Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election, 2004

The 2004 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council in West Yorkshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003.^[1] The Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.^[2]

Campaign

Before the election Labour held 50 of the 63 seats on the council and this was seen as being an insummountable majority for the other parties.^[3] However the Conservatives stood a full slate of 63 candidates and were hopeful of making gains due to dissatisfaction among Labour supporters.^[3] The British National Party stood 12 candidates in the election, a substantial increase on the 2 they had stood in the 2003 election but not the 20 candidates the party had been hoping to stand.^[4][5] Other candidates included 19 Liberal Democrats, 18 independents, 5 Socialist Alternative, 3 from the United Kingdom Independence Party and 1 Green Party.^[3] All postal voting in the election was expected to increase turnout, which was seen by analysts as making the results difficult to predict.^[3]

Election result

The results saw Labour lose 7 seats but remained firmly in control of the council with 43 of the 63 seats.^[6] The Conservatives gained 4 and the independents 3, with the gains for the independents in Featherstone being put down to the closure of a local swimming pool.^[6][7] The Liberal Democrats held their 3 seats in Ossett but neither they nor the British National Party made any gains.^[7] Overall voter turnout was 39.6%.^[8]

Labour saw the results as not being as bad as they could have been given the losses the party was suffering nationally, which was put down to improved services and listening to local people.^[7] Meanwhile, the Conservatives were disappointed that they had not made more gains.^[7]

Ward results

References

Council elections in West Yorkshire
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Leeds City Council	1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
West Yorkshire County Council	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
West Riding County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

(2003 ←)   United Kingdom local elections, 2004   (→ 2005)
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Unitary authorities	Blackburn with Darwen Derby Halton Hartlepool Kingston upon Hull Milton Keynes North East Lincolnshire Peterborough Plymouth Portsmouth Reading Slough Southampton Southend-on-Sea Stoke-on-Trent Swindon Thurrock Warrington Wokingham
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Referendum	Northern England devolution
See also: European Parliament election