2008 Harlow District Council election

The 2008 Harlow District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.[1]

2008 Harlow District Council election
1 May 2008
11 of the 33 seats to Harlow District Council
17 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Labour
Last election 12 8 12
Seats before 13 8 11
Seats won 9 2 0
Seats after 19 8 6
Seat change 6 5
Popular vote 10,372 5,582 4,238
Percentage 50.9% 27.4% 20.8%
  Fourth party
 
Party Independent
Last election 1
Seats before 1
Seats won 0
Seats after 1
Seat change 1
Popular vote 53
Percentage 0.9%
Map showing the results of contested wards in the 2008 Harlow District Council elections.
Council control before election

No overall control

 Council control after election

Conservative

After the election, including the delayed election in Harlow Common, the composition of the council was

Background

After the last election in 2007 both the Conservative and Labour parties had 12 seats, the Liberal Democrats had 8 and there was 1 independent councillor.[3] However, in October 2007 the Conservatives gained a seat from Labour in Toddbrook to move to 13 seats, while Labour dropped to 11.[4]

Before the election the council was run by a coalition between Labour and the Liberal Democrats,[5] which had held power in Harlow since 2004.[6] Among the councillors to stand down at the election were Liberal Democrat Su Lawton of Staple Tye ward and independent, former Conservative, John Paul Goddard of Sumners and Kingsmoor.[7]

The election in Harlow Common ward was delayed until 12 June 2008,[8] after the death of Labour councillor Gregory Peck in April 2008.[9]

Election result

The Conservatives gained a majority on the council after gaining 5 seats on the day of the May election, while Labour lost 4 seats.[10] The Conservatives took seats from Labour in Little Parndon and Hare Street and Toddbrook, from the Liberal Democrats in Netteswell and Staple Tye and from an independent in Sumners and Kingsmoor.[11] This meant the Conservatives took 8 of the 10 seats contested and finished the day with 18 councillors.[11]

Labour failed to win any seats and dropped to 6 councillors after also losing 2 seats to the Liberal Democrats.[11] The Liberal Democrat gains from Labour came in Bush Fair and Mark Hall wards and meant they stayed on 8 councillors.[11] Overall turnout at the election was 33.80%, down from 34.75% at the 2007 election.[8]

The delayed election in Harlow Common took place on 12 June 2008 and the Conservatives gained another seat from Labour with a majority of 331 votes.[6] This increased the Conservative's majority on the council to 5 seats, with them having 19 of the 33 councillors.[6]

Harlow local election result 2008[8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 9 6 0 6 81.8 50.9 10,372 5.1
  Liberal Democrats 2 2 2 18.2 20.8 4,238 0.6
  Labour 0 0 5 5 0 27.4 5,582 4.5
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0.6 115 0.6
  Independent 0 0 1 1 0 0.3 53 0.6

The above totals include the delayed election in Harlow Common on 12 June 2008.

Ward results

Bush Fair
Location of Bush Fair ward
Bush Fair[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Manny Doku 860 41.6 +0.2
Labour Terry Brandon 652 31.6 -6.9
Conservative Michelle Dorling 554 26.8 +6.8
Majority 208 10.0 +7.1
Turnout 2,066 36.2 -0.3
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing

Church Langley
Location of Church Langley ward
Church Langley[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Simon Carter 1,366 76.4
Labour Ken Lawrie 259 14.5
Liberal Democrats Laura Rideout 164 9.2
Majority 1,107 61.9
Turnout 1,789 28.3 +0.4
Conservative hold Swing

Great Parndon
Location of Great Parndon ward
Great Parndon[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Eddie Johnson 1,164 63.8 +8.7
Labour Norman Knight 478 26.2 -7.4
Liberal Democrats Aran Black 182 10.0 -1.3
Majority 686 37.6 +16.1
Turnout 1,824 35.2 -0.9
Conservative hold Swing

Little Parndon and Hare Street
Location of Little Parndon and Hare Street ward
Little Parndon and Hare Street[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Shona Johnson 829 48.8 +9.7
Labour Mike Danvers 708 41.6 -7.6
Liberal Democrats Kuzna Jackson 163 9.6 -2.2
Majority 121 7.2 -2.9
Turnout 1,700 31.7 -2.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Mark Hall
Location of Mark Hall ward
Mark Hall[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Nick Macy 744 36.8 +0.3
Conservative Jane Steer 681 33.6 +6.0
Labour Sean Folan 599 29.6 -6.3
Majority 63 3.2 +2.6
Turnout 2,024 39.9 -1.2
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing

Netteswell
Location of Netteswell ward
Netteswell[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Mark Gough 681 35.6 +2.4
Liberal Democrats Ian Jackson 579 30.2 -1.9
Labour Dennis Palmer 540 28.2 -6.5
UKIP Daniel Balding 115 6.0 +6.0
Majority 102 5.4
Turnout 1,915 35.7 +0.8
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Old Harlow
Location of Old Harlow ward
Old Harlow[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Muriel Jolles 1,129 65.4 +10.9
Labour Paul Sztumpf 373 21.6 -0.6
Liberal Democrats Simon Macneill 225 13.0 +1.1
Majority 756 43.8 +11.5
Turnout 1,727 33.9 -3.3
Conservative hold Swing

Staple Tye
Location of Staple Tye ward
Staple Tye[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative David Kirton 848 50.6 +7.8
Liberal Democrats John Strachan 556 33.2 -3.5
Labour Janice Fenny 272 16.2 -4.3
Majority 292 17.4 +11.3
Turnout 1,676 32.3 +0.5
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Sumners and Kingsmoor
Location of Summers and Kingsmoor ward
Sumners and Kingsmoor[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Russell Perrin 1,097 65.3 +9.8
Labour Sue Ennifer 406 24.2 -7.0
Liberal Democrats Tim Sanderson 176 10.5 -2.8
Majority 691 41.1 +16.8
Turnout 1,679 30.8 +1.7
Conservative gain from Independent Swing

Toddbrook
Location of Toddbrook ward
Toddbrook[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Joel Charles 1,064 56.0 +16.2
Labour Bob Hickey 667 35.1 -5.9
Liberal Democrats Julian Watkiss 170 8.9 +2.6
Majority 397 20.9
Turnout 1,901 36.4 -1.0
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Harlow Common delayed election
Harlow Common[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Clive Souter 959 46.6 +3.1
Labour Norman Knight 628 30.5 -14.5
Liberal Democrats James Rideout 419 20.3 +8.7
Independent Jim Pailing 53 2.6 +2.6
Majority 331 16.1
Turnout 2,059 37.2 -0.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

By-elections between 2008 and 2010

A by-election was held in Staple Tye on 30 April 2009 after councillor David Kirton was disqualified for not attending any meetings for 6 months. David Kirton had been elected as a Conservative, but was suspended from the party in October 2008 after being charged by police and was then an independent councillor.[12][13]

The seat was gained for the Liberal Democrats by John Strachan with a majority of 60 votes over the Conservatives.[13]

Staple Tye by-election 30 April 2009[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats John Strachan 604 39.1 +5.9
Conservative Lorriane Caldarella 544 35.3 -15.3
Labour Dennis Palmer 329 21.3 +5.1
UKIP Daniel Balding 66 4.3 +4.3
Majority 60 3.9
Turnout 1,543 30 -2
Liberal Democrats gain from Independent Swing
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References
  1. "Harlow". BBC News Online. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. "Harlow Common Ward Election Result". Harlow District Council. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. "Harlow". BBC News Online. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  4. "Harlow Council By Election Results October 2007". Harlow District Council. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  5. Andalo, Debbie (23 April 2008). "Harlow : Where else can I go?". The Guardian. NewsBank.
  6. "Tories win by-election". Harlow Star. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  7. Wilkinson, Ben (31 March 2008). "Councillors to step down". Harlow Star. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  8. "Harlow Council Election Results 2008". Harlow District Council. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  9. "Harlow Council election candidates". Harlow Star. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  10. "Brown admits fall to third place amounts to 'bad night' for Labour". The Guardian. NewsBank. 2 May 2008.
  11. Jensen, Isabel (2 May 2008). "Harlow: Conservatives sweep to power in "disastrous" night for Labour". Bishops Stortford Citizen. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  12. "Update: Tory party suspends councillor". Harlow Herald. 14 October 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. "Harlow: Lib Dems narrowly beat Conservatives in Staple Tye by-election". Harlow Herald. 1 May 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
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