West Lancashire Council election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 West Lancashire Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of West Lancashire
Borough
Council in Lancashire
, 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
, after gaining 3 seats in the 2006 election. 19 seats were being contested in the election with the Conservative leader of the council, Geoff Roberts, being one of those who were defending seats. The election was seen as mainly being fought just between the Conservative and Labour parties, with the Liberal Democrats only standing in 2 wards
.
The Conservatives were expected to remain in control of the council and were targeting the wards of Scott and Wrightington where Labour only had small majorities.
back to Labour. Overall turnout
in the election was 31.5%, down from the 32.2% recorded in 2006.
West Lancashire
West Lancashire is a non-metropolitan district with the status of a borough in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Ormskirk. The other town in the borough is Skelmersdale....
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
Council in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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...
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...
33 - 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...
21
Background
Before the election the Conservatives had a 10 seat majority over 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...
, after gaining 3 seats in the 2006 election. 19 seats were being contested in the election with the Conservative leader of the council, Geoff Roberts, being one of those who were defending seats. The election was seen as mainly being fought just between the Conservative and Labour parties, with the Liberal Democrats only standing in 2 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:...
.
The Conservatives were expected to remain in control of the council and were targeting the wards of Scott and Wrightington where Labour only had small majorities.
Election result
The Conservatives held control of the council after making a net gain of 1 seat to have a majority of 12 over Labour. They gained the seats of Scott and Wrightington from Labour, but lost BickerstaffeBickerstaffe
Bickerstaffe is a village and civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 Census the population of the civil parish was 1,196, although the population of the electoral ward was slightly greater at 2,013....
back to Labour. 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 31.5%, down from the 32.2% recorded in 2006.