2008 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 2008 Solihull election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red, Green party in green. Solihull UK local election 2008 map.svg
Map of the results of the 2008 Solihull election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red, Green party in green.

The 2008 Solihull Metropolitan Borough 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]

Contents

Campaign

17 seats were contested in the election, with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour and Green parties contesting every ward. [2] The British National Party had 12 candidates, up from 5 in the 2007 election, the UK Independence Party stood 9 candidates and the sole Independent stood in St Alphege, having previously won a seat there in a 2005 by-election for the Conservatives. [2] Among those standing were Jim Ryan, defending Bickenhill as a Conservative, having previously won it as an Independent after over twenty years of being a Labour councillor there, Howard Allen returned to the Liberal Democrats to defend his seat in Shirley West, after time as an Independent and Peter Hogarth in Silhill where he had lost his seat in 2007. [2] Meanwhile, 2 councillors stood down at the election, Conservative Susan Gomm and Liberal Democrat June Gandy from Silhill and Shirley East wards respectively. [3]

The Conservatives had lost their majority on the council at the 2007 election but continued to run it as a minority administration. [4] 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. [4] 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. [5] Meanwhile, Labour said its councillors had a strong impact on the council and had been involved in getting the regeneration project for northern Solihull started. [6]

Election results

The results saw the Conservatives regain a majority on the council after making 2 gains. [7] The Conservatives gained Kingshurst and Fordbridge from Labour and Blythe from the Liberal Democrats, [8] while Jim Ryan was re-elected as a Conservative in Bickenhill. [7] This meant the Conservatives took a 1-seat majority with 26 of the 51 councillors, [7] although they did lose 1 seat to the Liberal Democrats in Elmdon. [8]

Meanwhile, the Green Party won a first seat on the council after winning Smith's Wood ward by 331 votes. [9] The Green's Mike Sheridan defeated the Labour leader on the council, Hugh Hendry, who had been a councillor for 18 years. [9] 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. [7]

Solihull Local Election Result 2008 [10] [11]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 1021+158.847.727,080+2.4
  Liberal Democrats 511029.427.415,576-6.2
  Labour 102-25.98.04,532-1.8
  Green 110+15.94.72,651-0.4
  BNP 00000.08.95,068+4.6
  UKIP 00000.02.31,330+1.2
  Independent 00000.01.0592+0.2

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections : [12]

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Conservatives2526
Liberal Democrat1818
Labour75
BNP11
Green01
Total5151
Working majority -1  1 

Ward results

Bickenhill [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Jim Ryan2,10666.6+0.9
BNP Patricia Allington41913.2+13.2
Labour Ian McDonald32310.2−5.8
Liberal Democrats Brenda Davies1875.9−4.3
Green Alexander Hawkeswood1284.0−4.1
Majority 1,68753.3+3.6
Turnout 3,163
Conservative hold Swing -6.1
Blythe [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Martin McCarthy1,71448.3+6.6
Liberal Democrats Maggie Allen1,64746.4−3.7
Labour Raj Singh1123.2−1.1
Green Moustafa Osman792.2−1.7
Majority 671.9−6.6
Turnout 3,552
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +5.1
Castle Bromwich [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ted Richards2,11867.7+4.5
BNP Marcus Higgins41013.1+13.1
Labour Kieran Dooley2859.1+9.1
Liberal Democrats Andrew Bull2307.3−21.4
Green Iain MacNaughton872.8−5.4
Majority 1,70854.6+20.1
Turnout 3,130
Conservative hold Swing -4.3
Chelmsley Wood [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Alfred Hill69832.4−6.5
Conservative Gail Sleigh63429.4+12.0
BNP Andrew Terry56526.2−4.5
Liberal Democrats Bernard Wright1396.5−0.9
Green Ronnie Cashmore1185.5−0.1
Majority 643.0−5.2
Turnout 2,154
Labour hold Swing -9.2
Dorridge and Hockley Heath [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ken Meeson2,44065.9−4.7
Liberal Democrats Howard Knight63517.2+1.4
BNP Andrew Taylor2737.4+7.4
Green Sara Stevens2226.0−3.3
Labour Irma Shaw1313.5−0.9
Majority 1,80548.8−6.0
Turnout 3,702
Conservative hold Swing -3.0
Elmdon [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Glenis Slater1,59640.4−7.9
Conservative John Bramham1,37534.8+0.9
BNP George Rouse60215.2+7.0
Labour Lorraine Essex2095.3−1.8
UKIP David Hossell1012.6+2.6
Green Elaine Williams681.7−0.9
Majority 2215.6−8.8
Turnout 3,951
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing -4.4
Kingshurst and Fordbridge [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Debbie Evans74937.2+7.4
Labour John Kimberley60630.1−2.2
BNP Graham Pringle46423.1−5.7
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Wright1256.2+0.4
Green Scott Rhodes673.3+0.0
Majority 1437.1+4.6
Turnout 2,011
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.8
Knowle [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Jeff Potts2,34263.4−6.1
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Berry58415.8−3.4
BNP Frank O'Brien37110.0+10.0
Green Jane Holt1794.8−3.0
Labour Catherine Connan1363.7+0.3
UKIP Mark Penny832.2+2.2
Majority 1,75847.6−2.7
Turnout 3,695
Conservative hold Swing -1.3
Lyndon [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Irene Chamberlain1,67348.8−4.4
Conservative Greg Goldingay89526.1−0.6
BNP Russell Phillips43612.7+12.7
Labour Margaret Brittin2126.2−1.2
UKIP Ray Mabbott1283.7−3.0
Green Frances Grice852.5−3.5
Majority 77822.7−3.8
Turnout 3,429
Liberal Democrats hold Swing -1.9
Meriden [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Peter Lea2,56472.0+1.6
Liberal Democrats Ann Berry3219.0−3.5
Labour Arthur Davis2647.4−3.7
BNP Wesley Jones2376.7+6.7
Green Nigel Dyer1764.9−1.1
Majority 2,24363.0+5.0
Turnout 3,562
Conservative hold Swing +2.5
Olton [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Honor Cox1,93853.8−6.4
Conservative Helen Eyre1,19833.3+2.3
UKIP Lydia Simpson1805.0+5.0
Labour Alan Jacques1694.7+0.1
Green Roger King1143.2−0.9
Majority 74020.6−8.7
Turnout 3,599
Liberal Democrats hold Swing -4.3
Shirley East [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Sue Rose1,52244.3−2.5
Conservative Mark Parker1,45542.4+10.4
UKIP Jayne Hall1965.7+5.7
Labour Kevin Raven1835.3−0.6
Green Olga Farooqui792.3−1.2
Majority 672.0−12.8
Turnout 3,435
Liberal Democrats hold Swing -6.4
Shirley South [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gary Allport1,50638.5+5.2
Liberal Democrats Nick John1,44937.0−10.1
BNP Charles Shipman54113.8+4.6
Labour Shirley Young1874.8−0.4
UKIP Linda Brown1704.3+2.5
Green Angela Henery591.5−0.2
Majority 571.5−12.2
Turnout 3,912
Conservative hold Swing +7.6
Shirley West [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Howard Allen1,42443.9−6.1
Conservative Dennis Eyre87326.9−2.3
BNP Tony Greenshields39412.1+12.1
UKIP Nikki Sinclaire2768.5−1.3
Labour Nick Stephens1584.9−1.4
Green Trevor Barker1183.6−1.1
Majority 55117.0−3.9
Turnout 3,243
Liberal Democrats hold Swing -1.9
Silhill [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Peter Hogarth2,05549.6+8.9
Liberal Democrats Tony Dupont1,41734.2−9.2
BNP Alan Ashmore3568.6−0.7
Labour Janet Marsh1754.2−1.1
Green Clair Garbett741.8+0.5
UKIP Christopher Boxall641.5+1.5
Majority 63815.4+12.7
Turnout 4,141
Conservative hold Swing +9.0
Smith's Wood [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Green Mike Sheridan88145.2+36.6
Labour Hugh Hendry55028.2−19.8
Conservative Jim Williams42021.5−10.4
Liberal Democrats Anthony Ludlow985.0−6.4
Majority 33117.0+0.8
Turnout 1,949
Green gain from Labour Swing +28.2
St. Alphege [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Kate Wild2,63662.7−3.1
Independent Theresa Tedd59214.1+14.1
Liberal Democrats Mamdoch Jalil59114.1−9.1
Labour Paul Tuxworth1343.2−2.1
UKIP David Faulkner1323.1+3.1
Green James Hepton1172.8−2.9
Majority 2,04448.6+6.0
Turnout 4,202
Conservative hold Swing -8.6

References

  1. "Solihull". BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Reynolds, Leda (9 April 2008). "Leader in plea over BNP battle". Birmingham Mail . p. 19.
  3. Reynolds, Leda (16 April 2008). "Poll dramas on hold until dawn". Birmingham Mail . p. 12.
  4. 1 2 "Solihull has us to thank for its quality of life, says Tory leader". Birmingham Post . 19 April 2008. p. 4.
  5. "Upbeat Lib Dem leader's cabinet call". Solihull Times . 23 April 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  6. "Fighting for the north". Solihull Times . 30 April 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Connor, Neil (3 May 2008). "Local elections: Green party candidate topples Solihull leader". Birmingham Post . p. 3.
  8. 1 2 Reynolds, Leda (3 May 2008). "Three seat gain". Birmingham Mail . p. 12.
  9. 1 2 Reynolds, Leda (2 May 2008). "Labour deflated as leader loses seat". Birmingham Mail . p. 1.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Election Results 2008". Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  11. "Results". The Times. 3 May 2008. p. 14.
  12. "National: Full election results". The Guardian. 3 May 2008. p. 45.