2007 Southampton City Council election

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.[1]

Map of the results of the 2007 Southampton council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red and Liberal Democrats in yellow.

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Campaign

Before the election the Conservative and Labour parties both had 16 seats, while the Liberal Democrats who formed the administration had 15 seats, with one seat, formerly Liberal Democrat, being vacant.[3] 17 seats were being contested in the election, with 2 seats up in Millbrook after Liberal Democrat Virginia Moore resigned from the council.[3]

In total 69 candidates were standing[3] and as well as candidates from the national political parties, a couple of candidates stood for local parties called Southampton First and Southampton Save Our Services.[4] They campaigned on local issues, with Southampton Save Our Services running on a platform calling for improved conditions for public sector workers in Southampton.[4] Candidates also included a 20-year-old Conservative, Vince Capozzoli in Portswood, after the age for councillors was reduced from 21 to 18.[5]

National politicians including Conservative leader David Cameron and Labour cabinet minister Peter Hain visited Southampton to campaign for their parties.[6][7]

The council used an electronic system to check postal votes, but had to check them by hand after the system failed to read up to 40% of them.[8][9]

Election result

The results saw no party win a majority, but the Liberal Democrats lost 4 seats, 2 each to the Conservative and Labour parties.[10] The Conservatives won 9 of the 17 seats contested, to move to 18 seats, level with Labour, while the Liberal Democrats fell to 12 seats.[11] One of the Conservative gains from the Liberal Democrats came in Swaythling and was put down to plans for a travellers' camp in the area, which had been opposed by the Conservative candidate.[12] Overall turnout in the election was 30.2%.[12]

Following the election Conservative group leader Alec Samuels was elected leader of the council.[13] This came after one Liberal Democrat councillor, Norah Goss, voted in favour of a Conservative administration, breaking from the rest of the party who abstained.[13]

Southampton Local Election Result 2007[14][15]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 9 2 0 Increase2 52.9 37.5 20,321 Increase5.0
  Labour 6 2 0 Increase2 35.3 30.5 16,489 Increase0.7
  Liberal Democrats 2 0 4 Decrease4 11.8 23.8 12,892 Decrease5.0
  Green 0 0 0 Steady 0 5.1 2,745 Increase0.8
  UKIP 0 0 0 Steady 0 2.2 1,201 Increase0.6
  Official Southampton First 0 0 0 Steady 0 0.6 299 Increase0.6
  Socialist Alternative 0 0 0 Steady 0 0.2 116 Decrease0.1
  Southampton Save our Services 0 0 0 Steady 0 0.1 80 Increase0.1

Ward results

Bargate
Bargate[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Parvin Damani 893 43.2 +2.1
Conservative Amy Whiskerd 675 32.6 0.0
Liberal Democrats Sylvia Drake 305 14.7 -1.2
Green Rigel Jenman 195 9.4 +9.4
Majority 218 10.5 +2.0
Turnout 2,068 16.0 -0.8
Labour hold Swing

Bassett
Bassett[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alec Samuels 1,858 47.4 +2.0
Liberal Democrats Sharon Mintoff 1,420 36.2 -10.4
Labour Michael Brainsby 427 10.9 +2.9
UKIP Michael Cottrell 217 5.5 +5.5
Majority 438 11.2
Turnout 3,922 35.9 -4.8
Conservative hold Swing

Bevois
Bevois[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jacqueline Rayment 1,113 50.8 -0.2
Conservative Matthew Turpin 466 21.3 +2.1
Liberal Democrats Paul Clarke 282 12.9 -10.0
Green Josephine Furness 215 9.8 +9.8
Socialist Alternative Nicholas Chaffey 116 5.3 -1.5
Majority 647 29.5 +1.5
Turnout 2,192 20.9 -2.5
Labour hold Swing

Bitterne
Bitterne[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Matthew Stevens 1,373 48.3 +6.8
Conservative Edward Osmond 961 33.8 +6.1
Liberal Democrats Robert Naish 510 17.9 +2.2
Majority 412 14.5 +0.7
Turnout 2,844 28.6 -1.8
Labour hold Swing

Bitterne Park
Bitterne Park[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Baillie 1,663 49.3 +4.1
Labour Shaun Brady 734 21.8 +1.7
Liberal Democrats Arnold Robinson 720 21.4 +0.4
Green Sarah Curl 254 7.5 -0.5
Majority 929 27.6 +3.6
Turnout 3,371 32.6 -2.7
Conservative hold Swing

Coxford
Coxford[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Donald Thomas 1,219 34.9 -0.8
Liberal Democrats Kenneth Darke 1,162 33.3 -3.9
Conservative Neil Fitzgerald 784 22.4 +3.6
UKIP Leslie Obee 201 5.8 +5.8
Green David Curl 128 3.7 -4.6
Majority 57 1.6
Turnout 3,494 33.9 +1.8
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Freemantle
Freemantle[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Brian Parnell 1,369 45.8 +5.1
Labour Harry Mitchell 815 27.3 -3.1
Liberal Democrats Juliet Williams 407 13.6 -1.4
Green Darren Pickering 395 13.2 -0.7
Majority 554 18.6 +8.2
Turnout 2,986 28.2 -2.2
Conservative hold Swing

Harefield
Harefield[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Adrian Johnson 1,723 49.2 -6.7
Labour Paul Jenks 1,017 29.0 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Diana Wills 490 14.0 -2.2
Green Andrew Shaw 275 7.8 +7.8
Majority 706 20.1 -7.9
Turnout 3,505 33.2 -2.1
Conservative hold Swing

Millbrook
Millbrook (2)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Linda Norris 1,330
Conservative Andrew Wells 1,268
Liberal Democrats Robert Holmes 1,048
Liberal Democrats Keith Reed 974
Labour Keith Morrell 855
Labour Richard Green 811
Green Victoria Payne 350
UKIP Stephen Phillips 246
Turnout 6,882 32.8
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Peartree
Peartree[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats John Slade 1,443 44.3 -4.4
Conservative Kim Baillie 972 29.9 +2.0
Labour Julian Price 839 25.8 +2.4
Majority 471 14.5 -6.3
Turnout 3,254 31.9 -0.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Portswood
Portswood[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Steven Sollitt 1,063 33.3
Conservative Vincenzo Capozzoli 840 26.3
Labour Ann Wardle 560 17.5
Green Joseph Cox 350 11.0
Official Southampton First Peter Knight 299 9.4
Southampton Save our Services Neil Kelly 80 2.5
Majority 223 7.0
Turnout 3,192 29.6 -4.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Redbridge
Redbridge[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Marsh-Jenks 1,292 43.0 -1.3
Liberal Democrats Paul Russell 906 30.1 -1.3
Conservative Clare Bettison 808 26.9 +2.6
Majority 368 12.8 -0.1
Turnout 3,006 28.9 -1.6
Labour hold Swing

Shirley
Shirley[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matthew Dean 1,762 44.9 +3.0
Labour Graham Giles 1,256 32.0 +5.4
Liberal Democrats Pauline Harding 395 10.1 -3.0
Green John Spottiswoode 327 8.3 -4.4
UKIP David Geddes 183 4.7 -1.0
Majority 506 12.9 -2.4
Turnout 3,923 38.2 +0.3
Conservative hold Swing

Sholing
Sholing[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gavin Dick 1,787 45.1 +10.5
Labour David Furnell 1,435 36.2 -5.7
Liberal Democrats Martin Lisle 390 9.8 -3.6
UKIP Tony Weaver 354 8.9 -1.1
Majority 352 8.9
Turnout 3,966 37.3 +0.0
Conservative hold Swing

Swaythling
Swaythling[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Diana Odgers 1,215 45.2 +16.5
Liberal Democrats Anne Work 711 26.5 -14.6
Labour Andrew Wilson 504 18.8 -0.5
Green Christopher Bluemel 256 9.5 -1.5
Majority 504 18.7
Turnout 2,686 28.4 +3.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Woolston
Woolston[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Warwick Payne 1,346 47.2 -3.5
Conservative John Whiskerd 840 29.5 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Barbara Cove 666 23.4 +0.4
Majority 506 17.7 -6.7
Turnout 2,852 28.5 -1.8
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

References
  1. "Southampton". BBC News Online. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  2. "National: Elections 2007: Town and country go to the polls". The Guardian. 4 May 2007. p. 6.
  3. "Countdown to May elections". Southern Daily Echo. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  4. Prince, Rosa (23 April 2007). "X factor; Forget the big three.. Here's who else is after your vote". Daily Mirror. p. 8.
  5. "Nathan becomes youngest councillor in the country - without an election!". Southern Daily Echo. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  6. "Hain gives local campaign a lift". Southern Daily Echo. 25 April 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  7. Smith, Matt (24 April 2007). "Political big guns on campaign trail in Hampshire". This is Hampshire. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  8. "Thousands of votes scrapped as chaos hits postal ballots". The Times. 3 May 2007. p. 2.
  9. "Voting fraud system failing". Southern Daily Echo. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  10. Woodward, Will (4 May 2007). "National: Elections 2007: Labour does better than feared, despite strong opposition gains: Early mixed results allow all parties to claim success: Tories struggle outside suburban and rural areas". The Guardian. p. 7.
  11. Smith, Matt (4 May 2007). "Liberal Democrats lose Southampton". This is Hampshire. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  12. Smith, Matt (5 May 2007). "Deals to be done in the wake of the local council elections". This is Hampshire. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  13. "'Shock move' gives Tories power". BBC News Online. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  14. "Election details". Southampton City Council. Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  15. "Results". The Times. 5 May 2007. p. 83.
Preceded by
2006 Southampton Council election		 Southampton local elections Succeeded by
2008 Southampton Council election
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