Woking Council election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Woking Council election took place on 1 May 2010 to elect members of Woking
Borough
Council in Surrey
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
the Conservatives
held a majority on the council with 19 seats, compared to 17 for the Liberal Democrats. However in July 2009 the Conservatives lost their majority after councillor
Peter Ankers resigned from the Conservatives to sit as an independent
.
13 of the 36 seats on the council were contested in the election with the leader of the council, Conservative John Kingsbury, among the councillors who were defending seats. Byfleet
ward
saw 2 seats being contested after Conservative councillor Simon Hutton resigned from the council earlier in the year.
. The Conservatives gained 1 seat in Mount Hermon East after defeating Liberal Democrat councillor Norman Johns, however the Liberal Democrats took another seat back after winning one of the two seats contested in Byfleet ward. Among the Conservatives to hold their seats was Mohammed Iqbal in Maybury and Sheerwater
ward, who was therefore able to become the first asian
mayor
of Woking. Overall turnout
in the election was 69.73%.
Woking (borough)
Woking is a local government district with borough status in the west of Surrey, England.It was formed in 1895 as an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894. The present-day borough was established in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and is one of two districts in Surrey to...
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 Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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 council stayed under 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...
18 - Liberal Democrat 17
- 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
After the last election in 2008Woking Council election, 2008
The 2008 Woking Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Woking Borough Council in Surrey, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council....
the Conservatives
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...
held a majority on the council with 19 seats, compared to 17 for the Liberal Democrats. However in July 2009 the Conservatives lost their majority after 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:...
Peter Ankers resigned from the Conservatives to sit as an 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...
.
13 of the 36 seats on the council were contested in the election with the leader of the council, Conservative John Kingsbury, among the councillors who were defending seats. Byfleet
Byfleet
Byfleet is an inland island village forming a suburb of Woking in Surrey, England. It is in the east of the borough between the River Wey and the River Mole, and is within the M25 motorway....
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:...
saw 2 seats being contested after Conservative councillor Simon Hutton resigned from the council earlier in the year.
Election result
The results saw no party win a majority, with the Conservatives the largest party on 18 seats, the Liberal Democrats on 17 and 1 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...
. The Conservatives gained 1 seat in Mount Hermon East after defeating Liberal Democrat councillor Norman Johns, however the Liberal Democrats took another seat back after winning one of the two seats contested in Byfleet ward. Among the Conservatives to hold their seats was Mohammed Iqbal in Maybury and Sheerwater
Sheerwater
Sheerwater is a large housing estate in Woking, Surrey, England. It is located between West Byfleet and Woking .Sheerwater was designed as a new neighbourhood by the London County Council, with nearly 1,300 homes built in the early 1950s and over 5,000 people settling in the Borough....
ward, who was therefore able to become the first asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Woking. 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 69.73%.