2003 Woking Borough Council election

File:Woking UK local election 2003 map.svg

Map of the results of the 2003 Woking council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Labour in red. Wards in grey were not contested in 2003.

The 2003 Woking Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Woking Borough Council in Surrey, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

After the election, the composition of the council was:

• Conservative 17
• Liberal Democrat 12
• Labour 6
• Independent 1

Background

The election saw 13 seats being contested with the contest in Brookwood ward being a by-election after the previous Conservative councillor, Mark Pritchard, resigned his seat on the council. Three long standing councillors also stood down at the election, Alf Stranks in Byfleet ward, Gordon Brown in Horsell East and Woodham and Rosemary Johnson in Old Woking. As well as candidates from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour, there were also 3 from the United Kingdom Independence Party, 2 independents and 1 from the Green Party.

Election result

No party won a majority in the election with the council remaining under no overall control as it had been since the 1998 election. The only party to have more seats after the election than before was Labour after they gained Old Woking from the Liberal Democrats by 26 votes. Meanwhile, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats each gained one seat from the other, with the Conservatives taking Byfleet by 27 votes and the Liberal Democrats winning Brookwood by 7 votes. Overall turnout in the election was 33.66%.

The failure by the Conservatives to gain the two seats they needed to have a majority on the council was described as disappointing by commentators, in a year when the party gained seats nationally.

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Ward results

Brookwood

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Philip Goldenberg	358	44.1
		Justin Boorman	351	43.2
		Sandra Simkin	76	9.4
		Eric Kennedy	27	3.3
Majority			7	0.9
Turnout			812	43.8
	gain from		Swing

Byfleet

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Simon Hutton	1,026	46.0
		Anne Roberts	999	44.8
		Brian Cozens	207	9.3
Majority			27	1.2
Turnout			2,232	41.0
	gain from		Swing

Goldsworth East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Geoff Smith	727	52.2
		Jeremy Yates	457	32.8
		Christopher Martin	210	15.1
Majority			270	19.4
Turnout			1,394	25.8
	hold		Swing

Hermitage and Knaphill South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Tina Liddington	540	52.6
		Hilary Addison	349	34.0
		Graeme Carman	137	13.4
Majority			191	18.6
Turnout			1,026	25.6
	hold		Swing

Horsell East and Woodham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Anne Murray	814	58.7
		Robert Leach	333	24.0
		Michael Harvey	183	13.2
		Michael Roberts	56	4.0
Majority			481	34.7
Turnout			1,386	40.6
	hold		Swing

Horsell West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Jim Armitage	1,129	50.1
		Ann-Marie Barker	935	41.5
		Audrey Worgan	121	5.4
		Timothy Shaw	69	3.1
Majority			194	8.6
Turnout			2,254	42.2
	hold		Swing

Kingfield and Westfield

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Martin	498	43.5
		Norma Gruselle	321	28.1
		Gareth Davies	215	18.8
		Paul Davey	110	9.6
Majority			177	15.4
Turnout			1,144	28.8
	hold		Swing

Knaphill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Neville Hinks	977	47.8
		Catherine Fisher	950	46.5
		Chanchal Kapoor	117	5.7
Majority			27	1.3
Turnout			2,044	30.5
	hold		Swing

Maybury and Sheerwater

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Elizabeth Evans	593	40.8
		Michael Wilson	397	27.3
		David Roe	289	19.9
		Michael Osman	174	12.0
Majority			196	13.5
Turnout			1,453	22.2
	hold		Swing

Old Woking

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Richard Ford	304	42.6
		Derek McCrum	278	39.0
		Colin Kemp	131	18.4
Majority			26	3.6
Turnout			713	37.2
	gain from		Swing

Pyrford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Peter Ankers	1,285	72.3
		Andrew Grimshaw	442	24.9
		Richard Cowley	50	2.8
Majority			843	47.4
Turnout			1,777	44.9
	hold		Swing

St Johns and Hook Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Graham Cundy	899	72.9
		Anthony Kremer	266	21.6
		John Bramall	69	5.6
Majority			633	51.3
Turnout			1,234	35.2
	hold		Swing

West Byfleet

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Mehala Gosling	779	58.7
		Richard Wilson	287	21.6
		Peter Hough	186	14.0
		Michael Byrne	74	5.6
Majority			492	37.1
Turnout			1,326	33.8
	hold		Swing