Worthing Council election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Worthing Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Worthing
Borough
Council in West Sussex
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
stayed in overall control of the council. Overall turnout
was 35%.
Candidates from five political parties took part in the election from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, British National Party
, Labour
and United Kingdom Independence Party
and one candidate standing on an "Stop! Durrington's Overdevelopment – Save Titnore's Trees" platform. The results of the election were declared at a joint count with Adur council, the first time such a joint count had taken place in West Sussex. The count saw an incident where one candidate, Dawn Smith, was arrested after some of her supporters were prevented from entering the count.
The results saw the Conservatives gain three seats to increase their majority on the council. They gained Broadwater ward
from the Liberal Democrats, and also Goring where the previous councillor had defected from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats. The third Conservative gain was in Offington where the previous councillor, Mark McCarthy, had been elected as a Conservative, but had resigned to sit as an independent Conservative. The Liberal Democrats did make one gain when they took Selden ward, where the previous Conservative councillor had stood down.
After the election, the composition of the council was
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
Council in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, 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 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. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 35%.
Candidates from five political parties took part in the election from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
, 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...
and United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
and one candidate standing on an "Stop! Durrington's Overdevelopment – Save Titnore's Trees" platform. The results of the election were declared at a joint count with Adur council, the first time such a joint count had taken place in West Sussex. The count saw an incident where one candidate, Dawn Smith, was arrested after some of her supporters were prevented from entering the count.
The results saw the Conservatives gain three seats to increase their majority on the council. They gained Broadwater 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:...
from the Liberal Democrats, and also Goring where the previous councillor had defected from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats. The third Conservative gain was in Offington where the previous councillor, Mark McCarthy, had been elected as a Conservative, but had resigned to sit as an independent Conservative. The Liberal Democrats did make one gain when they took Selden ward, where the previous Conservative councillor had stood down.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- 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...
25 - Liberal Democrat 12