Slough local elections

Slough is a district in the South East England Region.Slough Borough Council is normally elected by thirds, with Councillors serving a four year term. The Borough Council is a unitary authority.

lough local government historical summary

Slough has been a local government area since 1863.

#Local board of health 1863 - 1894 (a)
#Urban District Council 1894 - 1938
#Municipal Borough Council 1938 - 1974
#Borough Council: (Non-metropolitan district) 1973 - 1998 (b)
#Borough Council: (Unitary authority) 1997 - (c)

"Notes:-"
*"(a) Became an urban sanitary authority in 1875.
*"(b) Shadow authority 1973-1974."
*"(c) Shadow authority 1997-1998."

The Borough is currently divided into fourteen wards of which thirteen elect three members and one returns two. The area was last re-warded in 2004.

Other local elections in Slough

Eton Union Board of Guardians

The parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey was, for poor law purposes, included in the Eton Poor Law Union and represented on its Board of Guardians from 1835. This was the first partially elected local government body including a portion of the area which now forms the modern Borough. The whole parish (which included roughly the modern wards of Central, Chalvey and Upton) elected one Guardian, later rising to two (until 1874) and three thereafter.

Some other parishes, now wholly or partially in the present Borough, were also part of the Eton Union. Langley Marish, to the east of Upton-cum-Chalvey, elected two Guardians in 1835. Wexham to the north had one representative on the Board, as did Stoke Poges (to the north-west), Farnham Royal and Burnham (both to the west).

In 1894, with the establishment of civil parishes and Urban District Councils, Upton-cum-Chalvey was for civil purposes reduced to the part of the traditional parish not then included in Slough (approximately the modern Chalvey ward). It continued to send two members to the Board of Guardians, who also served on the Eton Rural District Council (the part of Eton Union not included in an Urban District Council), until the area was incorporated in Slough Urban District in 1900.

The Slough Urban District area elected two members of the Board of Guardians from 1894 until 1901, when the expanded Urban District returned four Guardians. In 1907 Slough was given six seats on the Board. This representation continued until 1930, when the poor law Unions and Boards of Guardians were abolished and their functions transferred to County Councils.

Buckinghamshire County Council

When elected County Councils were introduced in 1889 Slough returned one County Councillor. In 1904 the enlarged Slough was split into three single-member County Electoral Divisions.

Following the expansion of Slough in 1930-1931 (incorporating approximately the modern Baylis & Stoke ward to the north and the modern Farnham, Haymill, Cippenham Green and Cippenham Meadows wards to the west) the Urban District (from 1938 the Municipal Borough) of Slough continued to be represented in the County Council until the reorganisation of local government led to the abolition of the first Buckinghamshire County Council in 1974.

"Buckinghamshire County Electoral Divisions in Slough 1889-1974"
* 1889-1904 1
* 1904-1931 3
* 1931-1934 4
* 1934-1952 6
* 1952-1974 9

lough and Upton-cum-Chalvey civil parishes

In 1894 the Slough urban sanitary district became a distinct civil parish, as did the rest of Upton-cum-Chalvey. The civil parish of Slough was the same year converted to Slough Urban District.

Upton-cum-Chalvey civil parish elected an eleven member Parish Council, which administered the area until the merger with Slough in 1900. The western part of the Langley Marish area (the whole of which is now approximately the three wards of Foxborough, Kedermister and Langley St Mary's) was also incorporated in the expanded Urban District. The rest of Langley was not added to Slough until the 1930-31 boundary changes.

Berkshire County Council

From 1973 (on a shadow basis) and 1 April 1974 (All Fools Day) (as the substantive County Council) until it was abolished in 1998, Slough was represented on Berkshire County Council. The Borough had expanded again in 1973, to incorporate Britwell and Wexham Court parishes.

"Berkshire County Electoral Divisions in Slough 1973-1998"
* 1973-1985 12 (including one three-member division)
* 1985-1998 11

Modern Parishes in Slough

Slough includes three parish areas within its territory, although most of the borough is unparished.

The parishes of Britwell (the north-west of the Borough, forming part of Britwell ward) and Wexham Court (in the north-east of the Borough, comprising part of Wexham Lea ward) were incorporated in Slough from 1973.

The parish of Colnbrook with Poyle, in the east of the Borough, was the last addition to the Slough local government area from 1 April 1995. The parish and the borough ward of the same name have identical boundaries.

Borough elections from 1997

All English local elections to fill one seat are conducted by the first past the post system. Polls to fill two or more places use the bloc vote method, where each elector has the same number of votes as the vacancies to be filled. The voter is free to cast one vote for each of a number of individual candidates equal to the number of vacancies or fewer if preferred.

The Slough Council election, 1997 was a whole Council election for a new authority. It was the 114th Slough General local authority election (including both elections by thirds and whole Council elections).

Fourteen members (who received the highest vote in each ward) were elected for a full four year term, fourteen members (who finished second in each ward) were to serve for three years and the remaining thirteen Councillors (who had finished third in all the wards except for the two member Colnbrook with Poyle ward) were given two year terms.

The 1997 election took place at the "wrong" point in the normal Borough election cycle. Special arrangements were needed to preserve the usual pattern of a third of the Council being elected for four year terms in each of the non County Council election years. 1997 was a year when English County Council elections took place. To put Slough back on the normal election cycle it was intended that Councillors elected in 1999, 2000 and 2001 should serve three year terms and their successors be elected for four years. This plan was disrupted by the re-warding of Slough.

The whole Council election in 2004 (which followed the re-warding of the town as proposed by a report to the Electoral Commission of June 2002) was the 120th Slough General local authority election. The 121st election took place on 4 May 2006, electing a third of the Council for a four year term.

Political control

Election results by party from 1997

"Note: The 1997 and 2004 elections were for the whole Council. For other elections the overall total, after the election, is given in brackets."

lough Council elections links from 1997

Slough Council election, 1997

Slough Council election, 1999

Slough Council election, 2000

Slough Council election, 2001

Slough Council election, 2002

Slough Council election, 2003

Slough Council election, 2004

Slough Council election, 2006

Slough Council election, 2007

Slough Council election, 2008

By-election results from 1997

"For elections to fill casual vacancies held at the same time as a general election of a third of Councillors see the relevant Council election article."

* "Resignation of Mrs B.L. Lopez (Labour)"

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = D.A. Hewitt
votes = 442
percentage = 60.22
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Mrs M.E. Collins
votes = 206
percentage = 28.07
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = P.L. Bayliss
votes = 86
percentage = 11.72
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 236
percentage = 32.15
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 4,858
percentage = 15.11
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"

* "Death of M.G. Long (Conservative)"

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Mrs J.T. Long
votes = 799
percentage = 59.85
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = B.B. Mittal
votes = 352
percentage = 26.37
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Mrs S.A. Jenkins
votes = 68
percentage = 5.09
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Local
candidate = P.P. Whitmore
votes = 60
percentage = 4.49
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Labour
candidate = D.A.J. Alford
votes = 36
percentage = 2.70
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
candidate = P.E. Bradshaw
votes = 20
percentage = 1.50
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 447
percentage = 33.48
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 4,931
percentage = 27.07
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"

* "Death of Mrs Mavis L. Gallick (Britwellian)"

Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Britwellian Residents
candidate = Patrick Shine
votes = 488
percentage = 53.80
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Ms May Dodds
votes = 262
percentage = 28.89
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Britwellian
candidate = O. Isemia
votes = 157
percentage = 24.92
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 226
percentage = 32.15
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 6,376
percentage = 14.26
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Independent Britwellian Residents
loser = Britwellian
swing = "N/A"

* "Death of Dennis McCarthy (Labour)"

Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Britwellian Residents
candidate = Paul Janik
votes = 539
percentage = 63.49
change = +9.69Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Ms J.R. Rock
votes = 310
percentage = 36.51
change = +7.62Election box majority
votes = 229
percentage = 26.97
change = -5.18Election box turnout
votes = 6,319
percentage = 13.50
change = -0.76Election box gain with party link
winner = Independent Britwellian Residents
loser = Labour Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"

* "Resignation of Mrs P.F. Key (Independent Langley Residents)"

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Diana Victoria Coad
votes = 805
percentage = 50.50
change = +13.79Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Sharanjeet Kaur Sandhu
votes = 682
percentage = 42.79
change = +6.42Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Dominic James Ashford
votes = 107
percentage = 6.71
change = +0.72Election box majority
votes = 123
percentage = 7.72
change = +7.37Election box turnout
votes = ...
percentage = 29.97
change = -8.49Election box gain with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
loser = Independent Langley Residents
swing = "N/A"

References

* "Local newspapers (1863-date) and Slough Borough Council documents at the Robert Taylor Library in Slough"

External links

* [http://www.slough.gov.uk/services/1139.asp] "link to Slough Borough Council site"
* [http://www.lgce.gov.uk/your-area/slough.cfm] "The Boundary Committee for England page about Slough Unitary Authority, with links to pre and post 2004 ward maps"
* [http://users.ox.ac.uk/~peter/workhouse/Eton/Eton.shtml] "Eton Poor Law Union"