# 2004 Halton Borough Council election

The 2004 Halton Borough Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Halton Unitary Council in Cheshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2002. The Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.

## Campaign

All 56 seats were being contested after boundary changes had taken place, with 119 candidates competing for election. Labour contested all 56 seats, compared to 32 for the Conservatives, 19 Liberal Democrats, 3 Green Party, 2 British National Party, 1 Legalise Cannabis Alliance and 1 independent. There were also 4 candidates from the new Citizens Party of Halton, with 3 of them being former Labour councillors. The election in Halton, along with the rest of North West England, was held with all postal voting as part of an attempt to increase turnout.
Before the election Labour dominated the council with 47 of the 56 seats. As a result, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives were aiming just to reduced Labour's majority to provide a better opposition, with the Conservatives standing in every ward.
A major issue in the election was the attempt by the council to secure funding for a second crossing over the River Mersey. The Labour party defended their record in control of the council, pointing to the regeneration of the town centres of Widnes and Runcorn and improvements in services.

## Results

The results saw both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives make significant gains against Labour, but with Labour keeping a safe majority on the council. The Liberal Democrats made gains in Halton Brook, Norton North and Windmill Hill wards, while the Conservatives picked up seats in Birchfield and Farnworth wards. Windmill Hill required 2 recounts before the Liberal Democrat, Kelly Marlow, was declared the winner by a single vote over the Labour candidate. Labour councillors who failed to be re-elected included the deputy mayor, Dennis Middlemass, who lost in Mersey ward to the Liberal Democrats after 12 years on the council. Overall turnout in the election was 38%, almost double what was seen at the last election in 2002.
Labour's leader of the council, Tony McDermott, blamed national policies and mid term votes against the government for the losses, but was pleased at preserving a good majority which he said demonstrated "a welcome level of support".
Halton Local Election Result 2004 :
| Party | Seats | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 35 | -12 | 62.5 | 55.3 | 42,002 | -3.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | 14 | +7 | 25.0 | 19.3 | 14,632 | -1.1 |
| Conservative | 7 | +5 | 12.5 | 19.4 | 14,740 | +1.9 |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 1,906 | +2.5 |
| Citizens Party of Halton | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1,513 | +2.0 |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 529 | +0.7 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 440 | -1.0 |
| Legalise Cannabis | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 158 | +0.2 |

## Ward results

Appleton (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Edward Jones | 1,101 |
| | Labour | Gerald Philbin | 985 |
| | Labour | Francis Nyland | 897 |
| | Conservative | John Littler | 365 |
| | Conservative | Desmond McDermott | 323 |
| | BNP | Andrew Taylor | 297 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Emma O'Neill | 158 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,127 |
Beechwood (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Linda Redhead | 942 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ulfar Norddahl | 865 |
| | Labour | Martha Lloyd Jones | 333 |
| | Labour | Maurice Craig | 243 |
| | Conservative | Phillip Speed | 194 |
| | Conservative | Patricia Parkinson | 182 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,759 |
Birchfield (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | David Lewis | 868 |
| | Conservative | David Findon | 851 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Swift | 751 |
| | Labour | Austin Clarke | 612 |
| | Labour | Valerie Hill | 569 |
| | Labour | John Fahey | 542 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,193 |
Broadheath (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Anthony McDermott | 1,176 |
| | Labour | Robert Gilligan | 889 |
| | Labour | Keith Morley | 761 |
| | Conservative | Philip Harper | 466 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,292 |
Castlefields (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Patrick Tyrrell | 1,045 |
| | Labour | Arthur Cole | 833 |
| | Labour | Liam Temple | 816 |
| | Independent | Jimmy Tang | 440 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barbara Sly | 369 |
| | Conservative | Wendy Perraten | 300 |
| | BNP | Anthony Watts | 232 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,035 |
Daresbury (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | C Inch | 545 |
| | Conservative | J Bradshaw | 517 |
| | Liberal Democrats | K Newall | 506 |
| | Conservative | B Price | 467 |
| | Labour | J Johnston | 322 |
| | Labour | A Stockton | 305 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,662 |
Ditton (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Marie Wright | 1,185 |
| | Labour | Shaun Osborne | 1,051 |
| | Labour | Peter Lloyd Jones | 884 |
| | Conservative | Colin Rowan | 681 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,801 |
Farnworth (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Carl Cross | 1,049 |
| | Conservative | Ian Whittaker | 905 |
| | Conservative | Philip Drakeley | 884 |
| | Labour | Andrew MacManus | 702 |
| | Labour | Damian Curzon | 671 |
| | Labour | Margaret Fahey | 630 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Hare | 602 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,443 |
Grange (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | John Swain | 873 |
| | Labour | Stephen Pearsall | 822 |
| | Labour | Mark Dennett | 796 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Maguire | 622 |
| | Conservative | Mary Taylor | 406 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,519 |
Hale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Michael Wharton | 605 | 73.7 |
| | Conservative | Suzannah Swift | 216 | 26.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 389 | 47.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 821 | |
Halton Brook (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Stefan Nelson | 944 |
| | Labour | John Massey | 850 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kathleen Hodgkinson | 690 |
| | Labour | Stanley Hill | 650 |
| | Conservative | Roger Tuson | 366 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,500 |
Halton Lea (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | David Thompson | 800 |
| | Labour | Kathleen Loftus | 752 |
| | Labour | Alan Lowe | 713 |
| | Citizens Party of Halton | Michael Gelling | 368 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janet Clein | 351 |
| | Citizens Party of Halton | Damian Matthews | 329 |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Ford | 258 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,571 |
Halton View (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Robert Polhill | 1,149 |
| | Labour | Stanley Parker | 961 |
| | Labour | Thomas McInerney | 903 |
| | Green | Derek Mellor | 566 |
| | Green | Ann Martland | 562 |
| | Green | Glenys Taylor | 509 |
| | Conservative | Denis Thomas | 475 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,125 |
Heath (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Hodgkinson | 1,134 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Ratcliffe | 1,124 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Rowe | 1,117 |
| | Conservative | Marjorie Bradshaw | 605 |
| | Labour | Joan Lowe | 371 |
| | Conservative | Peter Murray | 340 |
| | Conservative | Philip Balmer | 332 |
| | Labour | Carol Redican | 326 |
| | Labour | Karen Linforth | 253 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,602 |
Hough Green (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Paul Nolan | 1,069 |
| | Labour | Kevan Wainwright | 950 |
| | Labour | Philip Harris | 948 |
| | Conservative | Maureen Forsyth | 514 |
| | Conservative | Brian Hensley | 456 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,937 |
Kingsway (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Margaret Horabin | 996 |
| | Labour | Ann Gerrard | 934 |
| | Labour | Francis Fraser | 861 |
| | Conservative | Frank Lloyd | 470 |
| | Conservative | Terence McDermott | 429 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,690 |
Mersey (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sue Blackmore | 950 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ernest Ratcliffe | 847 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Trevor Higginson | 814 |
| | Labour | Reginald Eastup | 604 |
| | Labour | Glyn Redican | 581 |
| | Labour | Dennis Middlemas | 526 |
| | Conservative | Colin Keam | 309 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,631 |
Norton North (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Timothy Sly | 989 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diane Inch | 980 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary Fowler | 928 |
| | Labour | Ellen Cargill | 759 |
| | Labour | Mary Massey | 685 |
| | Labour | John Stockton | 646 |
| | Green | Michael Davies | 269 |
| | Conservative | David Wright | 263 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,519 |
Norton South (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Ronald Hignett | 873 |
| | Labour | David Cargill | 856 |
| | Labour | Irene Ashley | 810 |
| | Citizens Party of Halton | Ian Evans | 411 |
| | Citizens Party of Halton | Joseph Glover | 405 |
| | Conservative | William Dowdle | 229 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,584 |
Riverside (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | David Leadbetter | 705 |
| | Labour | Edwin Gleave | 623 |
| | Conservative | Margaret Hill | 211 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,539 |
Windmill Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kelly Marlow | 257 | 45.0 |
| | Labour | Peter Harding | 256 | 44.8 |
| | Conservative | Sylvia Dowdle | 58 | 10.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 571 | |