1998 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election

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The 1998 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party kept overall control of the council. [1]

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Campaign

20 of the 60 seats on the council were up for election with Labour defending 15, the Conservatives 4 and the Liberal Democrats 1. [3] All three parties leaders on the council were defending their seats in the election, Labour's Norman Davies, Conservative Jim Carpenter and the Liberal Democrats Malcolm Gwynnett. [3] However Labour were guaranteed to remain in control of the council as they had 46 councillors before the election, compared to 12 Conservatives and 2 Liberal Democrats. [3] [4] As well as the 3 main parties the only other candidates were 3 Liberals and 2 Labour Independents. [4]

The Conservative national leader William Hague attacked the Labour council as he said they lowered the education budget while setting one of the highest metropolitan council taxes in the country. [5] However Labour's council leader joined with other local leaders to make a joint response and said that when the Conservatives were in control taxes in Wolverhampton had gone up by 57%. [6]

Election result

Labour retained control of the council after the election with a majority of 28, but lost 2 seats to the Conservatives in Bushbury and Park wards. [7] Overall turnout in the election was 29.95%, [8] but reached a low of only 18% in Low Hill. [9]

Wolverhampton local election result 1998 [2] [8]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 1302-265.047.125,940
  Conservative 620+230.037.920,906
  Liberal Democrats 10005.012.97,112
  Liberal 00000.01.7960
  Independent Labour 00000.00.4200

Ward results

Bilston East [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Norman Davies1,11765.3
Conservative Mark Blakeley33419.5
Liberal Democrats William Beard25915.1
Majority 78345.8
Turnout 1,71020.7
Bilston North [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Trudy Bowen1,38154.2
Conservative Wayne Lawley95437.5
Liberal Democrats Michael Rowan2128.3
Majority 42716.7
Turnout 2,54724.1
Blakenhall [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Rowley2,11876.4
Conservative Brenda Wilson47717.2
Liberal Democrats June Hemsley1776.4
Majority 1,64159.2
Turnout 2,77231.3
Bushbury [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Brueton1,33751.0
Labour Patricia Wesley1,05140.1
Liberal Democrats David Buckley2338.9
Majority 28610.9
Turnout 2,62129.4
East Park [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Keith Inston1,34466.7
Conservative Maxine Bradley46222.9
Liberal Democrats Ann Whitehouse20910.4
Majority 88243.8
Turnout 2,01524.2
Ettingshall [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Shelley1,24870.3
Conservative Christopher Haynes38221.5
Liberal Democrats Michael Heap1468.2
Majority 86648.8
Turnout 1,77621.4
Fallings Park [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Joyce Hill1,21848.9
Conservative Kenneth Hodges95238.2
Liberal Democrats Anthony Bourke32112.9
Majority 26610.7
Turnout 2,49130.0
Graiseley [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Reynolds1,81251.7
Conservative David Jack1,24935.6
Liberal Democrats Mary Millar3209.1
Independent Labour Amrik Sekhon1273.6
Majority 56316.1
Turnout 3,50837.8
Heath Town [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Greg Brackenridge1,24460.7
Liberal Colin Hallmark52625.6
Conservative Sham Sharma28113.7
Majority 78135.1
Turnout 2,05125.3
Low Hill [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Peter Bilson1,11666.4
Conservative Peter Topliss38222.7
Liberal Democrats Ian Jenkins18210.8
Majority 73443.7
Turnout 1,68018.8
Merry Hill [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Hart1,75255.3
Labour Colin Matthews99631.5
Liberal Democrats Paul Hodson41813.2
Majority 75623.8
Turnout 3,16632.9
Oxley [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Christine Irvine1,28048.0
Conservative David Meredith99837.4
Liberal Democrats David Isles31811.9
Independent Labour David Watson732.7
Majority 28210.6
Turnout 2,66927.7
Park [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Neville Patten1,75346.8
Labour John Potts1,59242.5
Liberal Democrats Brian Lewis40210.7
Majority 1614.3
Turnout 3,74735.8
Penn [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Benjamin Carpenter2,24955.4
Labour Barry Thomas1,45935.9
Liberal Democrats Paul Beeston3558.7
Majority 79019.5
Turnout 4,06340.9
St Peter's [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Tersaim Singh1,58064.8
Conservative Nicholas Allen51821.2
Liberal Democrats Roger Gray34013.9
Majority 1,06243.6
Turnout 2,43825.0
Spring Vale [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Malcolm Gwinnett2,05559.3
Labour Rachel Shanks1,17834.0
Conservative Giuseppe Corbelli2346.7
Majority 87725.3
Turnout 3,46734.2
Tettenhall Regis
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Ward1,83255.9
Liberal Democrats Laurence Mclean84125.7
Labour Carl Smith60218.4
Majority 99130.2
Turnout 3,27535.2
Tettenhall Wightwick
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Wendy Thompson2,44472.0
Labour James O'Grady65819.4
Liberal Democrats Philip Bennett2948.7
Majority 1,78652.6
Turnout 3,39636.7
Wednesfield North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Philip Bateman1,58953.5
Conservative John Jones1,14738.6
Liberal Democrats Carole Jenkins1214.1
Liberal Kate Hallmark1133.8
Majority 44214.9
Turnout 2,97032.4
Wednesfield South
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Helen King1,35749.2
Conservative Simon Jevon1,16942.4
Liberal Democrats John Steatham2308.3
Majority 1886.8
Turnout 2,75630.9

References

  1. ↑ "Local Elections results". The Times . 9 May 1998. p. 46.
  2. 1 2 "Policy and politics: Local Elections: Analysis: Council poll results". The Guardian . 9 May 1998. p. 16.
  3. 1 2 3 Deeley, Tony (7 April 1998). "Battle of the giants: Wolverhampton". Birmingham Mail . p. 25.
  4. 1 2 Harrison, Stephen (4 May 1998). "Maverick group can spoil Socialists' party Voters across the West Midlands go to the polls in council elections on Thursday. Today, Local Government Correspondent Stephen Harrison looks at the fight for power in Walsall and Wolverhampton". Birmingham Post . p. 4.
  5. ↑ Gray, Chris (24 April 1998). "'Labour will betray you' Hague warns council voters". Birmingham Post . p. 1.
  6. ↑ Aston, Paul (25 April 1998). "Tory 'heavies' weigh in as council elections loom". Birmingham Post . p. 3.
  7. ↑ Hardy, Simon (8 May 1998). "Labour rebels are crushed". Birmingham Mail . p. 7.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Council Election Results - 7 May 1998". Wolverhampton Council. Archived from the original on 14 January 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  9. ↑ "Wilderness years end for rebel Nellist". Birmingham Post . 8 May 1998. p. 3.
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