Oxford City Council election, 2008

Elections for Oxford City Council were held on Thursday 1 May 2008. As Oxford City Council is elected by halves, one seat in each of the 24 wards is up for election.

Overall turnout was 32.6%, down from 35.8% in 2006. The lowest turnout (20.8%) was in St Mary's ward and the highest (46.1%) in Marston.

Results

Oxford Local Election Result 2008
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 12 4 0 +4 50.0 34.6 11,882 +4.5
  Liberal Democrat 8 2 1 +1 33.3 22.8 7,857 −8.6
  Green 3 0 1 −1 12.5 16.9 5,824 −3.9
  Independent Working Class 1 0 2 −2 4.2 3.9 1,329 −0.1
  Conservative 0 0 2 −2 0 20.2 6,960 +8.2
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 1.6 537 +0.5

Note: three Independents stood in 2008, compared with two in 2006.

This result has the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party Previous council Staying councillors Seats up for election Election result New council
Labour 19 11 8 12 23
Liberal Democrats 15 8 7 8 16
Green 8 4 4 3 7
Independent Working Class 4 1 3 1 2
Conservatives 2 0 2 0 0
Independent 0 0 0 0 0
Total 48 24 24 24 48

Results by ward

Map of the Oxford Wards

Barton and Sandhills

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Patrick Murray 528 34.3 −5.5
Labour Andrew Lomas 524 34.0 −0.6
Conservative Timothy Hamer 406 26.4 +11.9
Green Raymond Hitchins 82 5.3 +0.4
Turnout 1546 32.1 −3.3
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

Blackbird Leys

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Val Smith 647 54.3 +5.9
Independent Working Class Lee Cole 417 35.0 −8.4
Conservative Gareth Jennings 79 6.6 +6.6
Green Sue Tibbles 28 2.4 0.0
Liberal Democrat Ian Bearder 20 1.7 −4.1
Turnout 1192 29.5 −0.2
Labour gain from Independent Working Class Swing

Carfax

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Stephen Brown 375 35.7 +5.4
Conservative Paul Sargent 284 27.1 +4.6
Green Claudia Fitzherbert 208 19.8 −12.8
Labour Sarah Hutchinson 182 17.3 +2.7
Turnout 1059 24.5 -0.4
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing

Note that Paul Sargent won the Carfax seat in the 2004 elections for the Liberal Democrats, but crossed the floor to the Conservatives in 2007. So when comparing to the 2004 elections, the Liberal Democrats hold.

Churchill

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mark Lygo 588 41.7 –4.7
Independent Working Class Claire Kent 375 26.6 +3.5
Liberal Democrat Peter Bonney 227 16.1 +4.4
Conservative Gordon Bell 172 12.2 –0.1
Green Eliza Hilton 47 3.3 –3.3
Turnout 1412 30.9 +2.7
Labour gain from Independent Working Class Swing

Cowley

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bryan Keen 692 48.2 +16.2
Conservative Judith Harley 250 17.4 +17.4
Liberal Democrat Susan Gonzalez 224 15.6 −22.0
Green Alyson Duckmanton 180 12.5 -5.1
Independent Paul Garraway 91 6.3 N/A
Turnout 1440 32.9 −6.2
Labour hold Swing

Cowley Marsh

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Saj Malik 773 51.4 +13.6
Liberal Democrat Tony Brett 447 29.7 −0.1
Green Lilian Sherwood 153 10.2 −8.3
Conservative Martin Young 131 8.7 −5.2
Turnout 1512 33.8 +5.6
Labour hold Swing

Note that Saj Malik won the Cowley Marsh seat in the 2004 elections for the Liberal Democrats, but crossed the floor to Labour in 2007. So when comparing to the 2004 elections, Labour gain from the Liberal Democrats.

Headington

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Ruth Wilkinson 564 35.4 −23.4
Conservative Chris Clifford 548 34.4 +16.7
Labour Van Coulter 266 16.7 +3.3
Green Jill Haas 215 13.5 +3.4
Turnout 1598 39.6 +1.3
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

Headington Hill and Northway

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maureen Christian 485 36.3 +5.7
Conservative Marc Borja 448 33.6 +7.3
Liberal Democrat Jock Coats 320 24.0 −10.3
Green Mary Livingstone 82 6.1 −2.7
Turnout 1340 31.2 −4.0
Labour hold Swing

Hinksey Park

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Oscar Van Nooijen 871 52.2 +6.6
Green Deborah Glass Woodin 391 23.4 −6.0
Conservative Simon Mort 222 13.3 +2.9
Liberal Democrat Joe Chick 185 11.1 −3.5
Turnout 1666 36.0 −5.0
Labour hold Swing

Note: ±% figures are calculated with respect to the results of the by-election of 27 July 2006.

Holywell

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Nathan Pyle 481 45.4 −3.3
Conservative Alex Stafford 239 22.5 +8.2
Green Chip Sherwood 196 18.5 −5.4
Labour Kieran Hutchinson Dean 144 13.6 +0.5
Turnout 1072 26.9 −2.3
Liberal Democrat gain from Green Swing

Iffley Fields

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Elise Benjamin 858 54.7
Labour Mike Rowley 447 28.5
Conservative Nick Carter 159 10.1
Turnout 1568 38.6 -1.5
Green hold Swing

Jericho and Osney

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Colin Cook 907 53.2
Liberal Democrat Adrian Rosser 301 17.6
Green Sandhya Drew 282 16.5
Conservative Alexander Penny 216 12.7
Turnout 1706
Labour hold Swing

Littlemore

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Tanner 639 50.7
Conservative Yvonne Lowe 313 24.8
Green Fionn Stevenson 173 13.7
Liberal Democrat Neil Fawcett 136 10.8
Turnout 1261
Labour hold Swing

Lye Valley

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Timbs 741 60.0 +7.2
Conservative John Lowe 258 20.9 +10.8
Green John Kentish 126 10.2 +5.9
Liberal Democrat Dave White 110 8.9 −23.9
Turnout 1235
Labour hold Swing

Note: ±% figures are calculated with respect to the results of the by-election of 21 September 2006.

Marston

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Beverley Hazell 732 34.5
Liberal Democrat Caroline van Zyl 544 25.6
Independent Michael Haines 437 20.6
Conservative Duncan Hatfield 302 14.2
Green Alistair Morris 108 5.1
Turnout 2123
Labour gain from Liberal Democrat Swing

North

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Clark Brundin 463 37.2
Conservative Frances Kennett 378 30.3
Green Merlyn Lyons 221 17.7
Labour Sue Ledwith 184 14.8
Turnout 1246
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

Northfield Brook

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Working Class Stuart Craft 537 45.3
Labour Richard Stevens 471 39.7
Conservative Mary Jones 78 6.6
Liberal Democrat Beatrice Morlin 56 4.7
Green Kate Prendergast 44 3.7
Turnout 1186
Independent Working Class hold Swing

Quarry and Risinghurst

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Laurence Baxter 786 37.6
Conservative Tia MacGregor 622 29.8
Liberal Democrat Roz Smith 585 28.0
Green Donald O'Neal 86 4.1
Independent Pat Mylvaganam 9 0.4
Turnout 2088
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Note that Tia MacGregor won the Quarry and Risinghurst seat in the 2004 elections for the Liberal Democrats, but crossed the floor to the Conservatives in 2007. So when comparing to the 2004 elections, Labour gain from the Liberal Democrats.

Rose Hill and Iffley

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edward Turner 751 54.8
Conservative Siddo Deva 230 16.8
Liberal Democrat Catherine Bearder 207 15.1
Green Larry Sanders 182 13.3
Turnout 1370
Labour hold Swing

St Clement's

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Nuala Young 558 48.6
Labour Altaf Hussain 280 24.4
Liberal Democrat Matthew Dieppe 158 13.8
Conservative Elizabeth Mills 152 13.2
Turnout 1148
Green hold Swing

St Margaret's

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Gwynneth Royce 469 33.4 −16.6
Green Chris Goodall 390 27.8 0.0
Conservative Vernon Porter 378 26.9 +10.1
Labour James Fry 168 12.0 +6.6
Turnout 1407 32.6 −10.3
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

St Mary's

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Matt Morton 488 57.1
Labour David Green 180 21.1
Conservative Carolyn Ten Holder 99 11.6
Liberal Democrat Julia Goddard 87 10.2
Turnout 854
Green hold Swing

Summertown

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Stuart McCready 747 44.2 +1.9
Conservative Clara Bantry White 424 25.1 +4.5
Green Sarah Pethybridge 349 20.7 −8.9
Labour Scott Seamons 169 10.0 +2.5
Turnout 1699 35.5 −5.7
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

Wolvercote

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Michael Gotch 623 34.1 −11.3
Conservative Joanne Bowlt 572 31.3 +7.7
Green Mary Franklin 377 20.6 −3.2
Labour Michael Taylor 255 14 +6.8
Turnout 1831 40.3 −4.7
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

Party Share of Vote Map

Sources

See also