of fraud the previous December.[4] Among those who were defending seats in the election was the leader of the council, Tarsem King, in West Bromwich Central ward.[5]

Both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties were hoping to make gains after some recent school closures, as well as dissatisfaction with the national Labour government.[4] The Liberal Democrats were hoping to gain Hateley Heath, after having won a seat there in a by-election the previous November, and Oldbury.[4] Meanwhile, the Conservatives aimed to take Wednesbury South and were defending Charlemont after the councillor defected to them from the Liberal Democrats.[4] Labour defended their record, pointing to the lowest council tax rise in the region, and hoped to improve on recent low turnouts.[4]

Election result

The results saw the Labour party stay in control of the council, but they did lose some seats.[6] The Conservatives gained the seats of Old Warley and Princes End from Labour, while the Liberal Democrats took Hateley Heath from Labour.[6] Alan Burkitt also held off the Liberal Democrats in Charlemont for the Conservatives.[6]

Sandwell Local Election Result 2000[7][8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 17 -4 70.8 46.3 22,964 -8.6%
  Conservative 4 +3 16.7 34.5 17,119 +9.3%
  Liberal Democrats 3 +1 12.5 13.1 6,489 -2.6%
  Independent 0 0 0 4.2 2,076 +1.7%
  BNP 0 0 0 1.6 781 +0.2%
  National Front 0 0 0 0.3 150 +0.2%
  Socialist Alternative 0 0 0 0.1 68 -0.2%

Ward results

Abbey[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ann Jaron 1,698 60.6 +1.0
Conservative Ewart Johnson 764 27.3 -2.1
Liberal Democrats Roger Prior 339 12.1 +1.1
Majority 934 33.3 +3.1
Turnout 2,801 31.1 -0.7
Blackheath[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Glenn Harris 854 43.8 -22.0
Independent Mary Docker 514 26.3 +26.3
Conservative June Park 441 22.6 -0.1
Liberal Democrats Walter Bowdler 143 7.3 -4.1
Majority 340 17.4 -2.7
Turnout 1,952 21.3 +1.2
Bristnall[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Malcolm Bridges 1,044 53.4 -8.2
Conservative Roger Hickman 911 46.6 +18.0
Majority 133 6.8 -26.2
Turnout 1,955 20.6 -3.2
Charlemont[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Burkitt 1,263 49.0 +21.9
Liberal Democrats Mary Wilson 795 30.8 -10.4
Labour David Hallam 522 20.2 -11.5
Majority 468 18.1
Turnout 2,580 28.2 +0.5
Cradley Heath and Old Hill[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret James 986 53.5 -13.3
Conservative Leonard Law 672 36.5 +13.7
Liberal Democrats Malcolm Wilson 184 10.0 -0.4
Majority 314 17.0 -27.0
Turnout 1,842 20.0 -2.3
Friar Park[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Melia 698 50.9 -17.9
Conservative Margaret Smith 519 37.9 +6.7
Liberal Democrats Charles Simms 154 11.2 +11.2
Majority 179 13.1 -24.6
Turnout 1,371 16.4 -1.9
Great Barr[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats David Wainwright 1,077 40.7 -9.0
Conservative Robert Lawrence 994 37.5 +14.4
Labour Roy Melia 521 19.7 -7.5
Independent Liberal Democrat Christian Burkitt 56 2.1 +2.1
Majority 83 3.1 -19.4
Turnout 2,648 26.8 -1.4
Great Bridge[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maureen Whitehouse 750 48.8 -11.0
Conservative Philip Mansell 510 33.2 +13.1
National Front James Barry 150 9.8 +9.8
Liberal Democrats Brian Burkitt 128 8.3 +1.1
Majority 240 15.6 -24.0
Turnout 1,538 16.0 -0.8
Greets Green and Lyng[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Edwards 1,063 61.7 -14.2
Conservative Rosemarie Campbell 497 28.9 +13.0
Liberal Democrats Lynne Yardley 162 9.4 +1.1
Majority 566 32.9 -27.1
Turnout 1,722 28.6 +6.8
Hateley Heath[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Mark Handy 762 48.0 +17.6
Labour Joyce Edis 548 34.6 -19.6
Conservative Raymond Nock 276 17.4 +2.1
Majority 214 13.5
Turnout 1,586 17.4 -0.1
Langley[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Pauline Hinton 1,127 47.1 -13.4
Conservative Roland Hill 962 40.2 +12.2
Liberal Democrats Julia Garrett 302 12.6 +1.1
Majority 165 6.9 -25.6
Turnout 2,391 24.6 -0.1
Newton[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Martyn Smith 1,324 52.6 -0.8
Labour Thomas Slater 599 23.8 -6.9
Conservative Anthony Ward 593 23.6 +7.7
Majority 725 28.8 +6.1
Turnout 2,516 27.1 -1.7
Old Warley[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Karen Bissell 1,579 61.3 +18.1
Labour Kathleen Burns 995 38.7 -8.0
Majority 584 22.7
Turnout 2,574 29.5 -0.3
Oldbury[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoffrey Taylor 1,108 60.1 -9.3
Conservative Bhajan Shokar 461 25.0 +10.7
Liberal Democrats Diane Gorton 276 15.0 -1.3
Majority 647 35.1 -18.0
Turnout 1,845 22.5 -10.6
Princes End[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative June Newell 555 46.7 +26.1
Labour Brian Southall 533 44.8 -4.5
Liberal Democrats Philip Roberts 101 8.5 +3.1
Majority 22 1.9
Turnout 1,189 12.2 +0.0
Rowley[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Thomas 1,110 55.6 -11.1
Conservative John Raybould 563 28.2 +14.5
Independent Fred Hadley 323 16.2 +3.3
Majority 547 27.4 -25.6
Turnout 1,996 20.8 +0.5
Smethwick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frederick Smith 1,181 66.6 -4.8
Conservative Beryl Hickman 591 33.4 +14.7
Majority 590 33.3 -19.3
Turnout 1,772 20.8 -3.5
Soho and Victoria[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Horton 846 70.2 -3.1
Conservative Jeanette Hill 359 29.8 +9.7
Majority 487 40.4 -12.9
Turnout 1,205 22.4 -3.8
St Pauls[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jagwant Gill 1,246 44.8 -7.1
Independent Labour Balkar Sandhu 1,183 42.6 +10.0
Conservative William Shipman 350 12.6 +1.2
Majority 63 2.3 -17.0
Turnout 2,779 34.5 +4.0
Tipton Green[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ahmadul Haque 1,455 44.2 -0.1
Conservative Alison Jones 880 26.7 -1.6
BNP Stephen Edwards 781 23.7 +6.5
Liberal Democrats Anthony Underhill 108 3.3 -2.0
Socialist Alternative Ian Barton 68 2.1 -2.8
Majority 575 17.5 +1.5
Turnout 3,292 27.3 +2.4
Tividale[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Douglas Parish 767 46.8 -10.4
Conservative Steven Hockley 642 39.2 +14.1
Liberal Democrats Roger Bradley 230 14.0 -3.6
Majority 125 7.6 -24.5
Turnout 1,639 17.4 -0.8
Wednesbury North[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nellie Collett 1,212 62.2 +2.2
Labour Elaine Giles 737 37.8 +1.2
Majority 475 24.4 +0.9
Turnout 1,949 20.7 -5.3
Wednesbury South[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Evans 1,101 52.4 -3.9
Conservative Margaret Dixon 882 42.0 +5.1
Liberal Democrats Anthony Wilkinson 119 5.7 -1.1
Majority 219 10.4 -9.0
Turnout 2,102 22.6 +0.3
West Bromwich Central[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tarsem King 1,475 61.4 -4.1
Conservative Anne Hughes 643 26.8 +5.2
Liberal Democrats Samantha Ford 285 11.9 -1.0
Majority 832 34.6 -9.3
Turnout 2,403 28.6 +0.3

References

  1. ^ "Sandwell". BBC News Online. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  2. ^ "Local council results". Financial Times. 6 May 2000. p. 6.
  3. ^ "Hope for a better turn-out". Birmingham Mail. 5 April 2000. p. 13.
  4. ^ a b c d e "The battle for power; Evening Mail spotlight on the issues involved as voters go to the polls in the local elections". Birmingham Mail. 3 May 2000. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  5. ^ Luck, Deborah (4 May 2000). "Hang on to your seats as election fight begins". Birmingham Post. p. 4.
  6. ^ a b c "Labour staves off challenge for power". Birmingham Post. 5 May 2000. p. 3.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Sandwell MBC: Borough Council Election 4th May 2000". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  8. ^ "Election results: local councils". The Times. 6 May 2000. p. 10.
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