The 2003 Babergh District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Babergh District Council in Suffolk, England.[1] This was on the same day as other local elections.
Summary
Election result
| 2003 Babergh District Council election[2] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidates | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
| Liberal Democrats | 26 | 18 | N/A | N/A |  5 |
41.9 | 39.8 | 11,025 | +9.3 | |
| Conservative | 27 | 11 | N/A | N/A | 1 |
25.6 | 34.1 | 9,440 | +4.2 | |
| Independent | 11 | 8 | N/A | N/A |  6 |
18.6 | 13.4 | 3,713 | –9.5 | |
| Labour | 11 | 6 | N/A | N/A | 1 |
14.0 | 10.4 | 2,885 | –6.3 | |
| Green | 1 | 0 | N/A | N/A |  |
0.0 | 1.1 | 315 | N/A | |
| UKIP | 2 | 0 | N/A | N/A | |
0.0 | 1.1 | 309 | N/A | |
3 Conservatives, 3 Independents and 2 Liberal Democrats were elected unopposed.
Ward results
Incumbent councillors standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*). Changes in seats do not take into account by-elections or defections.
Alton
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | David Wood* | 686 | 58.9 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Duncan Read* | 587 | 50.4 | ||
| Independent | Kenneth Felstead | 380 | 32.6 | ||
| Conservative | Patricia Cave | 305 | 26.2 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,164 | 37.3 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,120 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Berners
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Wendy Sadler | 856 | 79.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Penny Clarke* | 723 | 67.1 | ||
| Conservative | Peter Burgoyne | 267 | 24.8 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,078 | 35.7 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,016 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Boxford
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Bryn Hurren* | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,730 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Brett Vale
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Desmond Keane | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,634 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Independent | |||||
Brook
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Peter Jones* | 611 | 56.4 | ||
| Conservative | Nicholas Ridley | 492 | 45.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Dale Cartwright | 471 | 43.4 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,084 | 34.8 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,114 | ||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Bures St. Mary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Holbrook* | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,408 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Chadacre
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | James Long* | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,553 | ||||
| Independent hold | |||||
Dodnash
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Michael Miller | 753 | 44.2 | ||
| Conservative | John Hinton | 634 | 37.3 | ||
| Green | Ian St John | 315 | 18.5 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,260 | 44.5 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,831 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Glemsford & Stanstead
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Rex Thake* | Unopposed | |||
| Independent | Len Young* | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 2,901 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
Great Cornard North
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Anthony Bavington* | 280 | 38.5 | ||
| Labour | Neil MacMaster | 262 | 36.0 | ||
| Conservative | Carol Beer | 253 | 34.8 | ||
| Conservative | David Thomas | 218 | 30.0 | ||
| UKIP | Derek Allen | 195 | 26.8 | ||
| Turnout | ~673 | 22.1 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,045 | ||||
| Labour hold | |||||
| Labour hold | |||||
Great Cornard South
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Beer | 371 | 44.4 | ||
| Conservative | Humphrey Todd | 353 | 42.2 | ||
| Labour | Susan Gibson | 234 | 28.0 | ||
| Labour | Patrick Treacy* | 215 | 25.7 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Richard Platt | 117 | 14.0 | ||
| UKIP | Cynthia Allen | 114 | 13.6 | ||
| Turnout | ~734 | 24.6 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,986 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | |||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | |||||
Hadleigh North
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | James Quinlan | 360 | 34.5 | ||
| Labour | Keith Grimsey | 317 | 30.4 | ||
| Independent | Eileen Banks* | 269 | 25.8 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Matthews | 260 | 24.9 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Ann Stephenson* | 251 | 24.1 | ||
| Conservative | Pat White | 154 | 14.8 | ||
| Turnout | ~866 | 29.9 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,896 | ||||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Hadleigh South
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | David Grutchfield* | 644 | 48.5 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Jean Chapman | 369 | 27.8 | ||
| Independent | Jan Byrne | 266 | 20.0 | ||
| Conservative | Sheila Webb | 232 | 17.5 | ||
| Labour | Penelope Cook | 186 | 14.0 | ||
| Labour | Susan Monks | 151 | 11.4 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,015 | 34.4 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,951 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Holbrook
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | David Rose | 380 | 57.2 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Annette Steggles | 284 | 42.8 | ||
| Majority | 96 | 14.5 | |||
| Turnout | 664 | 43.9 | |||
| Registered electors | 1,517 | ||||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Lavenham
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Roberts* | 506 | 73.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Fiona Jenkins | 187 | 27.0 | ||
| Majority | 319 | 46.0 | |||
| Turnout | 693 | 45.3 | |||
| Registered electors | 1,535 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Leavenheath
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Jennifer Jenkins | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,439 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Long Melford
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Richard Kemp* | 800 | 65.0 | ||
| Independent | John Brand* | 571 | 46.4 | ||
| Conservative | David Burch | 430 | 35.0 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,069 | 34.3 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,118 | ||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| Independent hold | |||||
Lower Brett
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Susan Wigglesworth* | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,685 | ||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
Mid Samford
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Susan Carpendale* | 781 | 50.1 | ||
| Conservative | Gerald White | 778 | 49.9 | ||
| Conservative | David Yorke-Edwards | 648 | 41.5 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Leonard Johnson* | 633 | 40.6 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,481 | 45.3 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,271 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Nayland
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Hunt | 428 | 50.5 | ||
| Conservative | John Cave* | 420 | 49.5 | ||
| Majority | 8 | 0.9 | |||
| Turnout | 848 | 53.9 | |||
| Registered electors | 1,582 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
North Cosford
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Clive Arthey* | 436 | 54.3 | ||
| Conservative | Dick Sands | 367 | 45.7 | ||
| Majority | 69 | 8.6 | |||
| Turnout | 803 | 45.4 | |||
| Registered electors | 1,793 | ||||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Pinewood
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | David Busby | 358 | 58.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Kerr | 309 | 50.4 | ||
| Conservative | Colin Hurcombe | 255 | 41.6 | ||
| Turnout | ~625 | 18.7 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,345 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
South Cosford
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Brian Lazenby* | 438 | 62.1 | ||
| Conservative | Joyce Jardine | 267 | 37.9 | ||
| Majority | 171 | 24.2 | |||
| Turnout | 705 | 42.0 | |||
| Registered electors | 1,691 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Sudbury East
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Owen | 396 | 37.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Albert Pearce | 343 | 32.1 | ||
| Conservative | Sylvia Byham* | 331 | 30.9 | ||
| Turnout | ~846 | 26.6 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,181 | ||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | |||||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | |||||
Sudbury North
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Sayers* | 412 | 43.5 | ||
| Labour | Nicholas Irwin* | 322 | 34.0 | ||
| Conservative | Raymond Smith | 303 | 32.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Andrew Welsh | 214 | 22.6 | ||
| Turnout | ~745 | 24.2 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,078 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Labour hold | |||||
Sudbury South
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Nigel Bennett | 381 | 46.3 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Martyn Booth* | 365 | 44.4 | ||
| Conservative | Peter Goodchild | 280 | 34.0 | ||
| Labour | David Regester | 162 | 19.7 | ||
| Turnout | ~742 | 23.1 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,199 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | |||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
Waldingfield
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Colin Spence* | 664 | 53.1 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Frances Bates | 587 | 46.9 | ||
| Conservative | David Jardine | 500 | 39.9 | ||
| Turnout | ~1,101 | 34.2 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,220 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | |||||
References
- ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Babergh District Council Election Results 1973-2011" (PDF). electionscentre.co.uk. Plymouth University, Plymouth: The Elections Centre. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Compositions calculator". electionscentre.co.uk. Plymouth University: The Elections Centre. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
