Purbeck Council election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Elections to Purbeck Council were held on 1 May 2008. Nine of the twenty-four seats on the council were up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
. Overall turnout was 44.86%.
A big issue in the election was housing
with much criticism of plans to build over five thousand homes in the district by 2026. The nomination
s for the election saw an unusual event when Liberal Democrat candidate Alexandra Brenton signed the nomination papers for her friend and Labour party candidate Selby Bennett. Two seats were contested in Lytchett Matravers after Liberal Democrat councillor
Michael Peacock stood down in February.
The results saw the Liberal Democrat party gained Wareham and Wool wards
from the Conservative party to pull level on the Council. The Conservative party took Swanage South from Liberal Democrat Colin Bright who had defected from the Conservatives the previous month.
After the election, the composition of the council was
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
. Overall turnout was 44.86%.
A big issue in the election was housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
with much criticism of plans to build over five thousand homes in the district by 2026. The nomination
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
s for the election saw an unusual event when Liberal Democrat candidate Alexandra Brenton signed the nomination papers for her friend and Labour party candidate Selby Bennett. Two seats were contested in Lytchett Matravers after Liberal Democrat councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
Michael Peacock stood down in February.
The results saw the Liberal Democrat party gained Wareham and Wool wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
from the Conservative party to pull level on the Council. The Conservative party took Swanage South from Liberal Democrat Colin Bright who had defected from the Conservatives the previous month.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
11 - Liberal Democrat 11
- IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
2