2008 Cheltenham Borough Council election

The 2008 Cheltenham Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Cheltenham Borough Council in Gloucestershire, England. Half of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]

Map of the results of the 2008 Cheltenham council election. Liberal Democrat in yellow, Conservatives in blue and People Against Bureaucracy in pink.

After the election, the composition of the council was

Campaign

Before the election the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had 17 seats each, People Against Bureaucracy 5 and Labour 1 seat, with the Conservatives forming the administration.[3] 20 seats were being contested with both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats contesting all of the seats, while Labour contested 9, Greens 4 and People Against Bureaucracy 3 seats.[3] The only Labour councillor Diana Hale stood down at the election, along with 2 Conservative and 1 People Against Bureaucracy councillors, while Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Coleman contested Leckhampton instead of his existing seat in St Paul's ward.[3]

During the campaign the national Conservative leader David Cameron briefly visited Cheltenham to campaign, raising the issues of post offices being closed, garden grabbing, preserving local shops and house building on flood plains.[4][5]

Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrats become the largest party on the council with 20 of the 40 seats after making 3 gains.[6][7] The Liberal Democrats held vulnerable seats in All Saints and St Peters wards, while making gains from each of the other 3 groups which had been defending seats.[8] They also almost defeated the Conservative leader of the council Duncan Smith who held on by 33 votes in Charlton Kings ward.[8]

The Conservatives stayed on 17 seats,[7] while the People Against Bureaucracy group lost 2 seats to have 3 councillors.[8] Labour was wiped out after losing their last seat[7] in Oakley, with the party only coming in third place in the ward.[9] Overall turnout in the election was 35.1%.[8]

As a result of the election the Liberal Democrats took over control of the administration of the council from the Conservatives.[10] The change in control came in a vote with the Liberal Democrat leader Steve Jordan receiving 18 votes, compared to 19 abstentions and the remaining 3 councillors being absent.[11]

Cheltenham Local Election Result 2008[12][13]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Liberal Democrats 10 3 0 +3 50.0 44.9 14,059 +4.1%
  Conservative 9 1 1 0 45.0 45.8 14,342 -0.1%
  PAB 1 0 2 -2 5.0 5.7 1,783 -2.6%
  Labour 0 0 1 -1 0 2.9 923 -1.5%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 0.7 209 +0.7%

Ward results
All Saints[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Jordan* 811 59.1 +8.0
Conservative Peter Christensen 461 33.6 -3.9
Green Adrian Becker 61 4.4 N/A
Labour Kevin Boyle 40 2.9 -2.9
Majority 350 25.5 +11.9
Turnout 1,373 31.9 +1.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Battledown[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Wall* 1,013 66.7 -1.6
Liberal Democrats Paul McCloskey 442 29.1 +3.5
Labour Catherine Mozley 64 4.2 -1.9
Majority 571 37.6 -5.1
Turnout 1,519 41.4 -1.4
Conservative hold Swing
Benhall and The Reddings[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jacqueline Fletcher* 945 50.7 +6.7
Liberal Democrats Christoper Pallet 918 49.3 -3.5
Majority 27 1.4 -7.2
Turnout 1,863 46.1 +0.3
Conservative hold Swing
Charlton Kings[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Duncan Smith* 973 49.0 -9.8
Liberal Democrats Helena McCloskey 940 47.4 +11.4
Labour Neville Mozley 71 3.6 -1.6
Majority 33 1.7 -21.1
Turnout 1,984 46.0 +0.7
Conservative hold Swing
Charlton Park[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Klara Sudbury 1,285 67.9 +3.8
Liberal Democrats Margaret Woodward 607 32.1 -3.8
Majority 678 35.8 +7.7
Turnout 1,892 47.0 -1.6
Conservative hold Swing
College[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lloyd Surgenor* 997 59.0 +3.2
Conservative Timothy Mahon 692 41.0 -3.2
Majority 305 18.1 +6.4
Turnout 1,689 39.5 +2.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Hesters Way[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Wendy Flynn* 779 65.1 -1.3
Conservative Philip Woolley 351 29.3 +3.3
Labour Clive Harriss 67 5.6 -2.0
Majority 428 35.8 -4.6
Turnout 1,197 24.3 -4.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Lansdown[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Diggory Seacome* 759 59.3 -8.9
Liberal Democrats Leone Meyer 428 33.5 +1.7
Labour Janet Thomas 92 7.2 N/A
Majority 331 25.9 -10.5
Turnout 1,279 28.2 -1.5
Conservative hold Swing
Leckhampton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robin MacDonald* 1,210 56.0 -4.5
Liberal Democrats Christopher Coleman** 950 44.0 +4.5
Majority 260 12.0 -8.9
Turnout 2,160 52.9 +1.5
Conservative hold Swing

Christopher Coleman was a sitting councillor in St Paul's.

Oakley[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Martin Dunn 661 51.3 +5.8
Conservative Susie Godwin 403 31.3 +13.2
Labour Brian Hughes 224 17.4 -19.0
Majority 258 20.0 +10.9
Turnout 1,288 30.1 -2.2
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Park[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Heather McLain 1,273 67.7 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Phillippa Stewart 607 32.3 -1.5
Majority 666 35.4 +3.0
Turnout 1,880 36.8 -3.7
Conservative hold Swing
Pittville[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Tim Cooper 625 38.7 +13.7
Liberal Democrats Rowena Hay 541 33.5 +8.0
PAB Mary Nelson 318 19.7 -26.1
Green Cathy Green 65 4.0 N/A
Labour Sandra Easton-Lawrence 64 4.0 +0.2
Majority 84 5.2 -15.1
Turnout 1,613 37.7 -1.2
Conservative gain from PAB Swing
Prestbury[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PAB Malcolm Stennett* 1,098 55.1 +0.3
Conservative Haydn Pearl 539 27.0 -6.5
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Jones 253 12.7 +1.0
Labour Jonquil Naish 104 5.2 N/A
Majority 559 28.0 +6.7
Turnout 1,994 41.7 -0.5
PAB hold Swing
Springbank[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Simon Wheeler* 752 67.3 +5.4
Conservative Simon Probert 366 32.7 -5.4
Majority 386 34.5 +10.6
Turnout 1,118 23.1 -1.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
St Marks[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats John Webster* 622 50.3 -3.9
Conservative Patsy Shilling 423 34.2 -1.4
Labour Rod Gay 108 8.7 -1.6
Green John Heyward 83 6.7 N/A
Majority 199 16.1 -2.5
Turnout 1,236 26.4 -1.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
St Pauls[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Paul Wheeldon 493 65.7 +14.5
Conservative Paul Ryder 257 34.3 +15.6
Majority 236 31.5 -1.0
Turnout 750 16.0 -3.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
St Peters[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats John Rawson* 738 57.9 +11.7
Conservative John Hopwood 447 35.1 -10.0
Labour Robert Irons 89 7.0 -1.8
Majority 291 22.8 +21.7
Turnout 1,274 26.0 +0.6
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Swindon Village[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Bernard Fisher 875 57.4 +9.7
PAB Peter Allen* 367 24.1 -11.0
Conservative Leon Mekitarian 282 18.5 +1.3
Majority 508 33.3 +20.7
Turnout 1,524 33.4 +1.3
Liberal Democrats gain from PAB Swing
Up Hatherley[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Roger Whyborn 1,115 58.4 +19.7
Conservative Alan Nicholson* 793 41.6 -3.1
Majority 322 16.9 +10.9
Turnout 1,908 45.0 -1.6
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Warden Hill[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anne Regan* 1,245 70.1 +6.8
Liberal Democrats Frances McVeigh 530 29.9 -6.8
Majority 715 40.3 +12.6
Turnout 1,775 39.7 -3.0
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "Cheltenham". BBC News Online. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  2. "Local elections: Results: Voters in the cities and the shires have their say in the ballot box". The Guardian. 2 May 2008. p. 7.
  3. "Race is on for poll position". Gloucestershire Echo. 12 April 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  4. "Two party leaders turn up at once - a bit like buses ; David Cameron met with council candidates in the West yesterday ahead of next week's local elections after a brief encounter with his bitter rival". Western Daily Press. 26 April 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  5. "Tory leader in a great hurry". The Citizen Gloucestershire. 26 April 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  6. "Ups and downs but few surprises in poll results ; Across the South West election results held few surprises and little change for local authorities". Western Daily Press. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  7. "Election results in for councils". BBC News Online. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  8. "Lib Dems swing it by the skin of their teeth". Gloucestershire Echo. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  9. "Labour's upbeat despite defeat". Gloucestershire Echo. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  10. "Shift of power ; The Liberal Democrats are to take charge of Cheltenham Borough Council, which remained hung after the May 1 local elections". Western Daily Press. 10 May 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  11. "Leader sets sights on Lib Dem future". Gloucestershire Echo. 10 May 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  12. "Borough Council elections 1st May 2008" (PDF). Cheltenham Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  13. "Local elections 08 nationwide results". The Times. 3 May 2008. p. 14.
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