| Election Name: | 2003 Harlow District Council election |
| Type: | Parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Party Colour: | yes |
| Previous Election: | 2002 Harlow District Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Next Election: | 2004 Harlow District Council election |
| Next Year: | 2004 |
| Seats For Election: | 11 of the 33 seats to Harlow District Council |
| Majority Seats: | 17 |
| Election Date: | 1 May 2003 |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Seats Before1: | 12 |
| Seats1: | 4 |
| Seat Change1: | 0 |
| Seats After1: | 12 |
| Popular Vote1: | 4,610 |
| Percentage1: | 32.7% |
| Party2: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Seats Before2: | 12 |
| Seats2: | 4 |
| Seat Change2: | 0 |
| Seats After2: | 12 |
| Popular Vote2: | 3,915 |
| Percentage2: | 27.8% |
| Party3: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Seats Before3: | 9 |
| Seats3: | 3 |
| Seat Change3: | 0 |
| Seats After3: | 9 |
| Popular Vote3: | 5,394 |
| Percentage3: | 38.3% |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Council control | |
| Posttitle: | Council control after election |
| Before Election: | No overall control |
| After Election: | No overall control |
The 2003 Harlow District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]
After the election, the composition of the council was
Before the election both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had 12 councillors, while Labour had 9 seats.[3]
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]