The 2000 Southend-on-Sea Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of
Southend-on-Sea Unitary Council in
Essex,
England. One third of the council was up for election and the
Conservative party gained overall control of the council from
no overall control.
After the election, the composition of the council was
*
Conservative 25
*
Liberal Democrat 9
*
Labour 5
Campaign
Before the election the council was run by a coalition between the
Liberal Democrat and
Labour parties, but the election was expected to see the Conservatives take control from them.
14 of the 39 seats were being contested,
[ ] with the Conservatives only needing to gain one seat in order to have a majority.
They only required a tiny
swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
to achieve this, which would give the Conservatives control of the council for the first time in 8 years.
[ The election was a high-profile one with the Conservative leader, William Hague, campaigning in the area on the Monday before the election.]refugee
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. s in the town, which was estimated at up to 2,000.[ The Conservatives said that the area had become a "dumping ground" and called on all ]asylum seekers
An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and mi ...
to be detained upon entry into the country.[ However Labour accused the Conservatives of "playing the race card"][ and reported a Conservative leaflet to the Commission for Racial Equality.][ ]
Other issues included Conservative plans to build a new bypass
Bypass may refer to:
* Bypass (road), a road that avoids a built-up area (not to be confused with passing lane)
* Flood bypass of a river
Science and technology Medicine
* Bypass surgery, a class of surgeries including for example:
** Heart bypas ...
to ease traffic within the town.[ Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat and Labour parties defended their record of investing £50 million in the town during their period in control of the council, while keeping council tax rises down, with the latest council tax level the second lowest in Essex.][
]
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives gain control of the council with an 11-seat majority after winning over 57% of the vote.[ They gained 3 seats each from both Labour and the Liberal Democrats][ with defeated councillors including 3 members of the executive, Nigel Baker, Stephen George and Chris Mallam.][ ] These defeats meant that Labour failed to hold any of the seats they had been defending, while the Liberal Democrats only managed to hold on to 2 seats.[ ] Overall turnout in the election was just above the national average at 30%.[
Following the election Charles Latham became the new Conservative leader of the council and announced they would scrap planned ]bus lane
A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway ...
s and abolish charges for social care services.[ ][ ]
Ward results
References
{{United Kingdom local elections, 2000
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
2000 English local elections
2000s in Essex