Barrow-in-Furness Council election, 2008

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Elections to Barrow-in-Furness Council was held on 1 May 2008. The whole of the council was be up for election, with the number of councillors falling from 38 to 36, as a result of ward boundary changes enacted in February 2008. [1] Councillors were elected for terms ranging between two and four years; where more than one councillor was elected in a ward, the councillor with the highest number of votes was granted the longer term. [1]

The election results were both tight and dramatic, with well known local councillors failing to be re-elected and recounts in certain wards delaying the announcement of votes. [2] No party gained control of the council, and local news sources claimed that the biggest winners from the election were the local People's Party, who quadrupled their number of councillors, [3] and independent candidates campaigning against plans to open an Academy school in the town. [4] Mirroring the results in other local elections across England and Wales held on the same day, the Conservative Party ended as the largest group on the council with the Labour Party party's representation dropping heavily. [4]

Contents

[edit] Pre-Election Council

Following the 2007 election and the defection of two Conservative Party councillors to the Liberal Democrats in October 2007, [5] the composition of the council entering the election was:

Affiliation Members
  Conservative Party 17
  Labour Party 16
  Liberal Democrats 2
  Independent 2
  People's Party 1

[edit] Election Result

Barrow-in-Furness Local Election Result 2008
Party Seats Gains Losses Net Gain/Loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/-
  Conservative 17 3 3 0 47.2 42.6 15 756 -3.5
  Labour 8 0 8 -8 22.0 34.4 12 724 -3.7
  Independent 6 5 1 4 16.7 14.1 5 211 +5.0
  People's Party 4 3 0 3 11.0 4.9 1 828 -0.3
  Liberal Democrat 1 1 2 -1 2.8 3.2 1 173 +3.2
  British National Party 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.9 321 +0.2

The break-down of councillor terms as a result of the election is shown below. The seats of the ten councillors with two year terms should be contested in the 2010 council election.

Affiliation Term Length
2 Years 3 Years 4 Years
  Conservative Party 4 6 6
  Labour Party 2 3 3
  Independent 2 1 3
  People's Party 1 2 1
  Liberal Democrats 1 0 0

[edit] Ward results

Barrow Island
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Eric Wood 381 80.9
Labour Trevor Biggins 90 19.1
Majority 291 61.8
Turnout 471 25.2
Central (2)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mary Irwin 232
People's Party Rosmerie Hamezeian 224
Independent Norman Hill 176
Labour Margaret Thomson 174
People's Party Sarah Martinez 158
Turnout 964 20.3
Dalton North (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jill Heath 870
Conservative Kath Unwin 812
Conservative Bill Bleasdale 730
Labour Dennis Bell 502
Labour Jayne Phizacklea 432
Labour Dermot O'Connor 386
Liberal Democrat Lynn Murray 376
Turnout 4,108 32.0
Dalton South (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Timothy Bell 689
Conservative Dorothy James 623
Independent John Millar 577
Conservative David Gill 576
Liberal Democrat Frank Murray 377
Labour Wendy Maddox 369
Labour Barry Doughty 347
Labour Graham Chester 329
Turnout 3,887 31.1
Hawcoat (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Michael Stephenson 922
Conservative Dave Roberts 779
Conservative Jack Richardson 720
Independent Chloe Lancaster 719
Conservative Bill Joughin 705
Labour Rebbecca Melling 290
Turnout 4,135 42.2
Hindpool (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Pidduck 445
Labour Michelle Roberts 441
Conservative Phil Murray 359
Labour Kenneth Beeres 335
Turnout 1,580 20.4
Ormsgill (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
People's Party Jim Hamezeian 632
People's Party Sheila Begley 407
People's Party William McEwan 407
Labour Stephen Forbes 360
Conservative Alison Giles 341
Labour Stephen Groundwater 295
Labour Ernest Wilson 280
Independent Margie Arts 235
Independent James Tongue 226
British National Party Mike Ashburner 185
British National Party Eion McPoland 136
Turnout 3,504 31.4
Newbarns (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dorothy Dawes 609
Conservative Colin Liversedge 516
Independent Philip Solloway 511
Conservative Bob Maltman 486
Labour Charles Elliot 299
Labour Lorraine Biggins 243
Labour Allison Johnston 216
Turnout 2,880 29.9
Parkside (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Jim Jefferson 495
Independent Lisa Hammond 476
Liberal Democrat Dominic McCavish 420
Labour David McCormack 403
Labour Marie Derbyshire 390
Labour Tricia Kegg 375
Conservative Linda Last 371
Conservative Tina Macur 300
Conservative Shirley Richardson 299
Turnout 3,529 32.0
Risedale (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Des English 461
Labour Jean Waiting 427
Labour Jeffery Garnett 395
Labour Debra Seward 387
Turnout 1,670 21.6
Roosecote (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Guselli 805
Conservative Ken Williams 761
Conservative Roy McClure 743
Independent Wayne Butler 493
Labour Kenneth Thomson 290
Labour Lovinia Williams 241
Turnout 3,333 36.4
Walney North (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Des Barlow 746
Labour Anita Husband 680
Labour Anthony Callister 614
Conservative Steve Smart 518
Conservative Shahnaz Asghar 436
Conservative Mike Macur 424
Turnout 3,418 30.1
Walney South (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Marcus 637
Conservative Ollie Flitcroft 594
Conservative Alan Pemberton 592
Labour Colin Thomson 528
Labour John Murphy 525
Labour Robert Pointer 506
Turnout 3,382 29.8

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b BARROW BOROUGH COUNCIL ELECTIONS - 1 MAY 2008 Barrow Borough Council; Accessed 11-04-08
  2. ^ Late Results to Decide Council Power North West Evening Mail; 02-05-08; Accessed 02-05-08
  3. ^ Peoples Party takes Ormsgill North West Evening Mail; 02-05-08; Accessed 02-05-08
  4. ^ a b INDEPENDENTS’ DAY North West Evening Mail; 02-05-8; Accessed 02-05-08
  5. ^ Two Tory councillors switch to Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrat Voice; Accessed 11-04-08

[edit] External Links


Preceded by
Barrow-in-Furness Council election, 2007		 Barrow-in-Furness local elections Succeeded by
Barrow-in-Furness Council election, 2010