Southampton Council election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Southampton Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Southampton
Unitary
Council in Hampshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
gained overall control of the council from no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
the Conservative party took control as a minority administration after one Liberal Democrat councillor
, Norah Goss, broke with her party to support the Conservatives. However at the February 2008 budget meeting the Labour
and Liberal Democrats joined together to take control from the Conservatives.
. Two 18-year olds were among the Conservative winners, David Fuller taking Bitterne
by 460 votes and Matthew Jones gaining Peartree
by over 500 votes. Meanwhile both the Labour leader of the council, June Bridle, in Sholing
and the Liberal Democrat group leader, Adrian Vinson, in Portswood
were among those who lost seats. The Conservative gains meant they won 15 of the 17 seats contested to take a 4 seat majority with 26 seats, compared to 14 seats for Labour and 8 for the Liberal Democrats. Overall turnout
in the election was 29.7%, down on the 30.3% in 2007 and varying between a low of 16.1% in Bargate
and a high of 36.9% in Shirley
.
The Conservative election success was put down to a combination of a rejection of the pact between the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, anger at plans to charge people for parking outside their homes and the national issue of the abolition of the 10p rate of income tax
. The results were also seen as indications for the next general election, with projections that the Conservatives could gain Southampton Test and Southampton Itchen constituencies from Labour on swings of 15.9% and 18.9% respectively, based on the local election results.
Following the election Alec Samuels became the new Conservative leader of the council, Richard Williams became leader of the Labour group and Jill Baston took charge of the Liberal Democrat group.
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
Unitary
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
Council in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
Conservative 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...
gained overall control of the council from no overall control
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...
.
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...
26 - LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
14 - Liberal Democrat 8
Background
After the 2007 electionSouthampton Council election, 2007
The 2007 Southampton Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Southampton Unitary Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control....
the Conservative party took control as a minority administration after one 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:...
, Norah Goss, broke with her party to support the Conservatives. However at the February 2008 budget meeting the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and Liberal Democrats joined together to take control from the Conservatives.
Election result
The results saw the Conservative party win a majority on the council for the first time since 1984. The Conservatives gained 8 seats, 4 from Labour, 3 from the Liberal Democrats and 1 from an 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...
. Two 18-year olds were among the Conservative winners, David Fuller taking Bitterne
Bitterne
Bitterne is an eastern suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England.Bitterne derives its name not from the similarly named bird, the Bittern but from the bend in the River Itchen; the Old English words byht and ærn together mean "house near a bend", most likely a reference to Bitterne Manor...
by 460 votes and Matthew Jones gaining Peartree
Peartree (ward)
Peartree Ward is an Electoral Ward in the Unitary Authority of Southampton, England.It covers the suburbs of Merry Oak, Peartree Green and Itchen, and is bordered by Bargate Ward, Bevois Ward, Bitterne Park Ward, Harefield Ward, Sholing Ward, and Woolston Ward....
by over 500 votes. Meanwhile both the Labour leader of the council, June Bridle, in Sholing
Sholing
Sholing, previously Scholing, is a district on the eastern side of the city of Southampton in southern England. It is located between the districts of Bitterne, Thornhill and Woolston....
and the Liberal Democrat group leader, Adrian Vinson, in Portswood
Portswood
Portswood is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England. The suburb lies to the north-east of the city centre and is bounded by Freemantle, Highfield, Swaythling, St. Denys and Bevois Valley....
were among those who lost seats. The Conservative gains meant they won 15 of the 17 seats contested to take a 4 seat majority with 26 seats, compared to 14 seats for Labour and 8 for the Liberal Democrats. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
in the election was 29.7%, down on the 30.3% in 2007 and varying between a low of 16.1% in Bargate
Bargate (ward)
Bargate Ward is an Electoral Ward in the Unitary Authority of Southampton, England. It covers Southampton City Centre, and stretches as far as Ocean Village and St Mary's to the east, and West Quay and The Polygon to the west...
and a high of 36.9% in Shirley
Shirley, Southampton
Shirley is a district on the Western side of Southampton, England. Shirley's main roles are retailing and residential. It is the most important suburban shopping area in the west of the city. Housing is a mixture of council houses in the centre of the district surrounded by private housing, with...
.
The Conservative election success was put down to a combination of a rejection of the pact between the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, anger at plans to charge people for parking outside their homes and the national issue of the abolition of the 10p rate of income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
. The results were also seen as indications for the next general election, with projections that the Conservatives could gain Southampton Test and Southampton Itchen constituencies from Labour on swings of 15.9% and 18.9% respectively, based on the local election results.
Following the election Alec Samuels became the new Conservative leader of the council, Richard Williams became leader of the Labour group and Jill Baston took charge of the Liberal Democrat group.