Tamworth Council election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Tamworth Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Tamworth
District
Council in Staffordshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative
party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
had 6 and there was 1 independent
councillor
. 10 seats were being contested, with the Conservatives defending 8 and Labour 2. Among the councillors defending seats were the former Conservative council leader Ron Cook in Spittal ward
and the Mayoress Mary Oates in Wilnecote
. Labour would have needed to gain every Conservative seat that was being contested in order to deprive the Conservatives of a majority.
to be declared and saw just one seat change hands. The Conservative party gained Galscote ward from the Labour to hold 24 seats, compared to 5 for Labour. Galscote was taken by Conservative, Nicola Annandale, who was the fiancee of the leader of the council Jeremy Oates. Overall turnout was 29.97%.
The Conservative leader of the council Jeremy Oates said that voters were "fed up of party politics and have voted on the delivery of services". However the Labour Member of Parliament
for Tamworth
Brian Jenkins
said that people had wanted "to give the Government a kicking" and that the election had been "all about national issues".
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, 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
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...
party stayed in overall control of the council.
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...
24 - 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...
5 - 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...
1
Background
Before the election the Conservatives held 23 seats, 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...
had 6 and there was 1 independent
Independent (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...
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:...
. 10 seats were being contested, with the Conservatives defending 8 and Labour 2. Among the councillors defending seats were the former Conservative council leader Ron Cook in Spittal ward
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:...
and the Mayoress Mary Oates in Wilnecote
Wilnecote
Wilnecote is an English housing district about 3 km south east of Tamworth, Staffordshire. It is one of the largest communities in the town....
. Labour would have needed to gain every Conservative seat that was being contested in order to deprive the Conservatives of a majority.
Election result
The results in Tamworth were one of the first local election resultsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2008
The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
to be declared and saw just one seat change hands. The Conservative party gained Galscote ward from the Labour to hold 24 seats, compared to 5 for Labour. Galscote was taken by Conservative, Nicola Annandale, who was the fiancee of the leader of the council Jeremy Oates. Overall turnout was 29.97%.
The Conservative leader of the council Jeremy Oates said that voters were "fed up of party politics and have voted on the delivery of services". However the Labour Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tamworth
Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Tamworth is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
Brian Jenkins
Brian Jenkins (politician)
Brian David Jenkins is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Tamworth from 1997 until 2010, and has lived in the constituency for over 50 years...
said that people had wanted "to give the Government a kicking" and that the election had been "all about national issues".