Map of the results of the 2008 Worcester council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red, independents in light grey and Liberal Democrats in yellow. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2008.

The 2008 Worcester City Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Worcester City Council in Worcestershire, 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:

Campaign

Before the election the Conservatives ran the council as a minority administration,[3] and required one extra seat in order to win a majority.[4] They had lost their majority after Labour gained a seat from them in a by-election in 2007.[5] 12 seats were up for election with 5 Conservative, 4 Labour, 2 independent and 1 Liberal Democrat seats being contested.[6] The Conservatives only contested 10 of the 12 seats after they decided not to oppose the two independents who were up for re-election in Nunnery and St John wards, however both they and the independent councillors denied that any deal had been done.[7]

Three members of the Shadow Cabinet, including the Shadow Chancellor George Osborne, visited Worcester to campaign for the Conservatives.[8]

Election result

The results saw the council remain without any party having a majority with the Conservatives continuing to run the administration.[9] They had come within 28 votes of winning in Arboretum ward but Labour's Joy Squires held the seat.[10]

The Green Party contested ten of the twelve seats, falling back slightly overall from 9.2 to 8.5% of the vote. Its claim of 10% related to the seats it contested. While it failed to win a seat, its best results were in the Rainbow Hill and Cathedral wards, where it scored 23.3 and 18.6% respectively.[11]

Worcester Local Election Result 2008[12]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 5 0 0 0 41.7 37.4 7,868 -5.5%
  Labour 4 0 0 0 33.3 28.4 5,982 +3.1%
  Independent 2 0 0 0 16.7 10.3 2,164 +5.5%
  Liberal Democrats 1 0 0 0 8.3 10.5 2,215 -2.5%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 8.5 1,790 -1.2%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 4.3 899 +0.6%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 0.7 146 +0.1%

Ward results

Arboretum[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joy Squires 728 39.2 -4.0
Conservative David Wilkinson 700 37.7 +8.3
Liberal Democrats Ken Carpenter 157 8.5 -4.5
Green Martin Sullivan 138 7.4 -0.2
BNP Jack Amos 134 7.2 +7.2
Majority 28 1.5 -12.3
Turnout 1,857 41.0 -1.0
Labour hold Swing
Battenhall[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Rowden 1,021 64.9 +7.9
Labour Lian Rees 341 21.7 +0.7
Green Jan Dyer 211 13.4 +3.8
Majority 680 43.2 +7.2
Turnout 1,573 38.4 -4.7
Conservative hold Swing
Bedwardine[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Prodger 1,369 63.5 +7.1
Labour Christopher Winwood 350 16.2 -4.4
Liberal Democrats Vaughan Hencher 240 11.1 -2.7
Green Clive Matthews 198 9.2 +0.1
Majority 1,019 47.3 +11.5
Turnout 2,157 34.5 -2.8
Conservative hold Swing
Cathedral[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis Lankester 1,154 56.0 +5.0
Labour Rachel Hall 521 25.3 +3.7
Green Louis Stephen 384 18.6 +4.5
Majority 633 30.7 +1.3
Turnout 2,059 30.3 -4.9
Conservative hold Swing
Claines[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Sue Askin 1,551 53.1 -1.6
Conservative Nicholas Turner 1,005 34.4 +3.4
Green Peter Robinson 195 6.7 +0.1
Labour Jane McCann 171 5.9 -1.8
Majority 546 18.7 -5.0
Turnout 2,922 45.0 -4.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Gorse Hill[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Berry 515 45.3 +1.3
BNP Lee Hancock 282 24.8 +0.3
Conservative David Nolan 243 21.4 +6.6
Green Linda Smith 98 8.6 +3.0
Majority 233 20.5 +1.0
Turnout 1,138 27.0 -6.0
Labour hold Swing
Nunnery[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Michael Layland 1,115 48.1 +17.4
Labour Vanessa Mann 707 30.5 -4.7
BNP Tom Amos 353 15.2 +2.5
Green Alexander Gwinn 141 6.1 +0.2
Majority 408 17.6
Turnout 2,316 39.0 +0.6
Independent hold Swing
Rainbow Hill[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Adrian Gregson 443 44.1 -4.6
Conservative Lesley Auden 327 32.6 +12.7
Green Ruth Stafford 234 23.3 -8.1
Majority 116 11.5 -5.8
Turnout 1,004 24.2 -0.9
Labour hold Swing
St Clement[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Simon Geraghty 876 51.9 +2.5
Labour Richard Bird 451 26.7 +3.7
UKIP John Butterfield 146 8.7 +8.7
BNP Peter Beechey 130 7.7 -8.1
Green Olaf Twiehaus 84 5.0 -6.8
Majority 425 25.2 -1.2
Turnout 1,687 37.7 -1.8
Conservative hold Swing
St John[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Margaret Layland 1,049 53.7 +37.8
Labour Richard Udall 905 46.3 +4.0
Majority 144 7.4
Turnout 1,954 33.9 -0.6
Independent hold Swing
St Stephen[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Burton 802 57.7 -2.3
Liberal Democrats Eddie Hartley 267 19.2 +6.6
Labour George Squires 215 15.5 -3.8
Green Penelope Asquith 107 7.7 -0.5
Majority 535 38.5 -2.2
Turnout 1,391 34.3 -3.1
Conservative hold Swing
Warndon[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Amos 635 63.1 +10.0
Conservative Robert Campbell 371 36.9 +8.1
Majority 264 26.2 +1.9
Turnout 1,006 25.6 +0.8
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Worcester". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  2. ^ "Local elections: Results: Voters in the cities and the shires have their say in the ballot box". The Guardian. 2 May 2008. p. 7.
  3. ^ Watt, Nicholas (2 May 2008). "Local elections: From south to north, seats fall to Cameron: Prediction that Tories will claim 44% of council vote, with Labour down to 24%". The Guardian. p. 6.
  4. ^ "Cameron to claim a Tory renaissance". Financial Times. 2 May 2008. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Key battles for local councils". BBC News Online. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  6. ^ "Politicians wait for the verdict from the voters". Stourbridge News. 1 May 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Tories deny 'dirty deals' to hang on to council seats". Malvern Gazette. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Conservative top gun visits city". Stourbridge News. 18 April 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  9. ^ Walker, Jonathan (2 May 2008). "My blue Brum". Birmingham Post. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Tories stay in control". Stourbridge News. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  11. ^ "Worcester City Council results May 2008". Worcestershire Green Party. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Election Results May 1st 2008". Worcester City Council. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
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