# 2004 Southampton City Council election

The 2004 Southampton Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Southampton Unitary Council in Hampshire, 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:
* Liberal Democrat 19
* Labour 15
* Conservative 14

## Campaign

Since the last election in 2003 the Liberal Democrats had run the council as a minority administration, after Labour had previously been in charge for 19 years. The record of the Liberal Democrats for the previous year was a major issue in the election, with the Liberal Democrats pointing to investment in road repairs and in addressing anti-social behaviour, while campaigning for council tax to be replaced by a local income tax. However the Labour and Conservative parties attacked the Liberal Democrats for u-turns such as the stopping of plans for fortnightly refuse collection, charges for parking in the town centre and the dropping of schemes to close football pitches and a leisure centre.
Crucial wards in the election were seen as being Sholing and Bitterne Park. Meanwhile, as well as the three main parties, there were also candidates from the United Kingdom Independence Party, British National Party and the Green Party.

## Election result

The results saw the council remain with no party having a majority, but the Labour party lost 2 seats and the Conservatives gained 2. The Liberal Democrats remained the largest party with 18 seats after gaining Coxford from Labour, but losing Bitterne Park to the Conservatives. The Conservatives grew to 14 seats after also gaining Freemantle from Labour, who thus dropped to 15 seats. The Labour group leader, June Bridle, held her seat in Sholing by 84 votes, with both Labour and the Conservatives saying that the 657 won by the United Kingdom Independence Party had probably enabled Labour to hold on there. Overall turnout in the election increased to 31.6% from 29% in 2003.
Following the election Liberal Democrat Adrian Vinson remained as leader of the council, after being confirmed by a vote of 18 to 0 at a council meeting.
Southampton Local Election Result 2004 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 37.5 | 28.9 | 15,007 | 1.2 |
| Conservative | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 31.3 | 30.6 | 15,888 | 0.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | 5 | 1 | 1 | | 31.3 | 30.4 | 15,738 | 0.3 |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 6.5 | 3,370 | 4.6 |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 1.7 | 868 | 0.8 |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 1.5 | 790 | 0.1 |
| Socialist Alternative | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 0.4 | 189 | 0.4 |

## Ward results
### Bargate

Bargate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Noon | 752 | 38.0 | −8.1 |
| | Conservative | Robert Alexander | 568 | 28.7 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diana Wills | 414 | 20.9 | −3.7 |
| | UKIP | Lorraine Barter | 243 | 12.3 | +12.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 184 | 9.3 | −7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,977 | 17.6 | +2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Bassett

Bassett :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hannides | 1,788 | 43.6 | −2.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Cain | 1,433 | 35.0 | +1.3 |
| | Labour | Paul Jenks | 473 | 11.5 | −1.7 |
| | UKIP | Michael Cottrell | 322 | 7.9 | +4.8 |
| | BNP | Julian Crewe | 82 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 355 | 8.7 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,098 | 38.8 | +4.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Bevois

Bevois :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stephen Barnes-Andrews | 1,033 | 42.2 | −4.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Hordley | 634 | 25.9 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative | Pamela Rees | 594 | 24.2 | +5.8 |
| | Socialist Alternative | Nicholas Chaffey | 189 | 7.7 | +7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 399 | 16.3 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,450 | 25.4 | +3.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Bitterne

Bitterne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Christine Kelly | 1,145 | 40.3 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative | Claire Johnson | 888 | 31.3 | +5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Naish | 491 | 17.3 | +0.3 |
| | BNP | Jason Robinson | 317 | 11.2 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 257 | 9.0 | −9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,841 | 28.6 | −0.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Bitterne Park

Bitterne Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ivan White | 1,397 | 36.8 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Work | 1,289 | 33.9 | −3.2 |
| | Labour | David Furnell | 635 | 16.7 | −0.7 |
| | UKIP | Conrad Brown | 476 | 12.5 | +12.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 108 | 2.8 | −2.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,797 | 37.6 | +3.4 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |

### Coxford

Coxford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Jackson | 1,110 | 35.6 | −3.7 |
| | Labour | Harry Mitchell | 1,018 | 32.7 | +1.8 |
| | UKIP | Leslie O'Bee | 510 | 16.4 | +13.3 |
| | Conservative | Christina Philbrick | 478 | 15.3 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 92 | 3.0 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,116 | 30.3 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Freemantle

Freemantle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Ball | 1,207 | 37.0 | −6.9 |
| | Labour | Simon Letts | 1,070 | 32.8 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barbara Cummins | 620 | 19.0 | +2.7 |
| | Green | Darren Pickering | 363 | 11.1 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 137 | 4.2 | −10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,260 | 31.8 | +2.9 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Harefield

Harefield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Halderthay | 1,642 | 46.5 | −4.1 |
| | Labour | Warwick Payne | 1,011 | 28.6 | −3.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Hordley | 649 | 18.4 | +1.3 |
| | BNP | Terrie Rintoul | 232 | 6.6 | +6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 631 | 17.9 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,534 | 34.0 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Millbrook

Millbrook :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Virginia Moore | 1,428 | 41.8 | +0.6 |
| | Labour | David Evans | 787 | 23.0 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Tom Donald | 720 | 21.1 | +5.6 |
| | UKIP | Stephen Phillips | 484 | 14.2 | +14.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 641 | 18.7 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,419 | 32.0 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Peartree

Peartree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Norah Goss | 1,547 | 46.5 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative | Alec Heath | 960 | 28.8 | +8.9 |
| | Labour | Roger Iles | 821 | 24.7 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 587 | 17.6 | −5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,328 | 32.9 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Portswood

Portswood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adrian Vinson | 1,721 | 47.3 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative | Julian Isaacson | 864 | 23.7 | +1.9 |
| | Labour | Ann Wardle | 629 | 17.3 | −0.2 |
| | Green | Joseph Cox | 427 | 11.7 | +5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 857 | 23.5 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,641 | 35.3 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Redbridge

Redbridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dennis Harryman | 1,217 | 40.6 | −2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ceren Davis | 1,000 | 33.4 | +12.4 |
| | Conservative | Enid Greenham | 778 | 26.0 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 217 | 7.2 | −11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,995 | 29.0 | +2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Shirley

Shirley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Terence Matthews | 1,537 | 38.7 | −5.5 |
| | Labour | Michael Lewkowicz | 1,110 | 28.0 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sharon Mintoff | 775 | 19.5 | +1.1 |
| | UKIP | Robert Geddes | 413 | 10.4 | +7.4 |
| | BNP | Darren Smith | 133 | 3.4 | +3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 427 | 10.8 | −4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,968 | 39.4 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Sholing

Sholing :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | June Bridle | 1,317 | 35.5 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Michael Denness | 1,233 | 33.2 | −4.4 |
| | UKIP | Tony Weaver | 657 | 17.7 | +10.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lesley Moffitt | 507 | 13.7 | −3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 84 | 2.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,714 | 35.1 | +2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Swaythling

Swaythling :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Milton | 1,047 | 41.8 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | Keith Norris | 545 | 21.8 | +3.0 |
| | Labour | Michael Brainsby | 544 | 21.7 | −6.0 |
| | UKIP | Rodney Caws | 265 | 10.6 | +6.5 |
| | BNP | David Green | 104 | 4.2 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 502 | 20.0 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,505 | 26.2 | +2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Woolston

Woolston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Williams | 1,445 | 45.1 | +8.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Robson | 1,073 | 33.5 | −9.1 |
| | Conservative | Clifford Combes | 689 | 21.5 | +8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 372 | 11.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,207 | 33.0 | +3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |