2002 Leeds City Council election

Campaign

33 seats were contested in the election with Labour defending 23 seats, the Conservatives 5, Liberal Democrats 4 and 1 independent. Among the candidates who stood in the election was, Mark Collett, the leader of the youth wing of the British National Party, who stood in Harehills ward.

Among the issued raised in the election were disaffection with the national Labour government, a recent reversed decision by the council to close day car centres for the elderly, privatisation of services, investment levels in schools and council tax levels. Labour defended their record in control of the council, which they had run for the previous 22 years, in what was expected to be a hard-fought contest.

Election result

The results saw Labour maintain a majority on the council despite losing some seats to other parties. They lost 2 seats to the Conservatives in Aireborough and Otley and Wharfedale, 2 to the Liberal Democrats in Headingley and Rothwell, and one each to an Independent in Morley North and the Greens in Wortley. However Labour did gain one seat from the Liberal Democrats in Harehills and one in Hunslet from an Independent Socialist.

|seats % = 57.6 |votes % = 41.4 |plus/minus = +2.2 |seats % = 21.2 |votes % = 29.2 |plus/minus = -3.1 |seats % = 15.2 |votes % = 22.3 |plus/minus = -0.5 |seats % = 3.0 |votes % = 4.5 |plus/minus = +0.5 |seats % = 3.0 |votes % = 1.4 |plus/minus = +0.9 |seats % = 0.0 |votes % = 0.8 |plus/minus = -0.1 |seats % = 0.0 |votes % = 0.2 |plus/minus = +0.2 |seats % = 0.0 |votes % = 0.1 |plus/minus = +0.0 |seats % = 0.0 |votes % = 0.1 |plus/minus = +0.0 |seats % = 0.0 |votes % = 0.05 |plus/minus = +0.05

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:

Ward results

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References

References

1. "Leeds". [[BBC News Online]].
2. (8 April 2002). "Parties name election candidates". [[Yorkshire Evening Post]].
3. (17 April 2002). "Opponents line-up for battle at polls". [[Yorkshire Evening Post]].
4. (29 April 2002). "Parties set for a tight election battle in city". [[Yorkshire Evening Post]].
5. Walker, David. (3 May 2002). "Local Elections: Postal voting increases turnout by 28%: Ballots: Participation higher in BNP areas candidates". [[The Guardian]].
6. (3 May 2002). "Labour’s grip loosened .. but stays strong". [[Yorkshire Evening Post]].
7. "Leeds City Council elections - May 2nd 2002". Leeds City Council.
8. (3 May 2002). "Local Elections: Results". [[The Guardian]].