# 2002 Leeds City Council election

The 2002 Leeds City Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, England. Prior to the election, there had been several by-elections held with no change to the council composition. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.

## Campaign

33 seats were contested in the election with Labour defending 23 seats, the Conservatives 5, Liberal Democrats 4 and 1 independent. Among the candidates who stood in the election was, Mark Collett, the leader of the youth wing of the British National Party, who stood in Harehills ward.
Among the issued raised in the election were disaffection with the national Labour government, a recent reversed decision by the council to close day car centres for the elderly, privatisation of services, investment levels in schools and council tax levels. Labour defended their record in control of the council, which they had run for the previous 22 years, in what was expected to be a hard-fought contest.

## Election result

The results saw Labour maintain a majority on the council despite losing some seats to other parties. They lost 2 seats to the Conservatives in Aireborough and Otley and Wharfedale, 2 to the Liberal Democrats in Headingley and Rothwell, and one each to an Independent in Morley North and the Greens in Wortley. However Labour did gain one seat from the Liberal Democrats in Harehills and one in Hunslet from an Independent Socialist. As a result, they won 19 of the 33 seats contested meaning they had 57 of the 99 councillors on Leeds council. Overall turnout in the election was 30.64%.
Leeds Local Election Result 2002 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 19 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 57.6 | 41.4 | 68,049 | +2.2 |
| Conservative | 7 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 21.2 | 29.2 | 47,947 | -3.1 |
| Liberal Democrats | 5 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 15.2 | 22.3 | 36,749 | -0.5 |
| Green | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 7,332 | +0.5 |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 2,228 | +0.9 |
| Leeds Left Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1,265 | -0.1 |
| Socialist Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 392 | +0.2 |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 209 | +0.0 |
| Socialist Alternative | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 201 | +0.0 |
| Socialist Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.05 | 77 | +0.05 |
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:
| Party | Party | Previous council | New council |
| | Labour | 61 | 57 |
| | Liberal Democrat | 19 | 20 |
| | Conservative | 16 | 18 |
| | Green | 2 | 3 |
| | Independent | 0 | 1 |
| | Independent Socialist | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| Working majority | Working majority | 23 | 15 |

## Ward results

Aireborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Makhan Thakur | 3,113 | 44.4 | −2.7 |
| | Labour | Tony Addison | 2,646 | 37.7 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Hutton | 1,256 | 17.9 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 467 | 6.7 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,015 | 37.9 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | -1.7 | |
Armley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alison Lowe | 2,031 | 56.0 | +5.7 |
| | Conservative | Steven Welsh | 670 | 18.5 | −6.4 |
| | Green | Luke Russell | 468 | 12.9 | +5.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barbara Thompson | 459 | 12.7 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,361 | 37.5 | +12.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,628 | 23.8 | +3.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.0 | |
Barwick & Kippax :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Parker | 3,908 | 55.8 | +5.9 |
| | Conservative | Alec Shelbrooke | 2,218 | 31.6 | −5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Bagnall | 607 | 8.7 | −4.7 |
| | Green | Elizabeth Holmes | 198 | 2.8 | +2.8 |
| | Socialist Labour | Paul Dewhirst | 77 | 1.1 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,690 | 24.2 | +9.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,008 | 38.3 | +7.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.5 | |
Beeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Angela Gabriel | 1,763 | 51.2 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative | William Birch | 1,047 | 30.4 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kathleen Fenton | 431 | 12.5 | −5.4 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Michael Dear | 102 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| | Green | Janet Pritchard | 102 | 3.0 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 716 | 20.8 | +8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,445 | 28.9 | +4.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.2 | |
Bramley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Denise Atkinson | 2,044 | 52.7 | +13.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Burke | 1,306 | 33.7 | −12.7 |
| | Conservative | Michael Best | 368 | 9.5 | −2.0 |
| | Green | Colin Avison | 160 | 4.1 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 738 | 19.0 | +12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,878 | 23.9 | +2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +12.9 | |
Burmantofts :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Garvani | 1,608 | 46.8 | −16.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ralph Pryke | 1,513 | 44.0 | +24.3 |
| | Conservative | Patricia Hyde | 211 | 6.1 | −7.7 |
| | Green | Simon Blanchard | 107 | 3.1 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 95 | 2.8 | −40.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,439 | 27.4 | +6.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -20.2 | |
Chapel Allerton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Neil Taggart | 2,346 | 52.6 | +5.1 |
| | Leeds Left Alliance | Garth Frankland | 957 | 21.4 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Jacqueline Zander | 632 | 14.2 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Silver | 527 | 11.8 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,389 | 31.2 | +7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,462 | 31.4 | +0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.5 | |
City & Holbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Patrick Davey | 1,856 | 61.6 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative | Richard Laycock | 640 | 21.2 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sitara Khan | 317 | 10.5 | −5.2 |
| | Socialist Alternative | David Jones | 201 | 6.7 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,216 | 40.4 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,014 | 20.0 | +2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
Cookridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Carter | 3,293 | 53.8 | +4.7 |
| | Labour | Ian McCargo | 1,397 | 22.8 | +2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janet Bates | 1,205 | 19.7 | −8.9 |
| | Green | Peter Scarth | 225 | 3.7 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,896 | 31.0 | +10.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,120 | 37.0 | +0.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.0 | |
Garforth & Swillington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Karen Marshall | 3,244 | 51.6 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | Robert Semple | 1,941 | 30.9 | +0.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Dowling | 1,105 | 17.6 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,303 | 20.7 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,290 | 33.8 | +4.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
Halton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lee Benson | 2,640 | 43.4 | +3.6 |
| | Conservative | David Schofield | 2,500 | 41.1 | −6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Hollingsworth | 730 | 12.0 | −0.7 |
| | Green | Robert Murphy | 208 | 3.4 | +3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 140 | 2.3 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,078 | 33.9 | +2.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 | |
Harehills :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Roger Harrington | 2,858 | 51.8 | +9.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Javaid Akhtar | 2,184 | 39.6 | −10.2 |
| | BNP | Mark Collett | 209 | 3.8 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Karl Steenson | 168 | 3.0 | −1.4 |
| | Green | Christopher Hudson | 99 | 1.8 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 674 | 12.2 | +5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,518 | 40.5 | +9.0 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +9.6 | |
Headingley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Hamilton | 1,885 | 48.7 | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Doreen Illingworth | 1,154 | 29.8 | −7.7 |
| | Green | Lesley Jeffries | 390 | 10.1 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Daniel Riley | 289 | 7.5 | −2.5 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Katherine Owen | 156 | 4.0 | +4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 731 | 18.9 | +14.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,874 | 18.8 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | +7.2 | |
Horsforth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Townsley | 2,764 | 44.2 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative | Richard Hardcastle | 2,145 | 34.3 | −2.3 |
| | Labour | Ted Hanley | 1,110 | 17.8 | −2.7 |
| | Green | Andrea Binns | 230 | 3.7 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 619 | 9.9 | +6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,249 | 36.0 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +3.3 | |
Hunslet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Judith Blake | 1,535 | 68.2 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Graham | 304 | 13.5 | −9.9 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Larvin | 279 | 12.4 | +12.4 |
| | Green | Francis Gray | 86 | 3.8 | −2.3 |
| | Socialist Alliance | James Jackson | 47 | 2.1 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,231 | 54.7 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,251 | 20.6 | +2.7 |
| | Labour gain from Independent Socialist | Labour gain from Independent Socialist | Swing | +3.8 |
Kirkstall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bernard Atha | 2,142 | 57.6 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Natasha De Vere | 587 | 15.8 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative | Ian Richmond | 508 | 13.7 | −3.8 |
| | Green | Martin Reed | 480 | 12.9 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,555 | 41.8 | −1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,717 | 25.0 | +3.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -2.5 | |
Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Langham | 2,052 | 63.6 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative | Robert Allen | 567 | 17.6 | −8.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sadie Fisher | 422 | 13.1 | +1.4 |
| | Green | Patricia Capstick | 183 | 5.7 | +2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,485 | 46.0 | +13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,224 | 21.7 | +3.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.5 | |
Moortown :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brenda Lancaster | 3,132 | 55.2 | +5.4 |
| | Labour | Barry Young | 1,500 | 26.5 | +1.6 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Ingoldby | 907 | 16.0 | −5.6 |
| | Leeds Left Alliance | Michael Davies | 130 | 2.3 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,632 | 28.7 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,669 | 35.3 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
Morley North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Robert Finnigan | 2,228 | 37.8 | +37.8 |
| | Labour | Graham Platt | 1,762 | 29.9 | −14.0 |
| | Conservative | Keely Jamieson | 1,351 | 22.9 | −17.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Golton | 405 | 6.9 | −3.9 |
| | Green | Irene Dracup | 150 | 2.5 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 466 | 7.9 | +4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,896 | 30.5 | +4.5 |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | +25.9 | |
Morley South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sherry Bradley | 2,631 | 53.2 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | David Boynton | 1,433 | 29.0 | −2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rochelle Harris | 880 | 17.8 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,198 | 24.2 | +4.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,944 | 22.4 | +2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 | |
North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ronnie Feldman | 2,996 | 45.7 | +5.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Judith Chapman | 2,312 | 35.3 | −8.0 |
| | Labour | Debra Coupar | 1,193 | 18.2 | +3.7 |
| | Leeds Left Alliance | Brian Jackson | 51 | 0.8 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 684 | 10.4 | +7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,552 | 38.8 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.8 | |
Otley & Wharfedale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Nigel Francis | 3,420 | 44.2 | +6.7 |
| | Labour | John Eveleigh | 2,268 | 29.3 | +5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Hoskins | 1,793 | 23.2 | −4.0 |
| | Green | Paul Marchant | 262 | 3.4 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,152 | 14.9 | +4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,743 | 40.8 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +0.6 | |
Pudsey North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frank Robinson | 3,505 | 52.1 | −14.0 |
| | Labour | Michael King | 2,167 | 32.2 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Wilson | 832 | 12.4 | +1.8 |
| | Green | Susan Turnbull | 220 | 3.3 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,338 | 19.9 | −22.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,724 | 37.7 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -11.4 | |
Pudsey South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Lewis | 2,699 | 48.1 | +4.2 |
| | Conservative | Helen Widdas | 2,027 | 36.2 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Glover | 648 | 11.6 | −0.9 |
| | Green | Yvonne Clarke | 233 | 4.2 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 672 | 11.9 | +8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,607 | 33.3 | +6.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.3 | |
Richmond Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eamonn McGee | 1,839 | 71.1 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Keith Norman | 406 | 15.7 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative | Michael Wheeler | 255 | 9.9 | −2.5 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Steven Skinner | 87 | 3.4 | +3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,433 | 55.4 | +3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,587 | 26.9 | +7.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.5 | |
Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Keith Willey | 2,658 | 48.2 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | Alec Hudson | 2,253 | 40.8 | +1.8 |
| | Conservative | John Cowling | 606 | 11.0 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 405 | 7.4 | +1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,517 | 34.1 | +6.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | +0.7 | |
Roundhay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Harrand | 2,675 | 41.0 | −3.3 |
| | Labour | Irene O'Grady | 2,586 | 39.7 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Skinner | 900 | 13.8 | +2.7 |
| | Green | Colin Johnston | 233 | 3.6 | +1.0 |
| | Leeds Left Alliance | Malcolm Christie | 127 | 1.9 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 89 | 1.3 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,521 | 39.3 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.2 | |
Seacroft :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Davey | 2,197 | 80.2 | +6.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pauline Davies | 502 | 18.3 | +10.0 |
| | Conservative | Donald Townsley | 42 | 1.5 | −11.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,695 | 61.9 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,741 | 23.5 | +1.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.7 | |
University :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Patrick Hall | 1,447 | 56.9 | −2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Arif Hussain | 514 | 20.2 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | Robert Winfield | 345 | 13.6 | +2.0 |
| | Green | Bluebell Eikonoklastes | 235 | 9.2 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 933 | 36.7 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,541 | 16.6 | +2.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -2.7 | |
Weetwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stewart Golton | 2,515 | 44.7 | +4.0 |
| | Labour | Alex Sobel | 1,780 | 31.7 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | Graham Castle | 985 | 17.5 | −1.3 |
| | Green | David Webb | 343 | 6.1 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 735 | 13.0 | +8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,623 | 34.4 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +4.3 | |
Wetherby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Procter | 4,940 | 66.0 | −2.7 |
| | Labour | James Lewis | 1,581 | 21.1 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Edmund Conybeare | 960 | 12.8 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,359 | 44.9 | −4.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,481 | 36.6 | +2.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.3 | |
Whinmoor :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Pauleen Grahame | 2,211 | 54.5 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative | Valerie Kendall | 1,370 | 33.8 | −3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Welby | 473 | 11.7 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 841 | 20.7 | +8.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,054 | 32.3 | +6.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.1 | |
Wortley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Ann Blackburn | 2,720 | 54.0 | −1.5 |
| | Labour | Malcolm Bedford | 1,601 | 31.8 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Glenn Broadbent | 501 | 9.9 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Ewens | 217 | 4.3 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,119 | 22.2 | −5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,039 | 29.7 | +1.6 |
| | Green gain from Labour | Green gain from Labour | Swing | -2.6 | |