The 2003 Torridge District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of TorridgeDistrict Council in Devon, England. The whole council was up for election after boundary changes and the council stayed under no overall control.[1][2]
Election result
A newly formed group called the Community Alliance gained 9 seats on the council and they were among 17 new councillors on the council.[3][4] Among the gains for the Community Alliance were 3 seats in Northamward, a seat in Bideford South from Labour and a gain from an independent in Westward Ho!.[2] None of the candidates for the Community Alliance were sitting councillors and the group said it aimed to "keep party politics out of local government".[2]
Meanwhile, Labour lost both their 2 seats on the council, while the Conservatives and Greens regained 1 seat each.[2] 8 councillors were elected without facing any opposition, but this was down from 9 at the 1999 election and 13 in 1995.[5] Overall turnout at the election was 38.4%, up from 36.1% in 1999.[6]
A by-election was held in Bideford South on 4 December 2003 after the former leader of the council, Liberal Democrat Mervyn Lane, resigned from the council due to ill health.[8]
Bideford South by-election 4 December 2003[8][9][10]