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: 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). After the election the position was as follows. 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. 2003 Guildford Borough Council election