Election highlights
Written by The Voice on 1st May 2008 – 11:24 pmInteresting pattern to some of the poor Conservative results - failing to gain control of Hastings and Weymouth & Portland, going backwards in Gosport and expected to lose control of Purbeck when that counts tomorrow. There seems to be something of a south coast pattern here.
Winchester: another of the key Liberal Democrat - Conservative fights in Southern England saw one net Liberal Democrat gain, including Whiteley ward where a Conservative was arrested over proxy vote fraud allegations. Conservatives also made one net gain.
Woking: score draw between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives with each gaining two seats from the other.
Liverpool: Liberal Democrats look to now be back in majority control, having remained largest party in the elections - and then picking up a new councillor after an independent councillor decided to switch to the Liberal Democrats.
Oxford: Labour and Liberal Democrats gain seats (4 and 1 respectively). Conservatives wiped out, losing two seats. Also a Green loss. Doesn’t look a good night for the Greens, who also lost a seat in Manchester.
Hastings: Liberal Democrat group leader held on after drawing of lots when series of recounts couldn’t separate him and the Conservative candidate.
Warrington: one net Liberal Democrat gain, Labour lost all seats up for election.
Manchester: two Liberal Democrats gains and two arrests for personation in the ward where we lost a seat to Labour.
Tafford: congrats to Jane Brophy, our PPC, who is now a councillor having taken a seat off the Conservatives.
Confirmed: Conservatives lose Colchester as Liberal Democrats gain four seats.
Labour loss of Hartlepool is likely to be seen as a major blow to Labour - The Independent having said on Thursday morning that its loss would be “significant and alarming”.
Colleagues in Liverpool seem very confident of remaining largest party, possibly holding overall control too.
Two gains so far in Monmouthshire, including Labour leader’s seat. Maidstone less good - Conservatives take control.
St Albans: Liberal Democrat gain. As with other southern England Liberal Democrat - Conservative contests, there are some very good individual Liberal Democrat results coming in, though overall picture is more mixed.
Gosport: Liberal Democrats end the night up five, with the Labour leader being defeated.
Liberal Democrats remain largest party on Sefton Council with one gain from the Conservatives.
Latest vote share projections from BBC would give Conservative 44%, Liberal Democrat 25%, Labour 24%
Liberal Democrats hold Cambridge but don’t gain Somerset County Council by-election that would have given party overall majority.
Conservatives make gains in Bolton, but fail to become largest party in Bolton despite BBC reporting previously they had hopes of it.
Liberal Democrats hold Stockport. Likely to advance in Warrington.
Liberal Democrats hold Eastleigh, but council leader in Pendle defeated.
Conservatives fail to gain Worcester.
Liberal Democrats hold Rochdale, gaining one ward from Labour.
Gain from Conservatives for Liberal Democrat in Shepway (update - turns out to be a Town Council seat).
We hear that Labour activist has been arrested in Manchester on suspicion of personation.
Colchester - another Liberal Democrat MP’s seat which looks like returning Liberal Democrat gains. Tough news likely from Pendle though.
Three gains from Conservatives in Gosport.
First national share of the vote estimates from the BBC - Conservatives up, Labour and Liberal Democrats down, but with Liberal Democrats outpolling Labour.
Liberal Democrat gains in Derby (possibly five), but lost a ward to Labour in Preston.
Talk of Liberal Democrat gains in Cheltenham - which would be very good news in one of those classic Southern England Tory-Lib Dem battlegrounds.
Liberal Democrat gain one seat from Labour in Knowsley, though looking tougher in Pendle.
Looking like good Liberal Democrat results in Hull with several gains - giving party overall majority.
Less good news: big BNP vote in Basildon, though one Liberal Democrat seat up for election held. Also strong BNP showing in Thurrock.
Conservatives already talking down their fate in Coventy - saying they are likely to have lost control.
First Liberal Democrat gain of the night we’re aware of - from Labour in Newport East, scene of dramatic Liberal Democrat progress in last year’s Welsh Assembly elections.
Posted in News
1st May 2008 at 11:56 pm
Where is any of this on the BBC? More crap coverage for my licence fee!
2nd May 2008 at 12:01 am
I love the way the BBC have called Peterborough but there are no results on the local newspaper doesnt have any ward results in…
2nd May 2008 at 12:06 am
The results for St Albans will follow shortly….
2nd May 2008 at 12:07 am
Flitwick by election in Beds Lib Dem hold by 14 votes
2nd May 2008 at 12:09 am
The first result in St Albans
Clarence Ward - Lib Dem hold
Con 629
Lab 211
Lib Dem Chris White 979
Green 237
Congarts Chris
2nd May 2008 at 12:12 am
Second Result St Albans
Ashley Ward Lib Dem Hold
Con 521
Lab 272
Green 223
Lib Dem Michael Ellis 1116
2nd May 2008 at 12:15 am
Third Result St Albans
Maybe - I need to just keep posting on one - but you never know when there will be a gap!
London Colney Con gain from Lab
Con 1175
Lab 1044
Lib Dem Michael Ketley 140
Green 113
2nd May 2008 at 12:17 am
St Albans Fourth Result
Batchwood Ward Lib Dem gain from Labour
Con 454
Lab 702
Lib Dem Allan Witherick 864
Green 174
2nd May 2008 at 12:20 am
St Albans
St Peters Lib Dem hold
Con 661
Lab 321
Lib Dem Martin Morris 773
Green 362
2nd May 2008 at 12:22 am
St Albans
Marshalswick South Lib Dem Hold
Con 848
Lab 254
Lib Dem Melvyn Teare 1190
Green 202
2nd May 2008 at 12:27 am
St Albans
marshalswick north LD hold
con 874
lab 128
lib dem 1174 janet churchyard
grn 109
2nd May 2008 at 12:29 am
St Albans
Cunningham LD hold
Con 659
Lab 208
LD 971 Geoff Harrison
Green 142
2nd May 2008 at 12:33 am
St Albans
St Stephens Ward Con Hold
Con 1542
Lab 153
Lib Dem 357 Tom Allum
Green 89
2nd May 2008 at 12:37 am
St Albans Park Street Lib Dem Hold
Lab 153
Green 74
Lib Dem 1124 Davd Yates
Con 861
2nd May 2008 at 12:52 am
St Albans Veralum
Lib Dem Gain
Con 1098
Lab 125
Lib Dem 1273 Fred Wartenberg
Green 185
One ward to recount - we were 2 ahead, then 5 and if we win this we have won control of St Albans!
2nd May 2008 at 1:01 am
St Albans Sopwell Lib Dem Gain!
Con 462
Lab 707
Lib Dem Roger Axworthy 711
Green 183
We now have CONTROL of the council
2nd May 2008 at 1:29 am
Well done everyone in St Albans
2nd May 2008 at 1:30 am
Great news about St Albans! Well done to all for a fantastic effort, well deserved indeed.
2nd May 2008 at 1:47 am
We are, apparently, now the largest group on Exeter City Council. Even better in the parliamentary seat, since this does not include one Conservative and one “Liberal” ward.
2nd May 2008 at 2:15 am
The gain in Shepway was actually Sandgate Town council, and the incumbant was an Independent who had been elected as such last year!
2nd May 2008 at 2:20 am
OK, just back from the Colchester count, and here are the highlights:
We gained 4, Labour gained 1 and the Tories lost 5, taking the Council to NOC.
Mile End ward had previously been a marginal between us and the Tories (we had one seat, they had two) and we had a spectacular result with Martin Goss polling exactly 1,500 votes to the Tory 790.
We also gained Shrub End, Wivenhoe Cross and Stanway from the Tories, and narrowly missed out on taking Prettygate where we slashed their majority from 600 to 30. We also missed out on winning back Berechurch - Labour beat us by 50 votes with the Tory councillor (a former Lib Dem who defected) a distant third.
Overall, we’re now 27 Tories, 23 Lib Dems, 7 Labour and 3 Independents. I’v still got to calculate the overall vote, but we look to be comfortably ahead in the Colchester parliamentary constituency.
2nd May 2008 at 2:44 am
Salford:
+2 Lib Dem
+3 Conservative
+1 Community Action
-6 Labour
2nd May 2008 at 8:40 am
You’ve updated the Shepway result to say it’s a Town Council seat, but still describe it as a gain from Conservative. The incumbant was Jenny Bailey, elected in last year’s election as an Independent, which she remained until her resignation from the council. By no definition was this a gain from Conservative!
2nd May 2008 at 9:32 am
Watch out for Purbeck - there is an outside chance we could win the council! Although most likely result is NOC
Good luck Annette!
2nd May 2008 at 9:36 am
Does anyone know who won Chorlton Cum Hardy in Manchester - i cant find the inforamtion anywhere!
Thanks
2nd May 2008 at 1:34 pm
did john cole retain Baildon?
2nd May 2008 at 7:41 pm
I am trying to get a comprehensive reults
list for Newcastle-on-Tyne
2nd May 2008 at 7:55 pm
Not One Party asked for my vote from any party in the local elections very poor show if they cannot be bothered to canvas votes will they be bothered to do anything if voted in. I have spent an hour trying to find out results in my home town but they are still unavailable thats why only 38% of area both to vote.
3rd May 2008 at 9:37 am
This is clearly all to with celebrity politics, backed by a Tory loving media… now they will proceed to talk them up for the general election, regardless of whether they can string any policies together.
We need to take the fight to them now and challenge any reference to us as the ‘third’ party.
Cowley St needs to find a better way of keeping the membership informed directly. Many members rely on the Tory press for info about the party, consequently we lose members through their mis-reporting.
4th May 2008 at 7:32 pm
Liberal Democrats - still the largest party in Milton Keynes where we made are first gain in 6 years. Taking the once Labour stronghold of Wolverton Ward. Council balance now:-
Lib Dem 21
Cons 20
Labour 10
The other interesting ward was Middleton where the Lib Dems were defending a maj of just 2 votes and they lost the other last year but they now hold the seat with an increased majority.
5th May 2008 at 8:02 pm
Fuller details on Weymouth & Portland
12 wards up for election, we fought seven, topping the poll in each to take out both Labour and Tory leaders but only ended up plus one as there was byelection following death of one of our councillors and Tory challenger came second.
We would have fought more - but not expected to win more - but not only did we have that death but our group leader suffered blood clot near brain a week before nominations closed and was unable to sign consent to nomination, so we had to find candidate at short notice and fight full campaign in seat we had expected him to run virtually single-handed. In the event we had a 400 vote majority there and David is making a full recovery though of course no longer a councillor.
Thanks to Emily Gasson and team from North Dorset who came in and ran an EARS polling day in Preston which let us hold it by 44 votes (Tories had gained from us by almost 200 last year).
Press still painted it as a Tory success because they are up 2 from Lab and Ind, but Tories failed to win three seats this time which they gained last year, in all of which we won with a 250 vote improvement of relative position.
Position now
Cons 16
Lib Dem 12
Labour 4
Ind 4
Within South Dorset we also gained Wool with a 300 vote majority from Tory on Purbeck.
7th May 2008 at 5:05 pm
what happened in Southampton
9th May 2008 at 3:33 pm
NO TORIES IN SHEFFIELD!
10th May 2008 at 8:25 am
In the North West, how many gains were there from the Tories, how many losses to them, ditto Labour
Thanks