Sunderland City Council election, 2008

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Sunderland City Council election, 2008
Flag of England.svg
  2007 1 May 2008 2010  

One third of 75 seats on Sunderland City Council
38 seats needed for a majority

 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Party Labour Conservative Independent
Seats before53174
Seats won1492
Seats after48224
Seat changeDecrease2.svg5Increase2.svg5Steady2.svg0

 Fourth party
 
Party Liberal Democrat
Seats before1
Seats won0
Seats after1
Seat changeSteady2.svg0

Sunderland 2008 election map.png
Map of the 2008 Sunderland City Council election results. Labour in red, Conservatives in blue, Lib Dems in yellow and Independents in white.

Majority party before election

Labour

Majority party after election

Labour

The 2008 Sunderland Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council. [1] [2]

City of Sunderland City and metropolitan borough in England

The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring, and Washington, as well as a range of suburban villages.

Tyne and Wear County of England

Tyne and Wear ( ) is a metropolitan county in the North East region of England around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. It consists of the five metropolitan boroughs of South Tyneside, North Tyneside, City of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and City of Sunderland. It is bounded on the east by the North Sea, and has borders with Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south.

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Contents

Background

Before the election the council had 53 Labour, 17 Conservative, 4 independents and 1 Liberal Democrat councillors. 25 seats were contested in the election with a record 70,828 voters being registered to vote by post, a third of all registered voters. [3]

Conservative Party (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom. Presently led by Theresa May, it has been the governing party since 2010. It presently has 314 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, 249 members of the House of Lords, and 18 members of the European Parliament. It also has 31 Members of the Scottish Parliament, 12 members of the Welsh Assembly, eight members of the London Assembly and 9,008 local councillors. One of the major parties of UK politics, it has formed the government on 45 occasions, more than any other party.

Liberal Democrats (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Liberal Democrats are a liberal, centrist political party in the United Kingdom. They presently have 11 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, 96 members of the House of Lords, and one member of the European Parliament. They also have five Members of the Scottish Parliament and a member each in the Welsh Assembly and London Assembly. The party reached the height of its influence in the early 2010s, forming a junior partner in a coalition government from 2010 to 2015. It is presently led by Vince Cable.

A Councillor is a member of a local government council.

In the period since the previous local elections, the Conservatives had won a seat from Labour in a by-election in September 2007 in Washington East. [4] Two Labour councillors who had left the party in November 2006 to sit as Independents, George Blyth in Doxford and Bryn Sidaway in Hendon, retired at this election.

Election result

The results saw Labour remain in control of the council, but with a reduced majority after the Conservative party gained 5 seats, [5] including 4 from Labour. [6] The Conservatives gained 2 seats from Labour in Washington and a seat each in Ryhope and St Chads, while also taking a seat from an independent, formerly Labour, councillor in Doxford. [7] The Conservative gains took the party to 22 seats, compared to 48 for Labour. [8] Labour also lost 2 seats to independents in Copt Hill and Houghton wards, but did take one seat back in Hendon which had been held by an independent. [8] [7] This meant there were 4 independents on the council, while the Liberal Democrats remained on 1 seat. [8] Overall turnout in the election was 34.9%. [9]

Washington, Tyne and Wear town in the City of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, England

Washington is a new town in the City of Sunderland local government district of Tyne and Wear, England, and part of historic County Durham. Washington is located geographically at an equal distance from the centres of Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland, hence it has close ties to all three cities.

Ryhope village along the southern boundary of the City of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, North East England

Ryhope is a coastal village along the southern boundary of the City of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, North East England. With a population of approximately 14,000, measured at 10.484 in the 2011 census, Ryhope is 2.9 miles to the centre of Sunderland, 2.8 miles to the centre of Seaham, and 1.2 miles from the main A19.

Doxford Park human settlement in United Kingdom

Doxford Park is a suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, located to the south-west of the city centre. Doxford Park is also the name of a wooded area of land located within the suburb.

The leader of the Conservatives on the council, Lee Martin, put the Labour losses partly down to national issues such as the abolition of the 10 pence income tax rate and partly down to local issues. [10] The Labour leader of the council described the results as "mid-term blues", while the defeat of the Labour cabinet member Joseph Lawson in Houghton ward to an independent was put down to plans to shut a quarry in the area. [11]

An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) that varies with respective income or profits. Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times taxable income. Taxation rates may vary by type or characteristics of the taxpayer.

Quarry A place from which a geological material has been excavated from the ground

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground.

Sunderland Local Election Result 2008 [12] [13]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 1316Decrease2.svg55239.629,109Decrease2.svg3.7
  Conservative 950Increase2.svg5363223,547Increase2.svg3.9
  Liberal Democrat 100Steady2.svg0411.68,543Increase2.svg2.9
  BNP 000Steady2.svg0010.27,540Decrease2.svg0.4
  Independent 222Steady2.svg086.44,710Decrease2.svg1.9
 The Left Party000Steady2.svg000.190Increase2.svg0.1
  UKIP 000Steady2.svg000.140Steady2.svg0

This resulted in the following composition of the Council:

PartyPrevious CouncilNew Council
Labour5348
Conservatives1722
Independent44
Liberal Democrats11
Total7575
Working majority 31  21 

Ward results

Barnes [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Anthony Morrissey1,71251.6-2.1
Labour Philip Routledge80924.4+1.7
Liberal Democrat Gulya Dixon48914.7-0.2
BNP Robert Fletcher3089.3+0.6
Majority90327.2-3.8
Turnout 3,31838.0+0.3
Conservative hold Swing
Castle [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Tommy Foster1,37652.8-13.2
BNP John Humble35013.4-2.2
Conservative Clair Hall34313.2+5.7
Independent Ronald McQuillan26410.1-0.8
Liberal Democrat Jon Dewart1827.0+7.0
The Left PartyGary Duncan903.5+3.5
Majority1,02639.4-11.1
Turnout 2,60530.5+0.5
Labour hold Swing
Copt Hill [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Independent Derrick Smith1,48745.6+2.7
Labour Joan Carthy1,12334.5-1.1
Conservative George Brown45113.8+2.7
BNP Terence Woolford1976.0+0.5
Majority36411.2+3.9
Turnout 3,25836.7+0.7
Independent gain from Labour Swing
Doxford [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Richard Vardy1,17841.6+17.5
Labour Linda Mitchell99135.0-0.8
Liberal Democrat Lewis Green37113.1+13.1
BNP Peter Swain29210.3+1.9
Majority1876.6
Turnout 2,83235.7-0.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

The incumbent Labour councillor, George Blyth, had been elected in 2004 as a Labour candidate, but subsequently left the party to sit as an Independent councillor, and retired at this election.

Fulwell [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Bob Francis2,09253.2-0.7
Labour Bob Price1,03226.2+1.1
Liberal Democrat Geoffrey Pryke45911.7-1.4
BNP Frederick Donkin3528.9+1.0
Majority1,06026.9-1.9
Turnout 3,93543.5+0.8
Conservative hold Swing
Hendon [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Michael Mordey87436.4-6.6
Independent Sammy Doran55723.2+4.6
Conservative Deborah Lorraine51721.5+3.3
BNP Ian Sayers2349.7-5.2
Liberal Democrat Nathan Hazlett2199.1+9.1
Majority31713.2-11.2
Turnout 2,40129.5-0.7
Labour gain from Independent Swing

The incumbent Labour councillor, Bryn Sidaway, had been elected in 2004 as a Labour candidate, but subsequently left the party to sit as an Independent councillor, and retired at this election.

Hetton [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Jim Blackburn1,84369.2+13.9
Conservative Douglas Middlemiss82130.8+18.8
Majority1,02238.4+1.1
Turnout 2,66430.6-0.7
Labour hold Swing
Houghton [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Independent Sheila Ellis1,41544.8+26.4
Labour Joe Lawson1,16837.0-13.7
Conservative Edward Allen35511.2-0.3
BNP Kevin Robe2196.9-1.4
Majority2477.8
Turnout 3,15735.8+2.0
Independent gain from Labour Swing
Millfield [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Liberal Democrat Paul Dixon1,05946.0+15.5
Labour Bob Bowman55824.3-8.6
Conservative Gwennyth Gibson34615.0+1.6
BNP Christopher Lathan1797.8-0.9
Independent Margaret Snaith843.7-3.6
UKIP Pauline Featonby-Warren401.7-1.4
Independent Gary Hollern351.5+1.5
Majority50121.8
Turnout 2,30132.3+0.5
Liberal Democrat hold Swing
Pallion [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Amy Wilson1,05544.3-0.4
Conservative Michael Leadbitter64527.1+8.4
BNP Paul Humble37715.8+4.1
Liberal Democrat Sham Vedhara30512.8+1.1
Majority41017.2-8.7
Turnout 2,38231.6+1.1
Labour hold Swing
Redhill [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Bryan Charlton1,31549.5-6.6
BNP John Martin51719.5-3.5
Independent Ian Leadbitter35913.5+6.6
Conservative Martin Anderson27910.5-0.3
Liberal Democrat Rob Boyce1857.0+7.0
Majority79830.1-3.0
Turnout 2,65531.0+1.1
Labour hold Swing
Ryhope [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Christopher Fairs1,01233.7+3.5
Labour Ronald Bainbridge98332.7-8.6
Independent Patrick Lavelle50916.9+1.6
BNP Wayne Watts2919.7-3.5
Liberal Democrat David Slone2097.0+7.0
Majority291.0
Turnout 3,00437.3+1.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Sandhill [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Jim Scott1,19647.0-9.8
Conservative Paula Wilkinson66226.0-0.9
BNP Carl Donkin35814.1-2.2
Liberal Democrat Robert Peel32712.9+12.9
Majority53421.0-8.8
Turnout 2,54330.7+0.3
Labour hold Swing
Shiney Row [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Anne Hall1,57148.4-5.8
Conservative Joyce Wake90027.7+3.5
Liberal Democrat Carol Attewell42413.1+13.1
BNP Ian Baillie35010.8+0.7
Majority67120.7-9.3
Turnout 3,24533.4+1.7
Labour hold Swing
Silksworth [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Pat Smith1,50349.3-6.0
Conservative Patricia Francis86628.4-3.0
BNP Anthony James40613.3+0.0
Liberal Democrat Alf Fowler2759.0+9.0
Majority63720.9-3.0
Turnout 3,05036.7+1.1
Labour hold Swing
Southwick [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Rosalind Copeland1,15143.5-1.3
Conservative Terence Docherty70226.5+6.2
BNP Alan Brettwood53020.0+2.6
Liberal Democrat Anne Griffin2639.9-0.5
Majority44917.0-7.5
Turnout 2,64632.7-0.2
Labour hold Swing
St Annes [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Susan Watson1,08945.3-5.1
Conservative Shaun Cudworth52822.0+4.8
BNP Julie Potter41517.3+6.1
Liberal Democrat Simon Dawes37115.4+5.2
Majority56123.3-9.9
Turnout 2,40329.5+0.5
Labour hold Swing
St Chads [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Alan Wright1,66050.3+3.4
Labour Darryl Dixon1,20636.5-3.9
BNP Lynne Hudson2497.5+0.1
Liberal Democrat Diana Lambton1855.6+5.6
Majority45413.8+7.4
Turnout 3,30041.7-0.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
St Michaels [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Margaret Forbes2,04660.2+0.8
Labour Lewis Atkinson79723.4-2.1
Liberal Democrat Les Wascoe34210.1+10.1
BNP Joanne Cruickshanks2166.4+0.4
Majority1,24936.7+2.8
Turnout 3,40140.8+1.5
Conservative hold Swing
St Peters [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Lilian Walton1,50147.8+4.0
Labour Stephen Bonallie84026.7-4.5
Liberal Democrat Diana Matthew44314.1+0.7
BNP Derek Wright35811.4+2.5
Majority66121.0+8.4
Turnout 3,14237.8+0.1
Conservative hold Swing
Washington Central [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Dianne Snowdon1,28340.3-8.3
Conservative Hilary Johnson83326.2+3.0
Liberal Democrat John Mclelland74123.3+5.6
BNP Clive Thompson32810.3-0.2
Majority45014.1-11.3
Turnout 3,18536.3+0.6
Labour hold Swing
Washington East [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Ivan Richardson1,38443.2+3.1
Labour Neville Padgett1,29140.3+1.0
Liberal Democrat Malcolm Bannister40112.5-1.7
BNP Paul Masters1304.1-2.2
Majority932.9+2.1
Turnout 3,20637.1+1.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Washington North [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour John Kelly1,49053.0-5.0
Conservative Kathleen Irvine62522.2+5.9
Liberal Democrat Steve Thomas36513.0-3.3
BNP Lynne Baillie32911.7+2.3
Majority86530.8-10.9
Turnout 2,80932.3+1.0
Labour hold Swing
Washington South [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Eddie Wake1,32642.5+5.4
Labour Linda Williams1,17337.6+2.2
Liberal Democrat David Griffin39012.5-2.9
BNP Mildred Smart2297.3-0.4
Majority1534.9+3.3
Turnout 3,11837.5+2.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Washington West [12] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Bernard Scaplehorn1,39246.1-6.8
Conservative Olwyn Bird76325.3+7.8
Liberal Democrat Irene Bannister53817.8-0.4
BNP Doreen Smart32610.8+2.6
Majority62920.8-13.9
Turnout 3,01933.9+0.8
Labour hold Swing

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References

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  2. "National: Full election results". The Guardian. 2008-05-03. p. 45.
  3. "Postal voting hits record high in polls". Sunderland Echo . 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  4. "Tory victory in by-election" . Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  5. Webster, Philip (2008-05-02). "Labour endures worst poll night for 30 years". The Times. p. 2.
  6. "Labour to control unitary council". BBC News Online . 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  7. 1 2 "Tory leader: We can go on to win Sunderland". Sunderland Echo . 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  8. 1 2 3 Young, Peter (2008-05-02). "Labour takes a real hammering". Evening Chronicle. p. 8.
  9. "All the results from Tyneside and Wearside's local councils". Evening Chronicle. 2010-05-08. p. 2.
  10. Pearson, Adrian (2008-05-02). "Even loyal areas punish Labour for national ills". The Journal. p. 5.
  11. "Sunderland Tories celebrate; local elections 2008". The Journal . 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Results of Poll". Sunderland City Council. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  13. "Results". The Times. 2008-05-03. p. 14.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Labour down five seats + video". Sunderland Echo . 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
Preceded by
Sunderland City Council election, 2007
Sunderland City Council elections Succeeded by
Sunderland City Council election, 2010