# 2003 West Oxfordshire District Council election

The 2003 West Oxfordshire District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of West Oxfordshire District Council in Oxfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Conservative 29
* Liberal Democrats 12
* Independent 6
* Labour 2

## Background

Before the election the Conservatives controlled the council with 32 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats had 10 seats, Independents had 5 seats and the Labour Party had 2 seats. 16 seats were contested in 2003, with 13 of the sitting councillors defending their seats.
A total of 53 candidates stood for election, 15 Liberal Democrats, 14 Conservatives, 9 Greens, 8 Labour, 6 independents and 1 UK Independence Party.

## Election result

The Conservatives retained control of West Oxfordshire District Council with a reduced majority of nine seats. They won 9 of the 16 seats contested, but lost three seats, two to the Liberal Democrats and one to an Independent candidate. This left the Conservatives with 29 councillors, while the Liberal Democrat gains moved them to 12 seats on the council. In total 11 of the 13 sitting councillors who stood again in 2003 won re-election.
The Independent gain from the Conservatives came in Witney Central, where first time candidate Harriet Ryley was elected after campaigning against the redevelopment of the Marriotts Close area for either a superstore or housing. Meanwhile, Labour kept two seats on the council, after Eve Coles held a seat in Chipping Norton ward for the party, while none of the Green Party candidates were elected. Overall turnout at the election was 32.89%.
West Oxfordshire local election result 2003 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 9 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 56.3 | 38.6 | 6,400 | -5.0% |
| Liberal Democrats | 4 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 25.0 | 30.5 | 5,047 | +3.0% |
| Independent | 2 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 12.5 | 14.0 | 2,320 | +1.9% |
| Labour | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 | 11.2 | 1,860 | -2.5% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 | 788 | +1.9% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 145 | +0.7% |

## Ward results

Alvescot and Filkins :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Angela Neale | 384 | 72.3 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anna Fairhurst | 107 | 20.2 | −8.8 |
| | Green | Xanthe Bevis | 40 | 7.5 | +7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 277 | 52.2 | +10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 531 | 39.8 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bampton and Clanfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mark Booty | 576 | 53.4 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nicholas Locke | 503 | 46.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 73 | 6.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,079 | 38.4 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Carterton North East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Keith Stone | 235 | 70.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Tatton | 98 | 29.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 137 | 41.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 333 | 17.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Carterton North West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Handley | 458 | 54.3 | |
| | Independent | Paul Wesson | 288 | 34.1 | |
| | Labour | William Tumbridge | 98 | 11.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 170 | 20.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 844 | 26.5 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Carterton South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Watts | 430 | 49.4 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Madden | 364 | 41.8 | |
| | Labour | Duncan Enright | 77 | 8.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 66 | 7.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 871 | 28.5 | −2.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Charlbury and Finstock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Breakell | 735 | 62.2 | |
| | Independent | Robert Potter | 386 | 32.7 | |
| | Green | Tracy Dighton-Brown | 60 | 5.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 349 | 29.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,181 | 41.2 | −9.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Chipping Norton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Evelyn Coles | 744 | 46.6 | |
| | Conservative | Carolyn Hazeel | 631 | 39.5 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Katharine Southey | 223 | 14.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 113 | 7.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,598 | 35.9 | −2.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Eynsham and Cassington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Rossiter | 838 | 57.8 | |
| | Conservative | Frances Pike | 498 | 34.3 | |
| | Green | Jill Jones | 114 | 7.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 340 | 23.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,450 | 32.5 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Warwick Robinson | 714 | 65.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm West | 384 | 35.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 330 | 30.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,098 | 36.3 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Kingham, Rollright and Enstone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rodney Rose | 660 | 60.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Amanda Epps | 217 | 20.0 | |
| | Labour | Georgina Burrows | 206 | 19.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 443 | 40.9 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,083 | 34.7 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Stonesfield and Tackley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Charles Cottrell-Dormer | 782 | 69.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Leffman | 184 | 16.5 | |
| | Green | Susan Turnbull | 152 | 13.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 598 | 53.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,118 | 36.0 | −11.4 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Witney Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Harriet Ryley | 351 | 30.1 | |
| | Conservative | Andrew Creery | 335 | 28.7 | |
| | Labour | Richard Kelsall | 290 | 24.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Slamin | 154 | 13.2 | |
| | Green | Paul Creighton | 37 | 3.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16 | 1.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,167 | 39.4 | −1.7 |
| | Independent gain from Conservative | Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Witney East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Nicholson | 571 | 50.9 | |
| | Conservative | Robert Barton | 366 | 32.6 | |
| | Labour | Mark Albert | 118 | 10.5 | |
| | Green | Christopher Marchant | 66 | 5.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 205 | 18.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,121 | 31.5 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Witney North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Serena Martin | 439 | 41.7 | |
| | Conservative | Roger Curry | 405 | 38.5 | |
| | Green | Richard Dossett-Davies | 208 | 19.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 3.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,052 | 34.7 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Witney South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ross McFarlane | 408 | 31.0 | |
| | Independent | Thomas Titherington | 334 | 25.4 | |
| | Labour | Phillip Edney | 224 | 17.0 | |
| | UKIP | James Robertshaw | 145 | 11.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Olive Minett | 139 | 10.6 | |
| | Green | Stephen Mohammad | 66 | 5.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 74 | 5.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,316 | 29.5 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Witney West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alvin Adams | 300 | 41.8 | |
| | Independent | Ian Lucas | 179 | 24.9 | |
| | Labour | David Wesson | 103 | 14.3 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Branner | 91 | 12.7 | |
| | Green | Colette Jones | 45 | 6.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 121 | 16.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 718 | 24.0 | −2.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |