2008 Carlisle City Council election

2008 UK local government election March 2025 November 2013 thumb|300px|right|Map of the results of the 2008 Carlisle City Council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and independent in light grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2008. The 2008 Carlisle City Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Carlisle District Council in Cumbria, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/local_council/08/html/16ud.stm Carlisle 2 May 2008 BBC News 3 December 2011 After the election, the composition of the council was: Labour 21 Conservative 21 Liberal Democrats 7 Independent 1 Vacant 2http://www.carlisle.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/democracy_and_elections/elections_2011/election_results/election_results_2008.aspx Election Results 2008 Carlisle City Council 3 December 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20111117022033/http://www.carlisle.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/democracy_and_elections/elections_2011/election_results/election_results_2008.aspx 17 November 2011 Background Before the election the Labour Party held 25 seats, compared to 19 Conservatives, 7 Liberal Democrats and 1 independent.http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.82803 https://archive.today/20130421043156/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.82803 dead 21 April 2013 Who will get your vote on May 1? Whittle Julian 9 April 2008 News and Star 3 December 2011 However the Conservatives had run the council since 1999, latterly with the support of the Liberal Democrats. 17 seats were scheduled to be contested, with Labour needing 1 gain to probably be able to take control. 3 councillors stood down at the election, Conservative Judith Prest from Brampton ward and Labour's John Reardon and Ray Warwick from Upperby and Yewdale wards respectively. As well as candidates from the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, there were also 9 candidates from the British National Party, 1 from the English Democrats and 4 independents, including the only sitting independent councillor, Bill Graham in Hayton. Campaign Labour targeted the seat of Morton from the Liberal Democrats, while campaigning on pledges to establish a theatre/arts centre and to review the Carlisle Renaissance programme, which would see 100 new homes built every year for a decade. However the Conservatives aimed to take Belle Vue and Yewdale from Labour, and Dalston from the Liberal Democrat group leader Trevor Allison. The Conservatives defended their record in control of the council, pointing to council tax increases being kept down and increased recycling rates. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats promised to campaign against the closure of post offices. During the campaign the British National Party candidate for Upperby, Les Griffiths, died and as a result the election in Upperby was postponed.http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.94307 https://archive.today/20130421001457/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.94307 dead 21 April 2013 Tories take seats from Labour 2 May 2008 News and Star 3 December 2011 In the week before the election one of the Labour councillors for Upperby, June Martlew, also died and as a result both seats were set to be filled at a by-election on 12 June after the main council election had taken place.http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/by-election-date-is-set-1.104144?referrerPath=home/2.1962 By-election date is set 12 May 2008 News and Star 3 December 2011 November 2016 InternetArchiveBot yes Election result The Conservatives gained 2 seats from Labour to move level with Labour on 21 seats.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7378906.stm No overall control for Carlisle 2 May 2008 BBC News 3 December 2011 The Conservative gains came in Belle Vue by 62 votes and in Yewdale, which they took by 42 votes after having fallen 10 votes short in 2007. These were the first urban seats the Conservatives had held south of the River Eden since 2004. Elsewhere the Conservatives came within 66 votes of defeating the Labour group leader Michael Boaden in Botcherby and the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Carlisle parliamentary constituency, John Stevenson, easily held his seat in Stanwix Urban.http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/tories-on-course-to-take-carlisle-at-next-election-1.99268?referrerPath=2.880/home Tories on course to take Carlisle at next election Whittle Julian 3 May 2008 News and Star 3 December 2011 November 2016 InternetArchiveBot yes The Conservatives put their gains down to the unpopularity of the national Labour government and saw the results as a good sign for the next general election, as they were 1,481 votes ahead of Labour in the wards that made up Carlisle constituency. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats stayed on 7 seats after holding all 3 seats they had been defending, with their group leader Trevor Allison increasing his majority to 223 in Dalston, from just 1 when he took the seat in 2004. Independent Bill Graham was the only other candidate elected, holding his seat in Hayton comfortably, but the British National Party did come second in Currock, for the second election in a row, with an increased 28% of the vote. Overall turnout at the election was 38.1%, an increase from 35.5% in 2007. Following the election Conservative Mike Mitchelson was re-elected as leader of the council,http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/jacqui-takes-the-chains-as-new-city-mayor-1.112331?referrerPath=2.880/home Jacqui takes the chains as new city mayor Whittle Julian 23 May 2008 News and Star 3 December 2011 November 2016 InternetArchiveBot yes with the Liberal Democrats continuing to have a seat on the council executive.http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/council-executive-shake-up-1.108691?referrerPath=2.880/home Council executive shake-up Whittle Julian 20 May 2008 News and Star 3 December 2011 November 2016 InternetArchiveBot yes Carlisle local election result 2008http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp2008/rp08-048.pdf Local elections 2008 12 June 2008 House of Commons Library 3 December 2011 Conservative Party (UK) 7 2 0 +2 43.8 40.8 10,346 -1.8% Labour Party (UK) 5 0 2 -2 31.3 30.6 7,743 -8.0% Liberal Democrats (UK) 3 0 0 0 18.8 13.9 3,514 +2.0% Independent (politician) 1 0 0 0 6.3 5.4 1,377 +3.8% British National Party 0 0 0 0 0 8.6 2,187 +3.6% English Democrats Party 0 0 0 0 0 0.7 176 +0.3% Ward results Belah Conservative Party (UK) David Morton 1,212 66.6 +23.3 Labour Party (UK) Elaine Thomson 431 23.7 -1.8 English Democrats Party Stephen Gash 176 9.7 +4.6 781 42.9 +25.1 1,819 38.1 -2.0 Conservative Party (UK) Belle Vue Conservative Party (UK) Mike Clarke 682 42.1 +0.1 Labour Party (UK) Ian Stockdale 620 38.2 -5.9 Liberal Democrats (UK) Louise Winspear 163 10.1 -3.8 British National Party Glen Gardner 156 9.6 +9.6 62 3.8 1,621 36.1 +1.8 Conservative Party (UK) Labour Party (UK) Botcherby Labour Party (UK) Michael Boaden 509 36.1 -13.9 Conservative Party (UK) John Blenkham 443 31.4 -1.0 Independent (politician) Bobby Betton 313 22.2 +22.2 British National Party Karl Chappell 145 10.3 -7.3 66 4.7 -13.0 1,410 30.8 +3.0 Labour Party (UK) Brampton Conservative Party (UK) James Layden 913 75.1 -2.7 Labour Party (UK) Alex Faulds 302 24.9 +2.7 611 50.3 -5.4 1,215 34.8 -1.9 Conservative Party (UK) Castle Liberal Democrats (UK) Jim Tootle 562 44.3 -9.8 Labour Party (UK) Christopher Southward 299 23.6 -5.9 Conservative Party (UK) Charlotte Arnold 206 16.2 -0.3 Independent (politician) Simon Osman 202 15.9 +15.9 263 20.7 -3.9 1,269 29.7 +2.1 Liberal Democrats (UK) Currock Labour Party (UK) Colin Glover 692 46.2 +1.7 British National Party Brian Allan 420 28.1 +4.0 Conservative Party (UK) Lawrence Fisher 286 19.1 +0.8 Liberal Democrats (UK) Olive Hall 99 6.6 -6.6 272 18.2 -2.2 1,497 33.6 +4.8 Labour Party (UK) Dalston Liberal Democrats (UK) Trevor Allison 1,151 50.2 +19.6 Conservative Party (UK) Gareth Ellis 928 40.4 -12.7 Labour Party (UK) Grant Warwick 216 9.4 -6.9 223 9.7 2,295 47.4 +6.4 Liberal Democrats (UK) Denton Holme Labour Party (UK) Joan Southward 627 43.5 -23.0 Conservative Party (UK) Geoffrey Prest 347 24.1 -9.4 Independent (politician) Allan Stevenson 188 13.1 +13.1 British National Party Rob Walker 170 11.8 +11.8 Liberal Democrats (UK) Janet Tootle 108 7.5 +7.5 280 19.4 -13.6 1,440 30.7 +2.8 Labour Party (UK) Great Corby and Geltsdale Conservative Party (UK) Doreen Parsons 471 70.7 +9.5 Labour Party (UK) Helen Horne 195 29.3 +29.3 276 41.4 +18.9 666 39.0 -13.2 Conservative Party (UK) Harraby Labour Party (UK) Carole Rutherford 685 41.7 -3.3 Conservative Party (UK) Michele Gwillim 513 31.3 +4.9 British National Party Joyce Chisholm 272 16.6 +1.4 Liberal Democrats (UK) Colin Farmer 171 10.4 -3.0 172 10.5 -8.0 1,641 34.4 -1.8 Labour Party (UK) Hayton Independent (politician) William Graham 674 74.2 -9.3 Conservative Party (UK) Harry Cain 234 25.8 +9.3 440 48.5 -18.5 908 54.5 -2.9 Independent (politician) Morton Liberal Democrats (UK) Nan Farmer 799 35.6 -4.1 Labour Party (UK) Ann Warwick 740 32.9 -15.1 British National Party David Barnes 466 20.7 +20.7 Conservative Party (UK) Teresa Cartner 242 10.8 -1.5 59 2.6 2,247 47.2 +5.6 Liberal Democrats (UK) St. Aidans Labour Party (UK) Lucy Patrick 661 42.2 -9.1 Conservative Party (UK) Barbara Eden 453 28.9 -6.1 British National Party Tony Carvell 232 14.8 +1.1 Liberal Democrats (UK) Paul Hendy 219 14.0 +14.0 208 13.3 -3.0 1,565 34.1 +1.6 Labour Party (UK) Stanwix Urban Conservative Party (UK) Andrew Stevenson 1,188 61.2 -6.3 Labour Party (UK) Richard Thurn 511 26.3 -6.2 Liberal Democrats (UK) Deborah Clode 242 12.5 +12.5 677 34.9 -0.1 1,941 41.1 +1.3 Conservative Party (UK) Wetheral Conservative Party (UK) Barry Earp 1,283 78.5 +12.9 Labour Party (UK) Roger Horne 352 21.5 +7.2 931 56.9 +5.6 1,635 43.8 +0.6 Conservative Party (UK) Yewdale Conservative Party (UK) Fiona Robson 945 43.5 -6.2 Labour Party (UK) Steven Bowditch 903 41.5 -8.8 British National Party Michael Elliott 326 15.0 +15.0 42 1.9 2,174 44.4 +4.0 Conservative Party (UK) Labour Party (UK) By-elections between 2008 and 2010 Upperby A by-election in Upperby was held on 12 June 2008 for 2 seats on the council, after the deaths of a British National Party candidate during the council election campaign, and then the death of Labour councillor June Martlew.http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/1.124177 Labour hold onto seats in by-election Whittle Julian 14 June 2008 News and Star 3 December 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150209234046/http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/1.124177 9 February 2015 Labour held both seats, with a reduced majority, thereby becoming the largest party on the council with 23 seats, compared to 21 for the Conservatives. Upperby by-election 12 June 2008 (2 seats) Labour Party (UK) Donald Cape 595 Labour Party (UK) Ann Warwick 515 Liberal Democrats (UK) James Osler 428 Conservative Party (UK) Georgina Clarke 346 British National Party Brian Allan 321 British National Party Alistair Barbour 278 Conservative Party (UK) Gareth Ellis 275 2,758 36.1 +0.7 Labour Party (UK) Labour Party (UK) Belah and Castle By-elections were held in Belah and Castle wards on 5 March 2009, after the death of Conservative councillor for Belah, Sandra Fisher, in December 2008, and the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor for Castle, Kimberly Hunter, in January 2009.http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/tories_and_lib_dems_hold_carlisle_by_election_seats_1_523058?referrerPath=home https://archive.today/20130421111711/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/tories_and_lib_dems_hold_carlisle_by_election_seats_1_523058?referrerPath=home dead 21 April 2013 Tories and Lib Dems hold Carlisle by-election seats 6 March 2009 News and Star 3 December 2011 Both seats were held by the defending party, Conservative Gareth Ellis in Belah and Liberal Democrat Colin Farmer in Castle, with Labour finishing second in both seats. Belah by-election 5 March 2009 Conservative Party (UK) Gareth Ellis 700 46.4 -20.3 Labour Party (UK) Paul Thurn 307 20.3 -3.4 Independent (politician) Dave Miller 221 14.6 +14.6 British National Party Tony Carvell 142 9.4 +9.4 Liberal Democrats (UK) James Osler 79 5.2 +5.2 Green Party of England and Wales Hazel Bowmaker 61 4.0 +4.0 393 26.0 -16.9 1,510 31.4 -6.7 Conservative Party (UK) Castle by-election 5 March 2009 Liberal Democrats (UK) Colin Farmer 465 36.0 -8.3 Labour Party (UK) Steven Bowditch 304 23.5 +0.0 British National Party Alistair Barbour 255 19.7 +19.7 Conservative Party (UK) Allan Stevenson 143 11.1 -5.2 Green Party of England and Wales John Reardon 125 9.7 +9.7 161 12.5 -8.2 1,292 30.4 -0.7 Liberal Democrats (UK) References Category:2008 English local elections 2008 Category:2000s in Cumbria