# 2004 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2004 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003 reducing the number of seats by six. The Labour Party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.

## Background

Since the 2003 election boundary changes reduced the number of councillors from 54 to 48, while also reducing the number of wards from 18 to 16.

## Election result

Labour lost their majority of the council, after losing 9 seats to take exactly half of the seats on the council, with 24 councillors. The Labour leader of the council, Marie Rimmer held her seat in West Park after 3 recounts, while Labour councillors Terry Hanley, Jeff Molyneux and Marlene Quinn were among those to be defeated. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats gained 3 seats to have 18 councillors and the Conservatives won 6 seats. Overall turnout at the election dropped to 40% from 48% in 2003, despite the election being held with all postal voting as in 2003.
Following the election Labour continued to run the council with all of the executive being Labour councillors, after an agreement between the Labour and Conservative group leaders. This saw Conservative Betty Lowe becoming the new mayor, but only after agreeing not to use her vote at full council meetings.
St Helens local election result 2004 :
| Party | Seats | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 24 | -9 | 50.0 | 42.3 | 55,950 | -6.2% |
| Liberal Democrats | 18 | +3 | 37.5 | 40.0 | 52,918 | +6.6% |
| Conservative | 6 | 0 | 12.5 | 15.6 | 20,614 | -1.4% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 2,021 | +0.6% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 429 | +0.3% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 328 | +0.2% |

## Ward results

Billinge and Seneley Green (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Bessie Griffin | 1,503 | |
| | Labour | Alma Atherton | 1,492 | |
| | Labour | Susan Murphy | 1,229 | |
| | Independent | James Stevenson | 917 | |
| | Conservative | David Davies | 905 | |
| | Conservative | Michael Hodgson | 893 | |
| | Conservative | James Spanner | 878 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Bagot | 651 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gail Mills | 454 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Katrina Young | 409 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,331 | 41.7 |
Blackbrook (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Andrew Bowden | 1,352 | |
| | Labour | Linda Maloney | 1,310 | |
| | Labour | Albert Smith | 1,305 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruth Smith | 1,156 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joanne Hankinson | 884 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vivienne Lavery | 883 | |
| | Conservative | Joan Foster | 416 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,256 | 35.9 |
Bold (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Thomas Hargreaves | 1,107 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Topping | 1,052 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Matthew Dunn | 1,019 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thomas King | 955 | |
| | Labour | John Wiseman | 951 | |
| | Labour | Paul Pritchard | 926 | |
| | Conservative | Jill Jones | 244 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,254 | 34.1 |
Earlestown (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Leon McGuire | 1,214 | |
| | Labour | Keith Deakin | 1,106 | |
| | Labour | Charles Banks | 1,078 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Virginia Taylor | 795 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Smith | 783 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Crowther | 775 | |
| | Conservative | Catherine Perks | 359 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,110 | 33.5 |
Eccleston (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Teresa Sims | 3,317 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shirley Evans | 3,030 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Pearl | 2,718 | |
| | Conservative | Kathleen Barton | 867 | |
| | Conservative | Michael Marriott | 687 | |
| | Labour | Ellen Glover | 645 | |
| | Labour | Keith Cottom | 617 | |
| | Labour | Patricia Ireland | 517 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,398 | 49.6 |
Haydock (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | James Caunce | 1,564 | |
| | Labour | William Swift | 1,400 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eric Sheldon | 1,219 | |
| | Labour | Janet Richardson | 1,177 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thomas Duffy | 1,148 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janet Sheldon | 1,129 | |
| | Conservative | Anthony Rigby | 378 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,015 | 37.7 |
Moss Bank (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carole Kavanagh | 2,077 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eric Simpson | 1,685 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Ferry | 1,566 | |
| | Labour | Barbara Jakubiak | 1,327 | |
| | Labour | Brian Hart | 1,188 | |
| | Labour | Sandra Banawich | 1,047 | |
| | Conservative | William Highcock | 353 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,243 | 42.7 |
Newton (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Suzanne Knight | 2,034 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Astbury | 1,783 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Neil Taylor | 1,654 | |
| | Labour | Jeanette Banks | 810 | |
| | Labour | Mark Rahaman | 803 | |
| | Labour | Stuart Hughes | 758 | |
| | Conservative | Brian Honey | 355 | |
| | Conservative | Margaret Harvey | 298 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,495 | 40.6 |
Parr (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | John Pinder | 1,604 | |
| | Labour | Keith Roberts | 1,236 | |
| | Labour | Terence Shields | 1,217 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Brown | 684 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ethel Clarke | 409 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Knowles | 381 | |
| | Conservative | Madeleine Wilcock | 215 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,746 | 30.2 |
Rainford (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Betty Lowe | 2,131 | |
| | Conservative | John Brown | 2,021 | |
| | Conservative | John Parr | 1,900 | |
| | Labour | David Wood | 955 | |
| | Labour | Keith Aspinall | 898 | |
| | Labour | Mary Newby | 886 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Frederick Barrett | 342 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Dunn | 310 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary Pulfer | 277 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,720 | 51.0 |
Rainhill (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Michael Doyle | 2,372 | |
| | Labour | Joseph De Asha | 2,153 | |
| | Labour | Stephen Glover | 1,433 | |
| | Independent | Neil Thompson | 908 | |
| | Conservative | Gaynor Parr | 793 | |
| | Conservative | Henry Spriggs | 763 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christina Duncan | 735 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Darren Makin | 622 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Majorie Beirne | 524 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,303 | 42.1 |
Sutton (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Spencer | 1,917 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephanie Topping | 1,821 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julie Jones | 1,756 | |
| | Labour | Derek Maylor | 983 | |
| | Labour | Philip Wiseman | 941 | |
| | Labour | Michael Glover | 935 | |
| | Conservative | Pauline Wilcock | 234 | |
| | Independent | Alan Brooks | 196 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,783 | 37.8 |
Thatto Heath (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Sheila Seddon | 1,406 | |
| | Labour | Patricia Robinson | 1,351 | |
| | Labour | Richard McCauley | 1,139 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carol Pearl | 713 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Noreen Knowles | 502 | |
| | UKIP | Ann Fleetwood | 429 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sandra Ferry | 380 | |
| | Conservative | Barbara Woodcock | 326 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,246 | 34.2 |
Town Centre (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Beirne | 1,173 | |
| | Labour | John Fletcher | 1,099 | |
| | Labour | Margaret McLachlan | 1,027 | |
| | Labour | Jeffrey Molyneux | 1,024 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mandy Stanley | 992 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alec Mills | 958 | |
| | BNP | Michael Pearcey | 328 | |
| | Conservative | Richard Seddon | 195 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,796 | 32.8 |
West Park (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lesley Ronan | 1,395 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Evans | 1,391 | |
| | Labour | Marie Rimmer | 1,374 | |
| | Labour | Marlene Quinn | 1,312 | |
| | Labour | Terence Hanley | 1,278 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Broughton | 1,265 | |
| | Conservative | Charmian Pyke | 451 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,466 | 38.7 |
Windle (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Wallace Ashcroft | 1,757 | |
| | Conservative | Nancy Ashcroft | 1,682 | |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Roughley | 1,513 | |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Almond | 1,160 | |
| | Labour | Jean West | 871 | |
| | Labour | Mark Arnold | 870 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kenneth Knowles | 484 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Darren Jackson | 381 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marise Roberts | 330 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,048 | 42.5 |