Solihull Council election, 2008

The 2008 Solihull Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, 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]

After the election, the composition of the council was

Contents

Campaign

17 seats were contested in the election, with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour and Green parties contesting every ward.[3] The British National Party had 12 candidates, up from 5 in the 2007 election, and the United Kingdom Independence Party stood 9 candidates.[3] Among those standing were Jim Ryan, defending Bickenhill as a Conservative after having previously been a Labour party councillor, and Peter Hogarth in Silhill where he had lost his seat in 2007.[3] Meanwhile 2 councillors stood down at the election, Conservative Susan Gomm and Liberal Democrat June Gandy from Silhill and Shirley East wards respectively.[4]

The Conservatives had lost their majority on the council at the 2007 election but continued to run it as a minority administration.[5] During the campaign the Conservative party leader David Cameron visited Solihull, saying that the council was well run under the Conservatives and that they were hopeful of making gains.[5] The Liberal Democrats criticised the record of the council on recycling, said they would create more activities for young people to take part in and called for the Liberal Democrats to be represented in the council's cabinet.[6] Meanwhile Labour said it's councillors had a strong impact on the council and had been involved in getting the regeneration project for northern Solhiull started.[7]

Election result

The results saw the Conservatives regain a majority on the council after making 2 gains.[8] The Conservatives gained Kingshurst and Fordbridge from Labour and Blythe from the Liberal Democrats,[9] while Jim Ryan was re-elected as a Conservative in Bickenhill.[8] This meant the Conservatives took a 1 seat majority with 26 of the 51 councillors,[8] although they did lose 1 seat to the Liberal Democrats in Elmdon.[9]

Meanwhile the Green party won a first seat on the council after winning Smith's Wood ward by 331 votes.[10] The Green's Mike Sheridan defeated the Labour leader on the council, Hugh Hendry, who had been a councillor for 18 years.[10] Sheridan thus became the first Green councillor in the West Midlands conurbation and one of only 4 in the whole Midlands, after a campaign that he said focused on regeneration and preserving green space.[8]

Solihull Local Election Result 2008[11][12]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/-
  Conservative 10 2 1 +1 58.8 47.7 27,080 +2.4%
  Liberal Democrat 5 1 1 0 29.4 27.4 15,576 -6.2%
  Labour 1 0 2 -2 5.9 8.0 4,532 -1.8%
  Green 1 1 0 +1 5.9 4.7 2,651 -0.4%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 8.9 5,068 +4.6%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 2.3 1,330 +1.2%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 592 +0.2%

Ward results

Bickenhall[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jim Ryan 2,106 66.6 +0.9
BNP Patricia Allington 419 13.2 +13.2
Labour Ian McDonald 323 10.2 -5.8
Liberal Democrat Brenda Davies 187 5.9 -4.3
Green Alexander Hawkeswood 128 4.0 -4.1
Majority 1,687 53.3 +3.6
Turnout 3,163
Conservative hold Swing
Blythe[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Martin McCarthy 1,714 48.3 +6.6
Liberal Democrat Maggie Allen 1,647 46.4 -3.7
Labour Raj Singh 112 3.2 -1.1
Green Moustafa Osman 79 2.2 -1.7
Majority 67 1.9
Turnout 3,552
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrat Swing
Castle Bromwich[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ted Richards 2,118 67.7 +4.5
BNP Marcus Higgins 410 13.1 +13.1
Labour Kieran Dooley 285 9.1 +9.1
Liberal Democrat Andrew Bull 230 7.3 -21.4
Green Iain MacNaughton 87 2.8 -5.4
Majority 1,708 54.6 +20.1
Turnout 3,130
Conservative hold Swing
Chelmsley Wood[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alfred Hill 698 32.4 -6.5
Conservative Gail Sleigh 634 29.4 +12.0
BNP Andrew Terry 565 26.2 -4.5
Liberal Democrat Bernard Wright 139 6.5 -0.9
Green Ronnie Cashmore 118 5.5 -0.1
Majority 64 3.0 -5.2
Turnout 2,154
Labour hold Swing
Dorridge and Hockley Heath[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ken Meeson 2,440 65.9 -4.7
Liberal Democrat Howard Knight 635 17.2 +1.4
BNP Andrew Taylor 273 7.4 +7.4
Green Sara Stevens 222 6.0 -3.3
Labour Irma Shaw 131 3.5 -0.9
Majority 1,805 48.8 -6.0
Turnout 3,702
Conservative hold Swing
Elmdon[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Glenis Slater 1,596 40.4 -7.9
Conservative John Bramham 1,375 34.8 +0.9
BNP George Rouse 602 15.2 +7.0
Labour Lorraine Essex 209 5.3 -1.8
UKIP David Hossell 101 2.6 +2.6
Green Elaine Williams 68 1.7 -0.9
Majority 221 5.6 -8.8
Turnout 3,951
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing
Kingshurst and Fordbridge[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Debbie Evans 749 37.2 +7.4
Labour John Kimberley 606 30.1 -2.2
BNP Graham Pringle 464 23.1 -5.7
Liberal Democrat Jennifer Wright 125 6.2 +0.4
Green Scott Rhodes 67 3.3 +0.0
Majority 143 7.1
Turnout 2,011
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Knowle[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jeff Potts 2,342 63.4 -6.1
Liberal Democrat Geoffrey Berry 584 15.8 -3.4
BNP Frank O'Brien 371 10.0 +10.0
Green Jane Holt 179 4.8 -3.0
Labour Catherine Connan 136 3.7 +0.3
UKIP Mark Penny 83 2.2 +2.2
Majority 1,758 47.6 -2.7
Turnout 3,695
Conservative hold Swing
Lyndon[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Irene Chamberlain 1,673 48.8 -4.4
Conservative Greg Goldingay 895 26.1 -0.6
BNP Russell Phillips 436 12.7 +12.7
Labour Margaret Brittin 212 6.2 -1.2
UKIP Ray Mabbott 128 3.7 -3.0
Green Frances Grice 85 2.5 -3.5
Majority 778 22.7 -3.8
Turnout 3,429
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
Meriden[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Lea 2,564 72.0 +1.6
Liberal Democrat Ann Berry 321 9.0 -3.5
Labour Arthur Davis 264 7.4 -3.7
BNP Wesley Jones 237 6.7 +6.7
Green Nigel Dyer 176 4.9 -1.1
Majority 2,243 63.0 +5.0
Turnout 3,562
Conservative hold Swing
Olton[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Honor Cox 1,938 53.8 -6.4
Conservative Helen Eyre 1,198 33.3 +2.3
UKIP Lydia Simpson 180 5.0 +5.0
Labour Alan Jacques 169 4.7 +0.1
Green Roger King 114 3.2 -0.9
Majority 740 20.6 -8.7
Turnout 3,599
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
Shirley East[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Sue Rose 1,522 44.3 -2.5
Conservative Mark Parker 1,455 42.4 +10.4
UKIP Jayne Hall 196 5.7 +5.7
Labour Kevin Raven 183 5.3 -0.6
Green Olga Farooqui 79 2.3 -1.2
Majority 67 2.0 -12.8
Turnout 3,435
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
Shirley South[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gary Allport 1,506 38.5 +5.2
Liberal Democrat Nick John 1,449 37.0 -10.1
BNP Charles Shipman 541 13.8 +4.6
Labour Shirley Young 187 4.8 -0.4
UKIP Linda Brown 170 4.3 +2.5
Green Angela Henery 59 1.5 -0.2
Majority 57 1.5
Turnout 3,912
Conservative hold Swing
Shirley West[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Howard Allen 1,424 43.9 -6.1
Conservative Dennis Eyre 873 26.9 -2.3
BNP Tony Greenshields 394 12.1 +12.1
UKIP Nikki Sinclaire 276 8.5 -1.3
Labour Nick Stephens 158 4.9 -1.4
Green Trevor Barker 118 3.6 -1.1
Majority 551 17.0 -3.9
Turnout 3,243
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
Silhill[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Hogarth 2,055 49.6 +8.9
Liberal Democrat Tony Dupont 1,417 34.2 -9.2
BNP Alan Ashmore 356 8.6 -0.7
Labour Janet Marsh 175 4.2 -1.1
Green Clair Garbett 74 1.8 +0.5
UKIP Christopher Boxall 64 1.5 +1.5
Majority 638 15.4
Turnout 4,141
Conservative hold Swing
Smith's Wood[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Mike Sheridan 881 45.2 +36.6
Labour Hugh Hendry 550 28.2 -19.8
Conservative Jim Williams 420 21.5 -10.4
Liberal Democrat Anthony Ludlow 98 5.0 -6.4
Majority 331 17.0
Turnout 1,949
Green gain from Labour Swing
St. Alphege[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kate Wild 2,636 62.7 -3.1
Independent Theresa Tedd 592 14.1 +14.1
Liberal Democrat Mamdoch Jalil 591 14.1 -9.1
Labour Paul Tuxworth 134 3.2 -2.1
UKIP David Faulkner 132 3.1 +3.1
Green James Hepton 117 2.8 -2.9
Majority 2,044 48.6 +6.0
Turnout 4,202
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Solihull". BBC News Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/local_council/08/html/ct.stm. Retrieved 2010-12-18. 
  2. ^ "National: Full election results". The Guardian. 2008-05-03. p. 45. 
  3. ^ a b c Reynolds, Leda (2008-04-09). "Leader in plea over BNP battle". Birmingham Mail. p. 19. 
  4. ^ Reynolds, Leda (2008-04-16). "Poll dramas on hold until dawn". Birmingham Mail. p. 12. 
  5. ^ a b "Solihull has us to thank for its quality of life, says Tory leader". Birmingham Post. 2008-04-19. p. 4. 
  6. ^ "Upbeat Lib Dem leader's cabinet call". Solihull Times. 2008-04-23. http://icsolihull.icnetwork.co.uk/news/local/tm_headline=upbeat-lib-dem-leader-s-cabinet-call&method=full&objectid=20808139&siteid=91411-name_page.html. Retrieved 2010-12-19. 
  7. ^ "Fighting for the north". Solihull Times. 2008-04-30. http://icsolihull.icnetwork.co.uk/news/local/tm_headline=fighting-for-the-north&method=full&objectid=20842054&siteid=91411-name_page.html. Retrieved 2010-12-19. 
  8. ^ a b c d Connor, Neil (2008-05-03). "Local elections: Green party candidate topples Solihull leader". Birmingham Post. p. 3. 
  9. ^ a b Reynolds, Leda (2008-05-03). "Three seat gain". Birmingham Mail. p. 12. 
  10. ^ a b Reynolds, Leda (2008-05-02). "Labour deflated as leader loses seat". Birmingham Mail. p. 1. 
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Election Results 2008". Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. http://www.solihull.gov.uk/democracy/16216.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-18. 
  12. ^ "Results". The Times. 2008-05-03. p. 14. 
Preceded by
Solihull Council election, 2007		 Solihull local elections Succeeded by
Solihull Council election, 2010
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