The 2007 Wealden District Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Wealden District Council in East Sussex, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]
Background
At the 2003 election the Conservatives held control of the council with 34 seats, compared to 15 for the Liberal Democrats and 6 independents.[2] However, in September 2006 Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Shing was expelled from the Liberal Democrats and continued on the council as an independent.[3]
The Conservatives took 4 seats without any opposition and were also guaranteed seats in other wards where there were not enough candidates from other parties for the number of seats being contested.[4] The returning officer for Wealden, Charlie Lant, formed a band called The Council Tax Band with other council officers and performed a song called Vote! in an effort to boost turnout at the election.[5][6]
An important issue at the election was a legal loophole, which was allowing developers to build increased numbers of houses in the area.[4]
Election result
The Conservatives held control of the council staying on 34 seats, but both the Conservative leader of the council Nigel Coltman and the Liberal Democrat group leader Laura Murphy were defeated.[7] The Liberal Democrats lost 2 seats, dropping to 12 councillors, while independents remained on 7 seats and the Green party won its first councillors on the council after gaining 2 seats.[8][9][10] Overall turnout at the election was 38.51%,[11] up from 35% in 2003.[12]
The Conservative leader Nigel Coltman was defeated by Liberal Democrat Brian Cook in Hailsham East by a 55-vote majority, with the Conservatives also losing 2 seats to the Greens in Forest Row.[7] However the Conservatives did not suffer a net loss of seats as they also made gains including defeating the Liberal Democrat group leader Laura Murphy in Hailsham Central and North.[7] The Liberal Democrats did gain a seat in Polegate South from an independent by 1 vote, but Stephen Shing was re-elected as an independent in Willingdon, while Shing's son Daniel also gained a seat in the same ward and Shing's wife Oi Lin gained one in Polegate North.[7]
A by-election was held in Alfriston on 25 September 2008 after Conservative Keith Whitehead stood down from the council.[17] The seat was gained from the Conservatives by Liberal Democrat Andy Watkins with a 30-vote majority, defeating the former Conservative leader of Wealden council, Nigel Coltman who had been trying to return to the council.[17]
^"Wealden". BBC News Online. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
^"Wealden District Council: Con hold". The Argus. 2 May 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^Harrity, Lisa-Marie (15 September 2006). "Liberal ousted after 30 years". The Argus. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^ abMarzouk, Lawrence (30 April 2007). "Liberal Democrats hope to make gains in Wealden". The Argus. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^"'Rock-and-poll' band boosts vote". BBC News Online. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^Gurner, Richard (24 April 2007). "Officials get in the groove for elections". The Argus. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^ abcd"Local elections results across Sussex". The Argus. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^Morris, Nigel (5 May 2007). "BNP fails to break into new areas". The Independent. p. 1.
^Woodward, Will; Muir, Hugh (5 May 2007). "Elections 2007: Up close". The Guardian. p. 7.
^"Tories retain control of Wealden". BBC News Online. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^"District election results - May 2007". Wealden District Council. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
^"Tories keep control". Sussex Express. 8 May 2003. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiaj"District Council election". Wealden District Council. Archived from the original on 14 November 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.