Fenland Council election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Fenland Council election took place on 4 May 2007 to elect members of Fenland
District
Council in Cambridgeshire
, England
. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party
stayed in overall control of the council.
were contested, with Conservatives taking the seats in the other 14 wards without opposition. This meant the Conservatives had been guaranteed a majority even before voting, as 18 of their candidates were unopposed and another 4 were in multi seat wards were there were not enough candidates from other parties.
Labour
lost all 3 seats they had been defending, 2 in Waterlees in Wisbech
and 1 in March
East, with the loss in Waterlees being a shock as Labour had been strong in the area for 30 years. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats
failed to win any seats, but did come within 37 votes in Slade Lode ward in Chatteris
. The only non-Conservative elected was independent
Mark Archer, who gained Manea
from Conservative Robert Sears by almost 200 votes, in a seat which Sears had won in a by-election
in 2006.
Fenland
Fenland is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in March, and covers the neighbouring market towns of Chatteris, Whittlesey, and Wisbech, often called the "capital of the fens"...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, 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...
. The whole council was up for election and 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...
stayed in overall control of the council.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives strengthen their majority on the council after winning 39 of the 40 seats on the council. Only 13 of the 27 wardsWards 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:...
were contested, with Conservatives taking the seats in the other 14 wards without opposition. This meant the Conservatives had been guaranteed a majority even before voting, as 18 of their candidates were unopposed and another 4 were in multi seat wards were there were not enough candidates from other parties.
Labour
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...
lost all 3 seats they had been defending, 2 in Waterlees in Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
and 1 in March
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...
East, with the loss in Waterlees being a shock as Labour had been strong in the area for 30 years. Meanwhile the 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...
failed to win any seats, but did come within 37 votes in Slade Lode ward in Chatteris
Chatteris
Chatteris is a civil parish and one of four market towns in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England, situated in The Fens between Huntingdon, March and Ely...
. The only non-Conservative elected was 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...
Mark Archer, who gained Manea
Manea, Cambridgeshire
Manea is a village in the District of Fenland, Cambridgeshire, England. It is an expanding village in the Cambridgeshire Fens. Notable features are Manea railway station and RSPB Welches Dam nature reserve on the Ouse Washes...
from Conservative Robert Sears by almost 200 votes, in a seat which Sears had won in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 2006.