Barrow-in-Furness Council election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Elections to Barrow-in-Furness
Council was held on 1 May 2008. The whole of the council was up for election, with the number of councillors falling from 38 to 36, as a result of ward boundary changes enacted in February 2008. Councillors were elected for terms ranging between two and four years; where more than one councillor was elected in a ward, the councillor with the highest number of votes was granted the longer term.
The election results were both tight and dramatic, with well known local councillors failing to be re-elected and recounts in certain wards delaying the announcement of votes. No party gained control of the council, and local news sources claimed that the biggest winners from the election were the local People's Party
, who quadrupled their number of councillors, and independent candidates campaigning against plans to open an Academy
school in the town. Mirroring the results in other local elections across England and Wales held on the same day
, the Conservative Party
ended as the largest group on the council with the Labour Party
party's representation dropping heavily.
and the defection of two Conservative Party
councillors to the Liberal Democrats in October 2007, the composition of the council entering the election was:
.
Barrow-in-Furness (borough)
Barrow-in-Furness is a local government district with borough status in Cumbria, England. It is named after its main town, Barrow-in-Furness. Other settlements include Dalton-in-Furness, Roose and Askam-in-Furness. It is the smallest borough in the county, but is the most densely populated, with...
Council was held on 1 May 2008. The whole of the council was up for election, with the number of councillors falling from 38 to 36, as a result of ward boundary changes enacted in February 2008. Councillors were elected for terms ranging between two and four years; where more than one councillor was elected in a ward, the councillor with the highest number of votes was granted the longer term.
The election results were both tight and dramatic, with well known local councillors failing to be re-elected and recounts in certain wards delaying the announcement of votes. No party gained control of the council, and local news sources claimed that the biggest winners from the election were the local People's Party
Socialist People's Party (Furness)
The People's Party or Socialist People's Party is a minor political party in the Furness region of England.The party was founded in 1995 by four Labour Party borough councillors who had been suspended from Labour for opposing a reduction in the housing budget...
, who quadrupled their number of councillors, and independent candidates campaigning against plans to open an Academy
Academy (England)
In the education system of England, an academy is a school that is directly funded by central government and independent of control by local government in England. An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind...
school in the town. Mirroring the results in other local elections across England and Wales held on the same day
United Kingdom local elections, 2008
The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
, the Conservative Party
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...
ended as the largest group on the council with 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...
party's representation dropping heavily.
Pre-Election Council
Following the 2007 electionBarrow-in-Furness Council election, 2007
Elections to Barrow-in-Furness Council were held on 3 May 2007. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.After the election, the composition of the council was*Conservative 19*Labour 16*Independent 2...
and the defection of two Conservative Party
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...
councillors to the Liberal Democrats in October 2007, the composition of the council entering the election was:
| Affiliation | Members |
|
| Conservative Party 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... |
17 | |
| 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... |
16 | |
| Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
2 | |
| Independent Independent (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 | |
| People's Party Socialist People's Party (Furness) The People's Party or Socialist People's Party is a minor political party in the Furness region of England.The party was founded in 1995 by four Labour Party borough councillors who had been suspended from Labour for opposing a reduction in the housing budget... |
1 | |
Election result
The break-down of councillor terms as a result of the election is shown below. The seats of the ten councillors with two year terms were contested in the 2010 council electionBarrow-in-Furness Council election, 2010
The 2010 Barrow-in-Furness Council election took place on 6 May 2010 to elect members of Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council in Cumbria, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control....
.
| Affiliation | Term Length | |||
| 2 Years | 3 Years | 4 Years | ||
| Conservative Party 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... |
4 | 6 | 6 | |
| 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... |
2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Independent Independent (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 | 1 | 3 | |
| People's Party Socialist People's Party (Furness) The People's Party or Socialist People's Party is a minor political party in the Furness region of England.The party was founded in 1995 by four Labour Party borough councillors who had been suspended from Labour for opposing a reduction in the housing budget... |
1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
1 | 0 | 0 | |
Ward results
External links
- Initial Results List, Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council
- Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council Homepage