# 2003 Redditch Borough Council election

The 2003 Redditch Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Redditch Borough Council in the West Midlands region, 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 14
* Labour 10
* Liberal Democrat 5

## Campaign

The Conservative Party was hoping to gain control over the council, which before the election was controlled by Labour with the support of the Liberal Democrats. 10 seats were being contested with the Labour party defending 6 of the seats. Labour needed to gain one seat to regain their majority, while the Conservatives needed 3 gains to also win a majority. The key wards targeted by the Conservatives were Central, Greenlands and Lodge Park.
The Conservatives were hoping to gain from voters who were unhappy over council tax rises and they pledged to only increase it by the inflation rate over the next three years if they won control. Meanwhile, Labour pledged to use new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour and said they were making a difference in the town. Other issues raised in the election included an Audit Commission report on the housing department and the poor use of tourist attractions in the borough.

## Election result

The results saw the Labour party lose four seats, two each to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats gained in Church Hill and Winyates, while the Conservatives gained Central and Greenlands. Among the Labour losses was the wife of the Labour leader, Helen Cartwright, and the planning committee chairman, Clive Cheetham. The new Conservative councillor from Central ward, Mohammed Farooqui, became the youngest member of the council at the age of 24.
As a result, the Conservatives became the largest party on the council with 14 seats. They had only just missed winning a majority on the council after failing to gain Lodge Park by 64 votes.
Redditch Local Election Result 2003 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 4 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 40.0 | 38.1 | 5,736 | -4.5% |
| Labour | 3 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 30.0 | 36.5 | 5,496 | +3.5% |
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 30.0 | 25.4 | 3,821 | +2.2% |

## Ward results

Abbey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel Hicks | 787 | 71.0 | +7.3 |
| | Labour | Alan Mason | 322 | 29.0 | +6.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 465 | 42.0 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,109 | 27.5 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Batchley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dorothy Dudley | 630 | 46.5 | −5.5 |
| | Conservative | Peter Anderson | 486 | 35.9 | +1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kathleen Cummings | 238 | 17.6 | +4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 144 | 10.6 | −7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,354 | 23.0 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mohammed Farooqui | 735 | 43.8 | −3.3 |
| | Labour | Ronald Passingham | 642 | 38.3 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Hanna | 301 | 17.9 | +4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 93 | 5.5 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,678 | 31.9 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Church Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Gee | 668 | 46.4 |
| | Labour | David Hunt | 594 | 41.3 |
| | Conservative | Richard Lumley | 177 | 12.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 74 | 5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,439 | 28.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | |
Crabbs Cross :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Field | 814 | 55.3 | +4.8 |
| | Labour | Gareth Young | 465 | 31.6 | −5.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Graham Pollard | 193 | 13.1 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 349 | 23.7 | +10.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,472 | 26.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Greenlands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Braley | 737 | 43.4 | +0.8 |
| | Labour | Helen Cartwright | 668 | 39.3 | −4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anthony Pitt | 294 | 17.3 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69 | 4.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,699 | 26.9 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Lodge Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mark Shurmer | 682 | 46.6 | +11.0 |
| | Conservative | Jean Smith | 619 | 42.3 | +8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Webster | 163 | 11.1 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 63 | 4.3 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,464 | 29.7 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Matchborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gordon Kenney | 842 | 53.6 | +2.8 |
| | Labour | Roy Vickers | 451 | 28.7 | −4.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Hennessey | 278 | 17.7 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 391 | 24.9 | +7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,571 | 25.3 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Patricia Wilson | 1,208 | 62.1 |
| | Labour | Patricia Witherspoon | 430 | 22.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Ashall | 307 | 15.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 778 | 40.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,945 | 30.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Winyates :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Stanley | 592 | 44.8 | −6.9 |
| | Labour | Clive Cheetham | 519 | 39.3 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | Juliet Brunner | 211 | 16.0 | +6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 73 | 5.5 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,322 | 27.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |