# 2003 Guildford Borough Council election

The 2003 elections for Guildford Borough Council were the first, and as of 2011 the only, full election for Guildford Borough Council conducted by an all postal ballot. The result saw the Conservatives win a majority of seats on Guildford Borough Council for the first time since losing their majority in the 1991 election.

## Boundary changes

In September 1998, the Local Government Commission for England published their "Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for Guildford in Surrey". The recommendations in this report formed the basis for the redrawing of ward boundaries in Guildford increasing the number of wards from 21 to 22; and increasing the number of councillors from 45 to 48. The 2003 council election was the first contested under these new ward boundaries.
The new ward boundaries differed from the old ones as follows:
* 13 of the 21 wards in Guildford saw their boundaries alter to some degree or other;
* 8 wards were left unaltered namely - Clandon & Horsley, Effingham, Lovelace, Normandy, Pirbright, Send, Tillingbourne and Worplesdon;
* Merrow & Burpham ward, which previously had elected 3 councillors, was split in two. In its place was created a new Merrow ward with 3 councillors and a new Burpham ward with 2 councillors.
* the three wards representing Ash and Tongham, prior to the 2003 boundary changes, had been named Ash, Ash Vale and Tongham. Between them they had been represented by 6 councillors. They were replaced by three substantially redrawn wards with the names Ash South & Tongham, Ash Vale and Ash Wharf, which between them had 7 councillors. The new Ash Vale ward covered a significantly smaller geographical area than the previous ward known as Ash Vale;
* the boundary line between the Pilgrims ward and the Shalford ward was altered so that the Shalford ward would now include the areas of Artington and Compton which had previously been part of Pilgrims. This change saw the number of councillors representing Shalford increase from 1 to 2 and the number of councillors representing Pilgrims decline from 2 to 1;
* the dividing line between the Stoughton ward and the Westborough ward was redrawn;
* the various dividing lines between the following wards in Guildford town were redrawn: Christchurch, Friary & St Nicolas, Holy Trinity, Onslow, and Stoke; and
* the number of councillors representing Holy Trinity increased from 2 to 3 and the number of councillors representing Stoke decreased from 3 to 2.

## Voter Turnout

Average voter turnout increased throughout Guildford Borough Council from 36.2%, in 1999, to 53.4%, in 2003.

## Summary of election results

Going into the 2003 election the net position was as follows. (The net position includes the defection of one of the Liberal Democrat councillors for Worplesdon first to the independents, in 1999, and then, in 2002, to the Conservatives).
Prior to 2003 council election :
| Party | Seats |
| Conservative | 18 |
| Labour | 6 |
| Liberal Democrats | 19 |
| Independent | 2 |
After the election the position was as follows.
After 2003 council election :
| Party | Seats |
| Conservative | 26 |
| Labour | 2 |
| Liberal Democrats | 19 |
| Independent | 1 |
* The Conservatives made a net gain of eight seats, gaining nine and losing one;
* The Liberal Democrats retained the same number of seats; gaining four and losing four;
* The Labour Party lost four seats;
* The number of independents on Guildford Borough Council reduced from two to one.

### Conservative seat changes

In the May 2003 elections, the Conservatives gained 6 seats in Guildford town itself (4 in the Merrow and Burpham area, 1 in Holy Trinity Ward and 1 in Onslow ward); 2 seats in the Ash and Tongham area, towards the west of the borough of Guildford; and 1 seat in Tillingbourne, the rural district towards the south east of Guildford borough.
The Liberal Democrats retook from the Conservatives the 1 Worplesdon seat which the Liberal Democrats had lost as a result of a defection during the 1999-2003 session.

### Liberal Democrat seat changes

In May 2003, the Liberal Democrats gained 3 seats from the Labour Party in Westborough ward, towards the west of Guildford town. The Liberal Democrats retook from the Conservatives the Worplesdon seat which the Liberal Democrats had lost as a result of a defection during the 1999-2003 session.
The Liberal Democrats lost 4 seats to the Conservatives three in Guildford town itself (2 losses in the Merrow & Burpham areas and 1 in Onslow ward) and one in the rural Tillingbourne ward.

### Labour seat changes

The Labour Party lost 3 seats to the Liberal Democrats in Westborough. Additionally the Labour Party lost 1 seat in Stoke ward, towards the north of Guildford town as a result of boundary changes and a reduction in the number of councillors representing that ward from 3 to 2.

### By election changes

Subsequent to the May 2003 elections, the Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Conservatives in Merrow ward, in a by election in July 2003, increasing the number of Liberal Democrat seats on the council from 19 to 20 and reducing the number of Conservative seats from 26 to 25.

## May 2003 Results

Ash South & Tongham (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Grenville Ades | 1691 | 56.2 |
| | Conservative | Stuart James Carter | 1395 | 46.4 |
| | Conservative | Nicholas John Sutcliffe | 1356 | 45.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Richard Hilliar | 1035 | 34.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Gail Elizabeth Spencer | 985 | 32.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carolyn Elisabeth Ruth Hilliar | 967 | 32.2 |
| | Labour | Rosa Katherine Pawsey | 276 | 9.2 |
| | Labour | Donald Bennett Hirsch | 262 | 8.7 |
| | Labour | Alan Duthie Roy | 243 | 8.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 321 | 10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3007 | 49.7 |
Ash Vale (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Nigel Manning | 1085 | 56.3 |
| | Conservative | Marsha Jayne Moseley | 1037 | 53.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Denise Jacqueline Smith | 581 | 30.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Craig Victor Pickets | 562 | 29.2 |
| | Labour | Lynne Janice MacDonald | 176 | 9.1 |
| | Labour | Amanda Elizabeth Emily Reed | 159 | 8.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 456 | 23.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1926 | 45.5 |
Ash Wharf (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Jayne Hewlett | 1048 | 47.9 |
| | Conservative | Steven Thomas Evans | 1028 | 47.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Valerie Frampton | 762 | 34.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Richard Frampton | 743 | 34.0 |
| | Labour | Kevin Eric Jenkinson | 269 | 12.3 |
| | Labour | Kazimierz Mieczyslaw Jasinski | 239 | 10.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 266 | 12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2187 | 48.8 |
Burpham (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Edward Patrick Mayne | 1015 | 45.5 |
| | Conservative | Nicholas Dominic Leonard Brougham | 966 | 43.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rupert John Kinnaird Sheard | 927 | 41.6 |
| | Conservative | Julie Jean Perry | 916 | 41.1 |
| | Labour | Adrian Charles Newton | 240 | 10.8 |
| | Labour | Malcolm Piers Hill | 196 | 8.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 39 | 1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2230 | 55.5 |
Christchurch (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Andrew John Edward Hodges | 1312 | 50.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vivienne Natalie Johnson | 1154 | 44.5 |
| | Conservative | David Hunter | 1151 | 44.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Sharp | 968 | 37.3 |
| | Green | John Michael Pletts | 180 | 6.9 |
| | Labour | Celia Anne Lindsay | 148 | 5.7 |
| | Labour | Tim David Wolfenden | 118 | 4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3 | 0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2596 | 67.6 |
Clandon & Horsley (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Jennifer Eleri Powell | 2761 | 72.4 |
| | Conservative | Jenny Mary Wicks | 2563 | 67.3 |
| | Conservative | Andrew John French | 2521 | 66.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ronald James Harman | 720 | 18.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip John Palmer | 597 | 15.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Teresa Thorne | 524 | 13.7 |
| | Labour | Meriel Anne Beynon | 389 | 10.2 |
| | Labour | Julie Roxburgh | 377 | 9.9 |
| | Labour | John Virgo Brown | 364 | 9.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1801 | 47.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3811 | 58.6 |
Effingham (only 1 candidate elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Irene Hogger | 700 | 52.3 |
| | Conservative | James Louie Nicholls | 572 | 42.7 |
| | Labour | Fanny Lines | 32 | 2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 128 | 9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1339 | 68.8 |
Friary & St. Nicolas (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard George Marks | 1694 | 57.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Evelyn Blundell | 1684 | 57.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David John Goodwin | 1642 | 56.2 |
| | Conservative | Michael John Gorman | 628 | 21.5 |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Ann Hooper | 621 | 21.2 |
| | Conservative | Philip Matthew Simon Hooper | 571 | 19.5 |
| | Labour | Helen Mary Ayscough | 325 | 11.1 |
| | Labour | James Heaphy | 292 | 10.0 |
| | Labour | Alexander Dominic Robin Ayscough | 261 | 8.9 |
| | Trinity | Michel Wayne Harper | 225 | 7.7 |
| | Trinity | Raschid Michael Abdullah | 205 | 7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1014 | 34.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2924 | 46.6 |
Holy Trinity (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tamsy Katharine Baker | 1509 | 47.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Alfred Bridger | 1390 | 44.0 |
| | Conservative | Sarah Kathleen Creedy | 1337 | 42.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Slade | 1237 | 39.1 |
| | Conservative | David Anthony Ellis Williams | 1187 | 37.5 |
| | Conservative | Vivien Mary Sale | 1179 | 37.3 |
| | Green | Barbara Kathleen Edwards | 392 | 12.4 |
| | Labour | Barry Hall | 214 | 6.8 |
| | Labour | Frank Gunning | 192 | 6.1 |
| | Labour | Alexander Hamilton MacDonald | 170 | 5.4 |
| | UKIP | Robert Alexander McWhirter | 106 | 3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 100 | 3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3162 | 55.8 |
Lovelace (only 1 candidate elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Richard Garrett | 629 | 59.2 |
| | Labour | Carol Hayton | 204 | 19.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Charles Arthur Julian Thorne | 179 | 16.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 425 | 40.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1062 | 57.5 |
Merrow (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Anthony William Bays | 1580 | 46.5 |
| | Conservative | Jennifer Jordan | 1572 | 46.2 |
| | Conservative | Sheridan Nicholas Westlake | 1569 | 46.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Lee | 1434 | 42.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Rachael Stanley | 1419 | 41.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Merilyn Gail Spier | 1399 | 41.1 |
| | Labour | Michael Peter Hornsby-Smith | 337 | 9.9 |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Robert Balls | 314 | 9.2 |
| | Labour | Graham Redvers Gosling | 289 | 8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 135 | 4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3401 | 58.2 |
Normandy (only 1 candidate elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Diana Lockyer-Nibbs | 923 | 61.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Henry Vincent Charman | 365 | 24.4 |
| | Labour | Kathleen Brady | 172 | 11.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 558 | 37.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1497 | 62.1 |
Onslow (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lynda Strudwick | 1115 | 42.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tony Phillips | 1094 | 41.4 |
| | Conservative | Sheila Ann Kirkland | 984 | 37.3 |
| | Conservative | Adrian Stuart Chandler | 960 | 36.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steven Christopher Freeman | 920 | 34.8 |
| | Conservative | Michael Andrew Chambers | 893 | 33.8 |
| | Labour | Joseph Ian Bullock | 541 | 20.5 |
| | Labour | Florence Flynn | 382 | 14.5 |
| | Labour | Raymond Thomas Rogers | 310 | 11.7 |
| | Green | Richard William Stephens | 310 | 11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24 | 0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2641 | 41.6 |
Pilgrims (only 1 candidate elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Anthony Rooth | 750 | 67.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip Scott Mellor | 231 | 20.8 |
| | Labour | Kathleen Parfitt | 85 | 7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 519 | 46.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1108 | 58.4 |
Pirbright (only 1 candidate elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Michael George William Nevins | 606 | 63.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rebecca Charlotte Marie Healy | 206 | 21.7 |
| | Labour | Peter Paul Newmark | 98 | 10.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 400 | 42.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 948 | 50.9 |
Send (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Keith Charles Taylor | 1262 | 67.6 |
| | Conservative | Terence Dickson Patrick | 1049 | 56.2 |
| | Labour | Sheila Bean | 386 | 20.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Madeline Amelia Clements | 309 | 16.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rupert Emerson | 285 | 15.3 |
| | Labour | Sally Carrol Tiffin | 186 | 10.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 663 | 35.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1868 | 58.3 |
Shalford (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Vasilis Alexandros Kapsalis | 1348 | 55.4 |
| | Conservative | Neil Ward | 1152 | 47.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Vyvyan Orchard | 863 | 35.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Thomson | 768 | 31.6 |
| | Labour | Michael Stanley Jeram | 266 | 10.9 |
| | Labour | Susan Pauline Gomm | 180 | 7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 289 | 11.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2432 | 59.4 |
Stoke (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Brian Keith Chesterton | 994 | 43.8 |
| | Labour | Angela Gunning | 989 | 43.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thibault-Charles Jamme | 651 | 28.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen John Wright | 584 | 25.7 |
| | Conservative | Michael David Catton | 436 | 19.2 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Henry Johns | 336 | 14.8 |
| | BNP | Francis Samuel McAllister | 187 | 8.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 338 | 14.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2268 | 49.9 |
Stoughton (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pauline Ann Searle | 1367 | 47.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jayne Diana Marks | 1352 | 46.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Fiona Jean White | 1087 | 37.7 |
| | Independent | Anthony James Ferris | 670 | 23.2 |
| | Conservative | David James Quelch | 657 | 22.8 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Nicholas Whitby-Collins | 548 | 19.0 |
| | Conservative | Charlotte Helen Louise Keys | 428 | 14.8 |
| | Labour | Carole Jean Barber | 333 | 11.6 |
| | Labour | Ian Stuart Mather | 328 | 11.4 |
| | Labour | William McCulloch Scott | 319 | 11.1 |
| | Trinity | Nigel Herbert Foreman | 307 | 10.6 |
| | Trinity | Michael George Pooley | 165 | 5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 417 | 14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2883 | 47.3 |
Tillingbourne (top 2 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Keith Childs | 1559 | 60.6 |
| | Conservative | David Alan Wright | 1435 | 55.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Clive Montgomery Wicks | 811 | 31.5 |
| | Labour | Carolyn Fiddes | 238 | 9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 624 | 24.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2572 | 62.3 |
Westborough (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Valerie Jean Hazelwood | 1292 | 41.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Olaf Eugen Kolassa | 1233 | 39.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marilyn Merryweather | 1192 | 38.1 |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Hassell | 1075 | 34.3 |
| | Labour | Martin Phillips | 1056 | 33.7 |
| | Labour | David Vaughan Hide | 969 | 30.9 |
| | Conservative | Mary Johns | 576 | 18.4 |
| | Conservative | Pamela Anne Parke | 566 | 18.1 |
| | Conservative | John Marshall | 544 | 17.4 |
| | Pacifist Party | John Hugh Morris | 133 | 4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 117 | 3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3132 | 46.9 |
Worplesdon (top 3 candidates elected) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jill Margaret Chan | 1586 | 45.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Terence Nigel King | 1565 | 45.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Victor John Searle | 1519 | 43.8 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Nigel Sutcliffe | 1496 | 43.1 |
| | Conservative | Sheila Gladys Knight | 1418 | 40.9 |
| | Conservative | Christine Margaret Stacy | 1402 | 40.4 |
| | Labour | Kerry Jane James | 302 | 8.7 |
| | Labour | Norma Patricia Hedger | 296 | 8.5 |
| | Labour | Edward John Boys Pawsey | 258 | 7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23 | 0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3469 | 54.4 |