# 2003 North Devon District Council election

The 2003 North Devon District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of North Devon District Council in Devon, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999 reducing the number of seats by 1. The Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council.

## Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrats keep their majority on the council with 22 seats, but the Conservatives gained 5 seats to move to 10 councillors. Overall turnout in the election was 45%.
North Devon Local Election Result 2003 :
| Party | Seats | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Liberal Democrats | 22 | -5 | 51.2 | 41.9 | 16,164 | -5.8% |
| Conservative | 10 | +5 | 23.3 | 31.1 | 11,996 | +7.2% |
| Independent | 10 | -2 | 23.3 | 24.6 | 9,487 | +2.0% |
| UKIP | 1 | +1 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 559 | +1.4% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 286 | +0.7% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 118 | +0.3% |
4 Liberal Democrat and 1 independent candidates were unopposed.

## Ward results

Bickington & Roundswell (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Rodney Cann | 573 | 51.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carol McCormack-Hole | 385 | 34.4 |
| | Conservative | Colin Brown | 362 | 32.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ronald Ellerton | 343 | 30.7 |
| | Independent | Charles Piper | 315 | 28.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,118 | 35.0 |
Bishop's Nympton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Eric Ley | 789 | 77.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gerald Eva | 226 | 22.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 563 | 55.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,015 | 69.32 |
Bratton Fleming :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Prowse | 589 | 64.0 |
| | Conservative | Richard Peek | 331 | 36.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 258 | 28.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 920 | 65.50 |
Braunton East (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Douglas Lucas | 580 | 44.8 |
| | Conservative | Philip Daniel | 554 | 42.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Derrick Spear | 444 | 34.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Spear | 420 | 32.4 |
| | Conservative | Geraldine Neale | 328 | 25.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,296 | 44.61 |
Braunton West (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Jasmine Chesters | 507 | 37.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marguerite Shapland | 462 | 34.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Letitia Sellwood | 449 | 33.3 |
| | Independent | Susan Lynch | 397 | 29.4 |
| | Conservative | Sallieanne Tingey | 364 | 27.0 |
| | Independent | Peter Manning | 328 | 24.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,350 | 44.13 |
Central Town (Barnstaple) (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Faye Webber | 568 | 55.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Wilsher | 519 | 50.4 |
| | Conservative | Simon Harvey | 350 | 34.0 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Gifford | 301 | 29.3 |
| | Independent | Paul Dyer | 164 | 15.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,029 | 31.26 |
Chittlehampton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Albert Cook | unopposed | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 0 | N/A | |
Chumleigh :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kevin Butt | 495 | 56.0 |
| | Conservative | Terence Pincombe | 389 | 44.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 106 | 12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 884 | 54.16 |
Combe Martin (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Yvette Gubb | 957 | 57.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julia Clark | 839 | 50.2 |
| | Conservative | Susan Sussex | 810 | 48.5 |
| | Conservative | Arthur Yelton | 513 | 30.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,671 | 56.45 |
Forches & Whiddon Valley (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Laurence Haydn-Higgins | 374 | 40.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Francis Ovey | 298 | 31.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Valerie Monk | 279 | 29.9 |
| | Independent | James Bartlett | 261 | 28.0 |
| | Conservative | Susan McCrum | 167 | 17.9 |
| | Independent | Beresford Bawden | 166 | 17.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 933 | 29.90 |
Fremington (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Roy Morrish | 603 | 49.7 |
| | Independent | Peter Mullen | 500 | 41.2 |
| | Independent | David Harris | 318 | 26.2 |
| | Conservative | John Gill | 312 | 25.7 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Day | 274 | 22.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ronald Taylor | 109 | 9.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Arthur Windsor | 105 | 8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,214 | 36.90 |
Georgeham & Mortehoe (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Wilkinson | 512 | 46.0 |
| | Conservative | Ernest Evans | 500 | 45.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Foster | 489 | 44.0 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Turner | 482 | 43.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,112 | 36.87 |
Heanton Punchardon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Andrea Davis | 244 | 54.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Jewell | 208 | 46.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 36 | 8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 452 | 33.60 |
Ilfracombe Central (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Ivan Frances | 503 | 47.8 |
| | Independent | Richard Campbell | 394 | 37.4 |
| | Independent | Franklin Pearson | 389 | 36.9 |
| | Independent | Tony Cooper | 292 | 27.7 |
| | Independent | David Williams | 244 | 23.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,053 | 33.97 |
Ilfracombe East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Michael Edmunds | 308 | 38.4 |
| | Conservative | Carol Slinn | 258 | 32.2 |
| | Independent | Albert Furber | 139 | 17.3 |
| | Independent | Ann Rhodes | 97 | 12.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 50 | 6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 802 | 46.26 |
Ilfracombe West (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Fowler | 696 | 55.3 |
| | Independent | David Spear | 573 | 45.5 |
| | Independent | Brian Cotton | 373 | 29.6 |
| | Independent | Christine Tomlinson-Smith | 316 | 25.1 |
| | Independent | Keith Thompson | 235 | 18.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,193 | 37.41 |
Instow :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Lynn Brown | 220 | 35.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patricia Ford | 214 | 34.3 |
| | Independent | Reginald Cane | 190 | 30.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6 | 1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 624 | 48.3 |
Landkey, Swimbridge & Taw (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Butt | unopposed | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Rennles | unopposed | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 0 | N/A |
Longbridge (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | UKIP | Michael Pagram | 559 | 41.8 |
| | Conservative | David Brailey | 538 | 40.3 |
| | Independent | Pamela Holland | 475 | 35.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rodney Hawes | 284 | 21.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paulene Godfrey | 264 | 19.8 |
| | Independent | Nicholas Magnum | 164 | 12.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,336 | 43.32 |
Lynton & Lynmouth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Travis | 733 | 88.0 |
| | Conservative | John Walley | 100 | 12.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 633 | 76.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 833 | 59.50 |
Marwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Frederick Tucker | 413 | 55.6 |
| | Conservative | Mary Farrer | 330 | 44.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 83 | 11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 743 | 55.28 |
Newport (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Henry Harrison | 431 | 41.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Macbeth | 416 | 39.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diana Piercy | 408 | 39.0 |
| | Conservative | David Simpson | 391 | 37.4 |
| | Green | Richard Knight | 286 | 27.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,046 | 36.13 |
North Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Richard Edgell | 495 | 50.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Nelson | 375 | 38.0 |
| | BNP | Peter Chantler | 118 | 11.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 120 | 12.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 988 | 61.99 |
Pilton (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Greenslade | 753 | 64.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mair Manuel | 717 | 61.7 |
| | Conservative | Malcolm Keene | 353 | 30.4 |
| | Conservative | John Jones | 333 | 28.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,162 | 41.05 |
South Molton (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ernest Moore | 969 | 65.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Sewell | 870 | 59.0 |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Yabsley | 469 | 31.8 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Dowling | 332 | 22.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,474 | 48.00 |
Witheridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Nancy Lewis | 385 | 52.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Catherine Palmer | 356 | 48.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29 | 4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 741 | 44.30 |
Yeo Valley (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Haywood | unopposed | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Payne | unopposed | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 0 | N/A |

## By-elections

Georgeham & Mortehoe (14 July 2005) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Derrick Spear | 384 | 43.5 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Green | 378 | 42.8 | −2.2 |
| | Green | Michael Harris | 121 | 13.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 884 | 28 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Forches & Whiddon Valley (15 September 2005) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janet Carter | 307 | 62.5 | +30.6 |
| | Conservative | Simon Harvey | 120 | 24.4 | +6.5 |
| | Green | Earl Bramley-Howard | 35 | 7.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Charlie Piper | 29 | 5.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 494 | 15 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |