Isle of Wight Council election, 2009

The 2009 Isle of Wight Council elections were held on Thursday 4 June 2009.

After a review by the boundary commission, the number of seats on the council was reduced from 48 single-member constituencies, to a 40 member council, consisting of 38 single member constituencies, and one double-member constituency.^[1]

Overview

The result of the election was 'no change', with the Conservatives retaining an overall majority by winning twenty-four of the forty seats available. Of the sixteen remaining seats, ten went to independents, five to the Liberal Democrats and just one to the Labour Party.^[2] Although the Conservatives managed to retain control, the Isle of Wight was still the only council in England in which they lost seats.^[3] Among the factors which could have led to this relatively poor performance are the recent education reforms on the Isle of Wight, which led to protests over the closure of island primary schools. The "Standards not Tiers" independent candidate Chris Welsford beat the sitting Conservative councillor Jonny Fitzgerald-Bond by 141 votes in the Ventnor East ward. In the Cowes West and Gurnard ward, which was at the heart of education reforms, sitting Tory councillor Alan Wells was beaten by independent candidate Paul Fuller.^[2] The large numbers of independent candidates standing at this election and the increased level of support for them could also be attributed to the ongoing United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal, pushing voters away from the mainstream political parties represented in the House of Commons.

Results

The party standings following the election:

Ward results

The following are results from each electoral ward.^[6]

See also

• Politics of the Isle of Wight
• United Kingdom local elections, 2009

Notes and references

1. ^ "Future electoral arrangements for the Isle of Wight". Boundary Committee for England. http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/56440/Isle-of-Wight-FER-Final-Recommendations.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-29. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Tories surge back in island polls". Isle of Wight County Press. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/tories-surge-back-in-island-polls-26595.aspx. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
3. ^ "Letters - Sickened voters stayed at home". Isle of Wight County Press. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/letters/sickened-voters-stayed-at-home-26708.aspx. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
4. ^ The number of councillors received in 2005 multiplied by 0.833 to reflect the reduced number of councillors. No attempt has been made to account for altered boundaries and geographic distribution of support.
5. ^ Those individuals who chose not to state a political affiliation, or be named as 'independents' on the ballot.
6. ^ "Isle of Wight Council election results". Isle of Wight County Press. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/isle-of-wight-council-election-results-26585.aspx. Retrieved 2009-06-11.