2008 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election

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

2008 local election results in Wakefield

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

Before the election there was disagreement among commentators about how safe Wakefield council was for Labour. The Daily Telegraph felt Labour would struggle to remain in control, but the Yorkshire Post believed it would remain safe for Labour.[3][4]

Wakefield council joined with other councils from Yorkshire to run a television advertising campaign in an attempt to increase turnout.[5]

Election result

The results saw the Conservatives make 7 gains, all but one from Labour, and come up only one seat short of depriving Labour of their majority.[6] Altogether Labour lost 8 seats including 2 to independents, while the Liberal Democrats lost their only seat that was being contested in Ossett to the Conservatives.[7] Labour losses included the mayor, Allan Garbutt, and the cabinet member for children and young people, Trevor Izon, in Pontefract South.[7] Overall turnout was 32.28%.[8]

The Conservatives said that their victories were due both to the unpopularity of the national Labour government and due to the Labour council behaving in an arrogant way.[7] The results were seen by the Conservatives as an encouraging sign of how they would perform at the next general election in the Wakefield constituencies.[7] Meanwhile, Labour put their defeats down to national issues such as the abolition of the 10p rate of income tax and immigration.[7]

Wakefield Local Election Result 2008[8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 11 7 0 +7 50.0 34.3 28,506 +4.3%
  Labour 8 0 8 -8 36.4 35.1 29,168 -3.9%
  Independent 3 2 0 +2 13.6 12.0 9,978 +1.8%
  Liberal Democrats 0 0 1 -1 0 8.8 7,319 -1.3%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 7.9 6,567 -0.4%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 1.2 1,024 -0.2%
  Socialist Alternative 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 352 +0.1%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 145 +0.0%
  British Voice 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 142 -0.2%

Ward results
Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Richard Molloy 1,653 43.2 +13.5
Labour Allan Garbutt 1,466 38.3 +1.1
Liberal Democrats David Arthur 709 18.5 +4.1
Majority 187 4.9
Turnout 3,828
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Airedale and Ferry Fryston[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Graham Phelps 1,401 46.7 -10.5
BNP Stephen Rogerson 628 20.9 +2.2
Conservative Mellisa Wan Omer 540 18.0 +5.3
Liberal Democrats Paul Kirby 430 14.3 +2.9
Majority 773 25.8 -12.7
Turnout 2,999
Labour hold Swing
Altofts and Whitwood[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Peter Box 1,316 37.4 -10.8
Liberal Democrats Michael Burch 827 23.5 +4.4
Conservative Gordon Tennant 793 22.5 +6.7
BNP Dawn Byrom 585 16.6 -0.2
Majority 489 13.9 -15.2
Turnout 3,521
Labour hold Swing
Castleford Central and Glasshoughton[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Mark Burns-Williamson 1,775 54.1 -9.3
BNP Rita Robinson 854 26.1 +3.4
Conservative Eamonn Mullins 649 19.8 +6.0
Majority 921 28.0 -12.7
Turnout 3,278
Labour hold Swing
Crofton, Ryhill and Walton[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Susan Lodge 1,783 40.4 +6.3
Labour Albert Manifield 1,730 39.2 -6.9
BNP Dean Crossland 902 20.4 +0.6
Majority 53 1.2
Turnout 4,415
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Featherstone[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Kay Binnersley 1,974 45.8 +4.3
Labour Dick Taylor 1,872 43.4 +4.9
Conservative Michael Ledgard 464 10.8 +5.5
Majority 102 2.4 -0.6
Turnout 4,310
Independent hold Swing
Hemsworth (2)[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Ian Womersley 1,695
Labour Glyn Lloyd 1,288
Labour Sandra Pickin 1,203
Independent John Evans 663
Independent Maurice Kent 503
BNP Jeanette Womack 400
Conservative Christian l'Anson 371
Conservative Rebecca Mullins 329
Turnout 2,986
Independent gain from Labour Swing
Labour hold Swing
Horbury and South Ossett[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Graham Jesty 1,845 40.1 -2.6
Labour Janet Holmes 1,657 36.0 -2.0
Independent Susan Armitage 576 12.5 +12.5
Liberal Democrats David Rowland 522 11.3 -8.0
Majority 188 4.1 -0.6
Turnout 4,600
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Knottingley[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Graham Stokes 1,417 56.7 -4.8
Conservative Tom Dixon 1,081 43.3 +23.5
Majority 336 13.4 -28.3
Turnout 2,498
Labour hold Swing
Normanton[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Barry Smith 1,037 31.8 -8.2
Conservative Richard Wakefield 784 24.0 +12.4
Independent Graeme Milner 699 21.4 -3.5
BNP Adam Frazer 520 15.9 -0.1
Liberal Democrats Jack Smith 221 6.8 -0.7
Majority 253 7.8 -7.3
Turnout 3,261
Labour hold Swing
Ossett[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Terry Brown 1,709 37.9 +12.4
Liberal Democrats Mark Goodair 1,694 37.6 +1.1
Labour David Watts 1,105 24.5 +0.2
Majority 15 0.3
Turnout 4,508
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Pontefract North[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Philip Thomas 1,352 40.8 -6.4
Labour Jack Kershaw 1,323 39.9 -12.9
Independent Bob Evison 398 12.0 +12.0
Green Rennie Smith 240 7.2 +7.2
Majority 29 0.9
Turnout 3,313
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Pontefract South[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Mark Crowther 2,340 48.8 -1.0
Labour Trevor Izon 1,801 37.6 +0.2
Liberal Democrats Chris Rush 650 13.6 +0.8
Majority 539 11.2 -1.2
Turnout 4,791
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
South Elmsall and South Kirkby[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Wilf Benson 2,248 56.5 +1.5
Labour Mollie Wright 1,342 33.7 -0.8
Conservative Allan Crouch 389 9.8 -0.7
Majority 906 22.8 +2.3
Turnout 3,979
Independent gain from Labour Swing
Stanley and Outwood East[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Simon Wilson 1,392 36.9 +6.6
Labour Charles Keith 1,112 29.5 -6.4
Liberal Democrats David Evans 661 17.5 -0.7
BNP Loraine Frazer 608 16.1 +0.5
Majority 280 7.4
Turnout 3,773
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Wakefield East[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Ros Lund 1,478 44.8 -1.8
Conservative Mark Pickard 1,022 31.0 +8.5
BNP Robert Arnold 447 13.5 +1.9
Socialist Alternative Michael Griffiths 352 10.7 +3.7
Majority 456 13.8 -10.3
Turnout 3,299
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield North[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Elizabeth Rhodes 1,177 34.7 -1.9
Conservative Graham Ridler 1,140 33.6 +5.8
Liberal Democrats Andrew Tennant 468 13.8 -4.0
BNP Graham Thewlis-Hardy 458 13.5 +1.7
UKIP Keith Wells 145 4.3 +0.0
Majority 37 1.1 -7.7
Turnout 3,388
Labour hold Swing
Wakefield Rural[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Colley 2,837 62.0 +9.6
Labour Tony Richardson 1,108 24.2 -2.5
Green Miriam Hawkins 628 13.7 -0.5
Majority 1,729 37.8 +12.1
Turnout 4,573
Conservative hold Swing
Wakefield South[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative David Hopkins 1,725 40.0 -1.6
Independent Norman Hazell 1,222 28.4 +8.3
Labour Simon Young 672 15.6 -1.7
Liberal Democrats Stephen Nuthall 369 8.6 +1.4
BNP John Aveyard 321 7.4 +2.9
Majority 503 11.6 -9.9
Turnout 4,309
Conservative hold Swing
Wakefield West[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Mike Walker 2,479 60.2 +5.3
Labour Matthew Morley 738 17.9 -3.2
BNP Neville Poynton 348 8.5 +8.5
Liberal Democrats Susan Morgan 252 6.1 -3.0
Green Brian Else 156 3.8 -3.1
British Voice Norman Tate 142 3.5 -4.6
Majority 1,741 42.3 +8.5
Turnout 4,115
Conservative hold Swing
Wrenthorpe and Outwood West[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Annemarie Glover 1,829 45.8 +5.9
Labour Martyn Johnson 1,150 28.8 -6.8
Liberal Democrats Margaret Dodd 516 12.9 +0.5
BNP Grant Rowe 496 12.4 +0.2
Majority 679 17.0 +12.7
Turnout 3,991
Conservative hold Swing
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References
  1. "Wakefield". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  2. "National: Full election results". The Guardian. 3 May 2008. p. 45. ISSN 0261-3077.
  3. Porter, Andrew (28 April 2008). "Cameron takes aim at Brown with election target of 40pc". The Daily Telegraph. p. 8. ISSN 0307-1235.
  4. "Voters give their verdict at the ballot box". Yorkshire Post. 1 May 2008. ISSN 0963-1496.
  5. "Persuading voters to make their mark". Wakefield Express. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  6. "Misery for Labour as cracks appear in bastions". Yorkshire Post. 3 May 2008. ISSN 0963-1496.
  7. "Jubilant Tories claim city is turning blue". Yorkshire Post. 3 May 2008. ISSN 0963-1496.
  8. "Local Election Results May 2008". Wakefield Council. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  9. "Local Elections: Wakefield results". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2 May 2008. ISSN 0963-2255.
  10. "Wakefield Council elections - final results". Wakefield Express. 24 April 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
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