Barnsley Council election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Barnsley Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Barnsley
Metropolitan Borough
Council in South Yorkshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
but gained one seat from the Liberal Democrats to hold on. The Barnsley Independent Group also lost 1 seat to the Conservatives
. Overall turnout was 34.78%.
The losses for the Labour party were blamed on government policies, such as on immigration and the abolition of the 10p income tax
band, by the leader of the council, Steve Houghton, who was himself re-elected for Cudworth
ward
.
Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a metropolitan borough of the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, England. Its main town is Barnsley....
Metropolitan Borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
Council in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, 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 Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
32 - Barnsley Independent GroupBarnsley Independent GroupBarnsley Independent Group is a British political party in Barnsley, England.The party was founded in January 2006 by a group of Independent councillors on Barnsley Council, described as "dissident former "old labour" councillors". At that time they had seven councillors, and in the local elections...
22 - 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...
6 - 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...
2 - Liberal Democrat 1
Election result
Before the election it had been thought that the Labour party might lose overall control of the council but they held on by only one seat. They lost two seats to the Barnsley Independent GroupBarnsley Independent Group
Barnsley Independent Group is a British political party in Barnsley, England.The party was founded in January 2006 by a group of Independent councillors on Barnsley Council, described as "dissident former "old labour" councillors". At that time they had seven councillors, and in the local elections...
but gained one seat from the Liberal Democrats to hold on. The Barnsley Independent Group also lost 1 seat to 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...
. Overall turnout was 34.78%.
The losses for the Labour party were blamed on government policies, such as on immigration and the abolition of the 10p income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
band, by the leader of the council, Steve Houghton, who was himself re-elected for Cudworth
Cudworth, South Yorkshire
Cudworth is a semi-rural village on the outskirts of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. Cudworth has a busy village centre surrounded by some housing and green belt countryside...
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:...
.