2003 Colchester Borough Council election

Don Quinn (St Andrew's) left the Labour group to sit as an Independent, whilst Phillip Hawkins (Wivenhoe Cross) resigned his seat after moving to Scotland.

[3] The council was run by a cabinet comprising 3 Conservatives, 3 Liberal Democrats and 1 Labour members.

[3] The remaining 20 seats all had the sitting councillors defending their seats and included the Labour group leader Tim Young in St Andrew's and the Conservative mayor Nigel Chapman in Fordham and Stour.

[3] Meanwhile, in Highwoods, Ian Ringer, defended the seat as an independent after leaving the Liberal Democrats earlier in 2003.

[6][7][8] Three of the single-seat wards (Dedham & Langham, East Donyland, Marks Tey) were not up for election this year.

Map of the results of the 2003 Colchester council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red and independents in light grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2003.