# 2000 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2000 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
* Labour 55
* Liberal Democrat 10
* Conservative 6
* Independent 1

## Campaign

Before the election Labour ran the council with 58 councillors compared to 9 Liberal Democrats, 3 Conservatives and 1 independent, with 1 Labour seat being vacant. The vacant seat was in Oldbury ward, after the former councillor, Mohammed Niwaz, was convicted of fraud the previous December. Among those who were defending seats in the election was the leader of the council, Tarsem King, in West Bromwich Central ward.
Both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties were hoping to make gains after some recent school closures, as well as dissatisfaction with the national Labour government. The Liberal Democrats were hoping to gain Hateley Heath, after having won a seat there in a by-election the previous November, and Oldbury. Meanwhile, the Conservatives aimed to take Wednesbury South and were defending Charlemont after the councillor defected to them from the Liberal Democrats. Labour defended their record, pointing to the lowest council tax rise in the region, and hoped to improve on recent low turnouts.

## Election result

The results saw the Labour party stay in control of the council, but they did lose some seats. The Conservatives gained the seats of Old Warley and Princes End from Labour, while the Liberal Democrats took Hateley Heath from Labour. Alan Burkitt also held off the Liberal Democrats in Charlemont for the Conservatives.
Sandwell Local Election Result 2000 :
| Party | Seats | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 17 | -4 | 70.8 | 46.3 | 22,964 | -8.6% |
| Conservative | 4 | +3 | 16.7 | 34.5 | 17,119 | +9.3% |
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | +1 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 6,489 | -2.6% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 2,076 | +1.7% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 | 781 | +0.2% |
| National Front | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 150 | +0.2% |
| Socialist Alternative | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 68 | -0.2% |

## Ward results

Abbey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ann Jaron | 1,698 | 60.6 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative | Ewart Johnson | 764 | 27.3 | −2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Prior | 339 | 12.1 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 934 | 33.3 | +3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,801 | 31.1 | −0.7 |
Blackheath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Glenn Harris | 854 | 43.8 | −22.0 |
| | Independent | Mary Docker | 514 | 26.3 | +26.3 |
| | Conservative | June Park | 441 | 22.6 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Walter Bowdler | 143 | 7.3 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 340 | 17.4 | −2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,952 | 21.3 | +1.2 |
Bristnall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Malcolm Bridges | 1,044 | 53.4 | −8.2 |
| | Conservative | Roger Hickman | 911 | 46.6 | +18.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 133 | 6.8 | −26.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,955 | 20.6 | −3.2 |
Charlemont :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Burkitt | 1,263 | 49.0 | +21.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mary Wilson | 795 | 30.8 | −10.4 |
| | Labour | David Hallam | 522 | 20.2 | −11.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 468 | 18.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,580 | 28.2 | +0.5 |
Cradley Heath and Old Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Margaret James | 986 | 53.5 | −13.3 |
| | Conservative | Leonard Law | 672 | 36.5 | +13.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Wilson | 184 | 10.0 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 314 | 17.0 | −27.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,842 | 20.0 | −2.3 |
Friar Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Melia | 698 | 50.9 | −17.9 |
| | Conservative | Margaret Smith | 519 | 37.9 | +6.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Charles Simms | 154 | 11.2 | +11.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 179 | 13.1 | −24.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,371 | 16.4 | −1.9 |
Great Barr :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Wainwright | 1,077 | 40.7 | −9.0 |
| | Conservative | Robert Lawrence | 994 | 37.5 | +14.4 |
| | Labour | Roy Melia | 521 | 19.7 | −7.5 |
| | Independent Liberal Democrat | Christian Burkitt | 56 | 2.1 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 83 | 3.1 | −19.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,648 | 26.8 | −1.4 |
Great Bridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Maureen Whitehouse | 750 | 48.8 | −11.0 |
| | Conservative | Philip Mansell | 510 | 33.2 | +13.1 |
| | National Front | James Barry | 150 | 9.8 | +9.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Burkitt | 128 | 8.3 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 240 | 15.6 | −24.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,538 | 16.0 | −0.8 |
Greets Green and Lyng :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Edwards | 1,063 | 61.7 | −14.2 |
| | Conservative | Rosemarie Campbell | 497 | 28.9 | +13.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lynne Yardley | 162 | 9.4 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 566 | 32.9 | −27.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,722 | 28.6 | +6.8 |
Hateley Heath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Handy | 762 | 48.0 | +17.6 |
| | Labour | Joyce Edis | 548 | 34.6 | −19.6 |
| | Conservative | Raymond Nock | 276 | 17.4 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 214 | 13.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,586 | 17.4 | −0.1 |
Langley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Pauline Hinton | 1,127 | 47.1 | −13.4 |
| | Conservative | Roland Hill | 962 | 40.2 | +12.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julia Garrett | 302 | 12.6 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 165 | 6.9 | −25.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,391 | 24.6 | −0.1 |
Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martyn Smith | 1,324 | 52.6 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Thomas Slater | 599 | 23.8 | −6.9 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Ward | 593 | 23.6 | +7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 725 | 28.8 | +6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,516 | 27.1 | −1.7 |
Old Warley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Karen Bissell | 1,579 | 61.3 | +18.1 |
| | Labour | Kathleen Burns | 995 | 38.7 | −8.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 584 | 22.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,574 | 29.5 | −0.3 |
Oldbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Taylor | 1,108 | 60.1 | −9.3 |
| | Conservative | Bhajan Shokar | 461 | 25.0 | +10.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diane Gorton | 276 | 15.0 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 647 | 35.1 | −18.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,845 | 22.5 | −10.6 |
Princes End :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | June Newell | 555 | 46.7 | +26.1 |
| | Labour | Brian Southall | 533 | 44.8 | −4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip Roberts | 101 | 8.5 | +3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22 | 1.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,189 | 12.2 | +0.0 |
Rowley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Thomas | 1,110 | 55.6 | −11.1 |
| | Conservative | John Raybould | 563 | 28.2 | +14.5 |
| | Independent | Fred Hadley | 323 | 16.2 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 547 | 27.4 | −25.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,996 | 20.8 | +0.5 |
Smethwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Smith | 1,181 | 66.6 | −4.8 |
| | Conservative | Beryl Hickman | 591 | 33.4 | +14.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 590 | 33.3 | −19.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,772 | 20.8 | −3.5 |
Soho and Victoria :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Roger Horton | 846 | 70.2 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative | Jeanette Hill | 359 | 29.8 | +9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 487 | 40.4 | −12.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,205 | 22.4 | −3.8 |
St Pauls :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jagwant Gill | 1,246 | 44.8 | −7.1 |
| | Independent Labour | Balkar Sandhu | 1,183 | 42.6 | +10.0 |
| | Conservative | William Shipman | 350 | 12.6 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 63 | 2.3 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,779 | 34.5 | +4.0 |
Tipton Green :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ahmadul Haque | 1,455 | 44.2 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | Alison Jones | 880 | 26.7 | −1.6 |
| | BNP | Stephen Edwards | 781 | 23.7 | +6.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anthony Underhill | 108 | 3.3 | −2.0 |
| | Socialist Alternative | Ian Barton | 68 | 2.1 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 575 | 17.5 | +1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,292 | 27.3 | +2.4 |
Tividale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Parish | 767 | 46.8 | −10.4 |
| | Conservative | Steven Hockley | 642 | 39.2 | +14.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Bradley | 230 | 14.0 | −3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 125 | 7.6 | −24.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,639 | 17.4 | −0.8 |
Wednesbury North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Nellie Collett | 1,212 | 62.2 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | Elaine Giles | 737 | 37.8 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 475 | 24.4 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,949 | 20.7 | −5.3 |
Wednesbury South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Evans | 1,101 | 52.4 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative | Margaret Dixon | 882 | 42.0 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anthony Wilkinson | 119 | 5.7 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 219 | 10.4 | −9.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,102 | 22.6 | +0.3 |
West Bromwich Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tarsem King | 1,475 | 61.4 | −4.1 |
| | Conservative | Anne Hughes | 643 | 26.8 | +5.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Samantha Ford | 285 | 11.9 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 832 | 34.6 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,403 | 28.6 | +0.3 |