2008 West Lancashire District Council election

The 2008 West Lancashire District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of West Lancashire District Council in Lancashire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

Main article: West Lancashire Borough Council elections
Map of the results of the 2008 West Lancashire council election. Conservatives in blue and Labour in red. Wards in grey were not contested in 2008.

After the election, the composition of the council was:

PartySeats  ±  
Conservative35+2
Labour18-2
Independent10

[2]

Campaign

Before the election, in which 19 seats were being contested, the Conservatives ran the council with 33 of the 52 seats.[3] The seat in Tanhouse was being contested after the death of Labour councillor Sally Keegan in December 2007,[2] while Conservative Martin Forshaw was unopposed in Hesketh with Becconsall.[4] The Conservatives were strongly favoured to remain in control and were particularly targeting the last Labour held seat in Burscough.[3]

The Conservatives campaigned on plans to regenerate Skelmersdale, build new council offices on a site in Ormskirk and a pledge to keep council tax rises as low as possible.[3]

Election result

The results saw the Conservatives increase their control of the council after making 2 gains from Labour.[2] They gained the seats of Burscough West and Up Holland, with the margin of victory in Up Holland being only 3 votes after 2 recounts were required.[2] Labour also only held the Tanhouse seat by 34 votes after a recount.[2] The results meant the Conservatives had 35 seats compared to 18 for Labour and 1 independent.[2] Overall turnout in the election was 30.51%.[5]

The Conservative council leader, Geoff Roberts, saw the results as a sign they could take the parliamentary seat in the next general election, while Labour blamed their defeats on national issues.[4]

West Lancashire Local Election Result 2008[5]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 12 2 0 +2 63.2 54.2 11,101 +1.4%
  Labour 7 0 2 -2 36.8 36.8 7,543 -1.1%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 4.2 857 +3.3%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 3.1 638 -0.5%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 1.6 336 +0.3%

Ward results

Ashurst
Ashurst[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoff Roberts 533 51.2 -17.0
Conservative James Coomber 302 29.0 -2.8
UKIP Roy Green 207 19.9 +19.9
Majority 231 22.2 -14.3
Turnout 1,042 21.5 +0.4
Labour hold Swing

Aughton and Downholland
Aughton and Downholland[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Una Atherley 1,073 65.0 -7.1
Labour Julie Gibson 302 18.3 -9.6
UKIP Jim Bevan 276 16.7 +16.7
Majority 771 46.7 +2.6
Turnout 1,651 36.7 +0.8
Conservative hold Swing

Birch Green
Birch Green[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mary Pendleton 394 75.9 -5.5
Conservative Malcolm Barron 125 24.1 +5.5
Majority 269 51.8 -11.0
Turnout 519 17.1 +0.2
Labour hold Swing

Burscough East
Burscough East[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Pratt 737 65.6 -0.6
Labour Kate Anderson 386 34.4 +0.6
Majority 351 31.3 -1.1
Turnout 1,123 34.6 -3.4
Conservative hold Swing

Burscough West
Burscough West[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jason Grice 853 58.6 +2.7
Labour Cynthia Dereli 602 41.4 -2.7
Majority 251 17.3 +2.5
Turnout 1,455 37.0 +0.0
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Derby
Derby[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Adrian Owens 904 61.8 +4.6
Labour Alexander Gilmore 336 23.0 -3.5
Green Anne Doyle 223 15.2 -1.1
Majority 568 38.8 +8.1
Turnout 1,463 29.1 -2.0
Conservative hold Swing

Digmoor
Digmoor[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terence Aldridge 515 76.5 -3.3
Conservative Graham Jones 158 23.5 +3.3
Majority 357 53.0 -6.7
Turnout 673 21.6 +0.5
Labour hold Swing

Halsall
Halsall[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Doreen Stephenson 395 64.4 +9.0
Independent David Corfield 152 24.8 -19.8
Labour Susan Jones 66 10.8 +10.8
Majority 243 39.6 +28.8
Turnout 613 34.6 -12.4
Conservative hold Swing

Hesketh-with-Becconsall
Hesketh-with-Becconsall[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Martin Forshaw unopposed
Conservative hold Swing

Knowsley
Knowsley[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Lea 1,003 63.8 +8.0
Labour Ann Rice 357 22.7 -9.2
Green John Watt 211 13.4 +1.0
Majority 646 41.1 +17.2
Turnout 1,571 35.4 +0.3
Conservative hold Swing

Moorside
Moorside[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christopher Mawdsley 478 74.5 -5.2
Conservative Richard Shepherd 164 25.5 +5.2
Majority 314 48.9 -10.5
Turnout 642 22.7 +0.9
Labour hold Swing

Rufford
Rufford[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joan Colling 524 84.8 +7.1
Labour Jacqueline Citarella 94 15.2 -7.1
Majority 430 69.6 +14.2
Turnout 618 37.6 -9.7
Conservative hold Swing

Scott
Scott[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cyril Ainscough 861 55.7 +8.4
Labour Noel Delaney 482 31.2 -3.1
Green Maurice George 204 13.2 +2.0
Majority 379 24.5 +11.5
Turnout 1,547 34.8 -1.8
Conservative hold Swing

Skelmersdale North
Skelmersdale North[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Neil Furey '563 62.9 -14.4
Independent Joan Morrison 184 20.6 +20.6
Conservative Dave Rydings 148 16.5 -6.2
Majority 379 42.3 -12.2
Turnout 895 29.0 +1.3
Labour hold Swing

Skelmersdale South
Skelmersdale South[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sydney Jones 778 66.7 -6.5
Conservative Joanne Rushton 389 33.3 +6.5
Majority 389 33.3 -13.0
Turnout 1,167 23.3 -0.7
Labour hold Swing

Tanhouse
Tanhouse[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Nikki Hennessy 402 52.2 -8.3
Conservative Cindy Miller 368 47.8 +21.4
Majority 34 4.4 -29.7
Turnout 770 22.7 +3.1
Labour hold Swing

Tarleton
Tarleton[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Mee 1,526 87.7 +18.2
Labour Stephen Hanlon 215 12.3 +3.0
Majority 1,311 75.3 +27.1
Turnout 1,741 38.9 +2.2
Conservative hold Swing

Up Holland
Up Holland[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ruth Pollock 728 43.1 -0.4
Labour Maggie Skilling 725 42.9 -2.2
UKIP Marie Settle 238 14.1 +2.8
Majority 3 0.2
Turnout 1,691 34.4 -0.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Wrightington
Wrightington[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Gartside 843 65.1 +2.2
Labour Pauline Bailey 315 24.3 -12.8
UKIP Iain Routh 136 10.5 +10.5
Majority 528 40.8 +14.9
Turnout 1,294 38.8 -1.4
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "West Lancashire". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  2. "Two wins sees grip tighten". Liverpool Echo. 2 May 2008. p. 5.
  3. "Tories confident of maintaining their grip". Liverpool Daily Post. 25 April 2008. p. 9.
  4. Byrne, Michael (2 May 2008). "Tories 'strong' in W Lancs". Liverpool Daily Post. p. 6.
  5. "Election Summary - District Council Elections 2008". West Lancashire Borough Council. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
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