# 2002 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2002 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

## Background

Before the election the council was run by a coalition between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, after Labour had run the council from 1995 to 2000. The candidates at the election were 20 each from the Labour and Conservative parties, 10 Liberal Democrats, 7 independents, 4 UK Independence Party and 3 Green Party.
A significant issue at the election was a report from the Audit Commission in January 2002, which had made many criticisms of the council, with the council having almost been taken over by the national government 2 months before the election.

## Election result

Walsall Local Election Result 2002 :
| Party | Seats | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes |
| Labour | 12 | +1 | 60.0 | 39.9 | 21,734 |
| Conservative | 6 | -1 | 30.0 | 41.2 | 22,439 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | 9.4 | 5,137 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 2,758 |
| Socialist Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1,086 |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 841 |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | 460 |

## Ward results

Aldridge Central and South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John O'Hare | 2,020 | 58.0 |
| | Labour | Carol Rose | 649 | 18.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Josephine Levine | 474 | 13.6 |
| | Independent | David Boulton | 340 | 9.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,371 | 39.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,483 | 35.6 |
Aldridge North and Walsall Wood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Keith Sears | 1,789 | 63.7 |
| | Labour | Violet Upton | 1,020 | 36.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 769 | 27.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,809 | 27.8 |
Bentley and Darlaston North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ayshea Johnson | 1,431 | 63.5 |
| | Conservative | Doris Silvester | 821 | 36.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 610 | 27.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,252 | 23.3 |
Birchills-Leamore :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Joan Barton | 1,417 | 61.8 |
| | Conservative | Mohammed Arshad | 763 | 33.3 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Azra Jabbar | 113 | 4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 654 | 28.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,293 | 24.0 |
Blakenall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Robert Robinson | 903 | 59.3 |
| | Conservative | Alan Venables | 303 | 19.9 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Peter Smith | 135 | 8.9 |
| | Independent | Michael Taylor | 106 | 7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Wendy Evans | 77 | 5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 600 | 39.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,524 | 19.8 |
Bloxwich East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Kathleen Phillips | 1,169 | 48.3 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Harris | 840 | 34.7 |
| | Independent | Annette Taylor | 307 | 12.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Amina Walters | 103 | 4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 329 | 13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,419 | 29.3 |
Bloxwich West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Worley | 1,167 | 46.4 |
| | Conservative | Desmond Pitt | 975 | 38.8 |
| | Independent | Kerrie Pitt | 191 | 7.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Hughes | 183 | 7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 192 | 7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,516 | 27.7 |
Brownhills :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | John Bird | 1,253 | 53.3 |
| | Conservative | Robert Culbert | 1,097 | 46.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 156 | 6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,350 | 24.9 |
Darlaston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Graham Wilkes | 1,302 | 70.2 |
| | Conservative | Rose Martin | 553 | 29.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 749 | 40.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,855 | 21.6 |
Hatherton and Rushall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Arthur Clarke | 1,545 | 51.6 |
| | Labour | Ann Wilson | 1,062 | 35.5 |
| | Green | Richard Clarke | 239 | 8.0 |
| | UKIP | Jenny Mayo | 147 | 4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 483 | 16.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,993 | 29.4 |
Paddock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Barry Sanders | 1,860 | 44.0 |
| | Independent | Cecil Wood | 896 | 21.2 |
| | Labour | Robert Matthews | 877 | 20.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Daniel Barker | 465 | 11.0 |
| | Green | Robert Walter | 133 | 3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 964 | 22.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,231 | 39.4 |
Palfrey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Waheed Saleem | 1,657 | 45.6 |
| | Conservative | Mohammed Arif | 1,191 | 32.8 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Cyril Leaker | 782 | 21.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 466 | 12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,630 | 37.2 |
Pelsall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Garry Perry | 2,516 | 60.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Linda Dickens | 830 | 19.8 |
| | Labour | Paul Higgens | 736 | 17.6 |
| | UKIP | Anthony Lenton | 106 | 2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,686 | 40.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,188 | 36.8 |
Pheasey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Martin Harrower | 1,021 | 39.8 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Towe | 912 | 35.6 |
| | Independent | Edmund Newman | 632 | 24.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 109 | 4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,565 | 36.0 |
Pleck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Norman Matthews | 1,356 | 61.4 |
| | Conservative | Mark Dabbs | 568 | 25.7 |
| | Independent | Peter Ruston | 286 | 12.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 788 | 35.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,210 | 29.6 |
Short Heath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eileen Pitt | 1,158 | 53.4 |
| | Labour | Gareth Walker | 626 | 28.9 |
| | Conservative | Cerwyn Edwards | 383 | 17.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 532 | 24.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,167 | 24.0 |
St. Matthews :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Richard Worrall | 1,484 | 49.1 |
| | Conservative | Wahid Ali | 1,054 | 34.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Barker | 207 | 6.8 |
| | UKIP | Derek Bennett | 133 | 4.4 |
| | Green | Gerard Hawley | 88 | 2.9 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Stephanie Peart | 56 | 1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 430 | 14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,022 | 37.0 |
Streetly :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Michael Bird | 2,301 | 65.1 |
| | Labour | Thomas Charlton | 777 | 22.0 |
| | UKIP | Stephen Grey | 455 | 12.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,524 | 43.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,533 | 32.9 |
Willenhall North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Arthur Bentley | 1,225 | 56.8 |
| | Labour | Carol Creaney | 589 | 27.3 |
| | Conservative | Susan Turner | 343 | 15.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 636 | 29.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,157 | 22.8 |
Willenhall South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Withnall | 1,238 | 54.8 |
| | Conservative | Steven Turner | 605 | 26.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Willoughby | 415 | 18.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 633 | 28.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,258 | 23.0 |