2004 Bedford Borough Council election

The 2004 Bedford Borough Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Bedford Borough Council in England.^[1] This was on the same day as other local elections.

Results were seen as a setback for elected Mayor Frank Branston, as councillors who had defected to his Better Bedford Party such as Patrick Naughton in Goldington were defeated.^[2]

Prior to the election, one councillor left the Conservative group to sit as an independent.^{[citation needed]}

Summary

Election result

2004 Bedford Borough Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
Party		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Conservative	5	1	27.8	11	16	29.6	11,488	32.3	+3.6
	Labour	6	2	33.3	9	15	27.8	8,170	23.0	+4.2
	Liberal Democrats	5	1	27.8	8	13	24.1	9,867	27.7	+3.3
	Better Bedford Party	1	1	5.6	5	6	11.1	3,008	8.5	–10.3
	Independent	1	1	5.6	3	4	7.4	603	1.7	–6.1
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	1,661	4.7	N/A
	UKIP	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	523	1.5	N/A
	Green	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	227	0.6	–0.1
	The Consensus	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	16	<0.1	N/A

Ward results

^[3]

Brickhill

Brickhill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew McConnell*	1,584	48.2	+0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Fitzpatrick	1,377	41.9	+2.0
	Labour	Rebecca Chowdhury	211	6.4	-5.3
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Nicholas Pape	117	3.6	N/A
Majority			207	6.3
Turnout			3,289	49.9
Registered electors			6,598
	Conservative hold		Swing

Bromham

Bromham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Ashby	1,582	66.4	-7.1
	Liberal Democrats	Stelios Mores	432	18.1	+1.9
	Labour	Yanina Jones	248	10.4	-1.9
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Sarah Taylor	122	5.1	N/A
Majority			1,150	48.2
Turnout			2,384	40.7
Registered electors			5,864
	Conservative hold		Swing

Castle

Castle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Better Bedford Party	Peter Chiswell*	1,127	44.3	+2.3
	Labour	Jane Caldwell	624	24.5	-15.3
	Liberal Democrats	Pierrette Lob-Levyt	324	12.7	+1.5
	Conservative	Michael Williams	303	11.9	-30.1
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Glenn Farrar	105	4.1	N/A
	Green	Saul Keyworth	62	2.4	N/A
Majority			503	19.8
Turnout			2,545	41.8
Registered electors			6,092
	Better Bedford Party gain from Conservative		Swing

Cauldwell

Cauldwell
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Randolph Charles*	937	51.8	-9.4
	Conservative	Katherine Stacey	393	21.7	+9.7
	Liberal Democrats	Barry Bentham	327	18.1	+2.9
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Janet Bartram	153	8.5	N/A
Majority			544	30.1
Turnout			1,810	30.5
Registered electors			5,929
	Labour hold		Swing

Clapham

Clapham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Mollie Foster*	603	37.1	-23.3
	Conservative	Frederick Sparrow	525	32.3	-28.1
	Labour	Terence Carroll	230	14.1	-3.4
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Lawson	202	12.4	+4.1
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Paul Dempsey	66	4.1	N/A
Majority			78	4.8
Turnout			1,626	38.1
Registered electors			4,263
	Independent gain from Conservative		Swing

De Parys

De Parys
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tarsem Paul	748	42.7	-0.7
	Liberal Democrats	John Ryan*	648	37.0	-8.1
	Better Bedford Party	Michael Mawson	178	10.2	N/A
	Labour	Marilyn Leask	140	8.0	-2.6
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Deba Choudhury	36	2.1	N/A
Majority			100	5.7
Turnout			1,750	42.8
Registered electors			4,086
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

Eastcotts

Eastcotts
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Christine McHugh*	569	61.5	+7.1
	Conservative	Paul Chetcuti	267	28.9	-10.5
	Labour	Franca Garrick	47	5.1	-1.1
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Vivian Suter	42	4.5	N/A
Majority			302	32.6
Turnout			925	43.3
Registered electors			2,137
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Goldington

Goldington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Merryman	1,076	44.8	-15.3
	Better Bedford Party	Patrick Naughton*	661	27.5	-32.6
	Labour	Timothy Caswell	313	13.0	-9.0
	Conservative	Alan Cassan	303	12.6	±0.0
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Francesca Ariano	33	1.4	N/A
	The Consensus	Dirk Bruere	16	0.7	N/A
Majority			415	17.3
Turnout			2,402	37.7
Registered electors			6,370
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Great Barford

Great Barford
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Harrison*	1,152	63.9	+9.7
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Stekelis	296	16.4	+8.8
	Labour	Pauline Curl	212	11.8	-4.5
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Rita Robinson	144	8.0	N/A
Majority			856	47.5
Turnout			1,804	44.1
Registered electors			4,089
	Conservative hold		Swing

Harpur

Harpur
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Colleen Atkins	889	41.7	+3.0
	Conservative	Brian Dillingham*	638	29.9	-11.9
	Better Bedford Party	Alberto Thomas	285	13.4	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Melanie Parra-Whitehead	177	8.3	-2.7
	Green	Jennifer Foley	113	5.3	-5.2
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Brian Gibbons	32	1.5	N/A
Majority			251	11.8
Turnout			2,134	35.7
Registered electors			5,974
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Kempston East

Kempston East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Lewis	707	42.8	+1.2
	Conservative	Eileen Whitmore**	454	27.5	-18.6
	Better Bedford Party	Mary Stupple	281	17.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Joan Slater	161	9.7	+3.0
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Janet Suter	50	3.0	N/A
Majority			253	15.3
Turnout			1,653	37.4
Registered electors			4,425
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Eileen Whitmore was a sitting councillor in Bromham ward.

Kempston North

Kempston North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ray Oliver	611	43.3	-12.6
	Conservative	Mark Smith	456	32.3	-3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Gerard	161	11.4	+0.1
	Better Bedford Party	Gurminder Singh	136	9.6	N/A
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Christine Richards	48	3.4	N/A
Majority			155	11.0
Turnout			1,412	35.5
Registered electors			3,980
	Labour hold		Swing

Kempston South

Kempston South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Hunt*	804	45.1	+6.1
	Conservative	Jagdish Singh	437	24.5	+10.4
	Liberal Democrats	Timothy Hill	348	19.5	+8.0
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Barbara Lowden-Smith	193	10.8	N/A
Majority			367	20.6
Turnout			1,782	31.7
Registered electors			5,615
	Labour hold		Swing

Kingsbrook

Kingsbrook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Dave Hodgson*	1,067	52.4	+9.8
	Labour	Elizabeth Luder	551	27.1	-13.1
	Conservative	Barbara Purbrick	280	13.8	+2.8
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Charlene Tillotson	138	6.8	N/A
Majority			516	25.3
Turnout			2,036	31.0
Registered electors			6,564
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Newnham

Newnham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Whitehead	465	30.0	-0.4
	Conservative	Colin Crane*	461	29.8	-7.3
	Better Bedford Party	Edward Davey	340	22.0	N/A
	Labour	June McDonald	203	13.1	-15.4
	Green	Chris Davies	52	3.4	N/A
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Betty Stapleton	27	1.7	N/A
Majority			4	0.3
Turnout			1,548	38.4
Registered electors			4,035
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Putnoe

Putnoe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Linda Weerasirie	1,277	43.6	+2.4
	Conservative	Peter Allen	814	27.8	+1.5
	UKIP	Mark Adkin	523	17.8	-7.5
	Labour	Charan Sekhon	211	7.2	-2.9
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Robert Wane	105	3.6	N/A
Majority			463	15.8
Turnout			2,930	44.0
Registered electors			6,659
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Queens Park

Queens Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Muhummad Khan*	1,078	57.8	-5.3
	Liberal Democrats	Neal Bath	348	18.6	+8.6
	Conservative	Atul Sikand	302	16.2	+31
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Roland Warder	138	7.4	N/A
Majority			730	39.1
Turnout			1,866	39.2
Registered electors			4,771
	Labour hold		Swing

Wootton

Wootton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Tait	789	47.3	+11.9
	Liberal Democrats	Michael Murphy	612	36.7	+5.5
	Labour	Adrien Beardmore	154	9.2	-0.2
	Association of Bedfordshire Citizens	Stewart Lister	112	6.7	N/A
Majority			177	10.6
Turnout			1,667	40.5
Registered electors			4,116
	Conservative gain from Independent		Swing

References

^ "Results 1973 to 2012" (PDF). Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
^ "Local Elections: Bedford". BBC. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ "Borough Election Results 2004". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 8 January 2024.

[1] "Results 1973 to 2012" (PDF). Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 14 February 2023.

[2] "Local Elections: Bedford". BBC. Retrieved 8 January 2024.

[3] "Borough Election Results 2004". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 8 January 2024.

v t e Council elections in Bedfordshire
Bedford Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2009 2011 2015 2019 2023
Central Bedfordshire Council	2009 2011 2015 2019 2023
Luton Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1996 1998 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Bedfordshire 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 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 Abolished
Mid Bedfordshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Abolished
South Bedfordshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

v t e (2003 ←) 2004 United Kingdom local elections (→ 2005)
Metropolitan boroughs	Barnsley Birmingham Bolton Bradford Bury Calderdale Coventry Doncaster Dudley Gateshead Kirklees Knowsley Leeds Liverpool Manchester Newcastle upon Tyne North Tyneside Oldham Rochdale Rotherham Salford Sandwell Sefton Sheffield Solihull South Tyneside St Helens Stockport Sunderland Tameside Trafford Wakefield Walsall Wigan Wirral Wolverhampton
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
District councils (England)	Adur Amber Valley Barrow-in-Furness Basildon Basingstoke and Deane Bassetlaw Bedford Brentwood Broadland Broxbourne Burnley Cambridge Cannock Chase Carlisle Castle Point Cheltenham Cherwell Chester Chorley Colchester Congleton Craven Crawley Crewe and Nantwich Daventry Eastbourne Eastleigh Ellesmere Port and Neston Elmbridge Epping Forest Exeter Fareham Gloucester Gosport Great Yarmouth Harlow Harrogate Hart Hastings Havant Hertsmere Huntingdonshire Hyndburn Ipswich Lincoln Macclesfield Maidstone Mole Valley Newcastle-under-Lyme North Hertfordshire Norwich Nuneaton and Bedworth Oxford Pendle Penwith Preston Purbeck Redditch Reigate and Banstead Rochford Rossendale Rugby Runnymede Rushmoor Shrewsbury and Atcham South Bedfordshire South Cambridgeshire South Lakeland St Albans Stevenage Stratford-on-Avon Stroud Swale Tamworth Tandridge Three Rivers Tunbridge Wells Watford Waveney Welwyn Hatfield West Lancashire West Lindsey West Oxfordshire Weymouth and Portland Winchester Woking Worcester Worthing Wyre Forest
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Referendum	North East England devolution
See also: European Parliament election