The 2003 Harlow District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of HarlowDistrict Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]
A total of 36 candidates stood for the 11 seats that were being contested, with the councillors who got the lowest number of votes from the 2002 election defending their seats.[3] One Labour councillor, John Cave, stood down at the election after 32 years, while 3 former Labour councillors and 1 former Liberal Democrat councillor attempted to regain seats.[3] Among the councillors defending their seats was the Conservative group leader Andrew Johnson in Sumners and Kingsmoor ward.[3]
There was no change in the party situation on the council with no party gaining a majority.[4] The closest result was in Bush Fair ward where Liberal Democrat Chris Millington held the seat by 39 votes, but the Liberal Democrat council chairman Nick Macy was not re-elected after contesting the Labour held seat in Little Parndon and Hare Street.[5] Overall turnout at the election was 29%.[6]
However an enquiry was started after the election as 3,279 postal votes had to be rejected as they did not have an official mark on them.[7]