RESEARCH PAPER 08/48 Local elections 2008 12 JUNE 2008 This Research Paper summarises the results of the local elections held on 1 May 2008. Elections were held in 137 local authorities in England and all 22 authorities in Wales. In England, one-third of seats were contested in 36 Metropolitan Boroughs, 67 Shire Districts, and 19 Unitary Authorities; and all seats were contested in 4 Shire Districts, and 2 shadow and 2 transitional Unitary Authorities. One-half of seats were contested in 7 Shire Districts. In Wales, all seats were contested on the 22 Welsh councils. The Conservatives made a net gain of 12 councils and 257 seats. Labour made a net loss of nine councils and 334 seats. The Liberal Democrats made a net gain of one council and 33 seats. The four ‘shadow’ and ‘transitional’ authorities are not counted in calculations of the net gain/loss of council control. The British National Party gained 10 seats in net terms while the Greens made a net gain of five seats. Estimates suggest that the Conservatives won 43% of the national equivalent share of the vote, Labour 24% and the Liberal Democrats 23%. Turnout was estimated to be 36%. Edmund Tetteh SOCIAL AND GENERAL STATISTICS SECTION HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY Recent Library Research Papers include: 08/33 Unemployment by Constituency, March 2008 16.04.08 08/34 Special Educational Needs (Information) Bill: Committee Stage 16.04.08 Report 08/35 Food Products (Marketing to Children) Bill [Bill 19 of 2007-08] 16.04.08 08/36 Transport in London 21.04.08 08/37 Social Indicators 23.04.08 08/38 2001 Census of Population: Statistics for New Parliamentary 23.04.08 Constituencies 08/39 Parliamentary Involvement in Public Appointments 23.04.08 08/40 Energy Bill: Committee Stage Report 23.04.08 08/41 Planning and Energy Bill: Committee Stage Report 30.04.08 08/42 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL] [Bill 70 of 2007-08] 02.05.08 08/43 Economic Indicators, May 2008 06.05.08 08/44 Children and Young Persons Bill [HL] [Bill No 8 of 2007-08] 08.05.08 08/45 Unemployment by Constituency, April 2008 14.05.08 08/46 Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL] 2007-08 16.05.08 [Bill 103 of 2007-08] 08/47 London Elections 2008. Elections for Mayor of London and London 20.05.08 Assembly: 1 May 2008 Research Papers are available as PDF files: • to members of the general public on the Parliamentary web site, URL: http://www.parliament.uk • within Parliament to users of the Parliamentary Intranet, URL: http://hcl1.hclibrary.parliament.uk Library Research Papers are compiled for the benefit of Members of Parliament and their personal staff. Authors are available to discuss the contents of these papers with Members and their staff but cannot advise members of the general public. We welcome comments on our papers; these should be sent to the Research Publications Officer, Room 407, 1 Derby Gate, London, SW1A 2DG or e-mailed to [email protected] ISSN 1368-8456 Summary of main points Elections were held in 159 local authorities on 1 May 2008 comprising: England (137 local authorities) • 36 Metropolitan Boroughs (one-third of seats) • 78 Shire Districts o 67 Shire Districts (one-third of seats) o 7 Shire Districts (one-half of seats) o 4 Shire Districts (all seats) • 19 Unitary Authorities (one-third of seats) • 2 “shadow” and 2 transitional Unitary Authorities (all seats) Wales (22 local authorities) • 22 Unitary Authorities No elections were scheduled in Scotland, Northern Ireland, London Boroughs, County Councils in England, or in the remaining Unitary Authorities and Shire Districts in England. The Conservatives won or retained control of 63 councils, a net gain of 12, comprising 14 gains and two losses. They gained one council from Labour (Nuneaton & Bedworth), one council (West Lindsey) from the Liberal Democrats and 10 seats from No Overall Control (NOC). They lost two councils to NOC (Colchester and Coventry). Following the elections, the Conservatives controlled 213 local authorities in Great Britain overall. The Conservatives also won the two ‘shadow’ authorities of Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester. Labour won or retained control of 17 councils, a net loss of eight councils, comprising nine losses and one gain. They gained one council from NOC (Slough), lost one council to the Conservatives (Nuneaton & Bedworth) and lost nine councils to NOC (including Torfaen where Labour lost 16 councillors compared to the previous elections). Overall, Labour lost 334 councillors and they now control 51 councils in Great Britain. Labour won the ‘transitional’ authority of Durham. The Liberal Democrats won or retained control of 13 councils, a net gain of one, comprising four councils gained from NOC (Burnley, Kingston-upon-Hull, Sheffield, and St. Albans), two losses to NOC (Liverpool and Pendle), and one loss to the Conservatives (West Lindsey). The Liberal Democrats now control 26 councils in Great Britain. The British National Party won 10 seats in net terms, comprising 13 gains (Stoke-on-Trent (3), Nuneaton & Bedworth (2), Rotherham (2), Amber Valley (2), Three Rivers (1), Pendle (1), Thurrock (1), and Calderdale (1)) and 3 losses (Epping Forest (2) and Kirklees(1)). Following the elections, a further 64 councils went to No Overall Control (NOC), taking the total number of authorities under NOC to 124. The “transitional” authority of Northumberland also went to NOC. At the elections, the estimated national equivalent share of vote was Conservatives 43%, Labour 24%, and Liberal Democrats 23%. Estimated turnout was 36%. Elections were also held on the same day for Mayor of London and London Assembly. These are provided in Library Research Paper 08/47. CONTENTS I Introduction 7 II The results 8 A. Council control 8 B. Council seats 10 C. National equivalent share of the vote 11 D. Post-election council composition 12 III Reference tables and maps 15 RESEARCH PAPER 08/48 I Introduction Elections were held to 8,416 seats in 159 local authorities in Great Britain on 1 May 2008. In England, there were elections in 137 authorities and elections in a further 22 authorities in Wales, comprising: • 36 Metropolitan Boroughs (one-third of seats) • 78 Shire Districts o 67 Shire Districts (one-third of seats) o 7 Shire Districts (one-half of seats) o 4 Shire Districts (all seats) • 19 Unitary Authorities (one-third of seats) • 2 “shadow” and 2 “transitional” Unitary Authorities (all seats) • 22 Unitary Authorities in Wales The Government is in the process of implementing a programme of restructuring in English local government. A number of local authority proposals for unitary status which were judged to have met the Government’s criteria have been taken forward. Orders creating nine new unitary authorities in seven county areas from 1 April 2009 have now been approved by Parliament. A discussion document on implementation issues indicated that the Government wanted to avoid establishing shadow authorities except where it was unavoidable. Instead, where there was an obvious candidate, the existing authority would continue in existence, becoming transitional and, from 1 April 2009, the new unitary authority.1 County councils in five areas – Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire – have continued in existence and are preparing to assume the responsibilities of district councils in those areas. Two of these “transitional” authorities – Durham and Northumberland – held elections in May 2008. Restructuring is also taking place in Cheshire and in Bedfordshire. In Cheshire, the existing county and district councils are being replaced by two new district unitary authorities - Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester. “Shadow” authorities have been established for both areas and elections were held for those on 1 May 2008. The four “shadow” and ”transitional” authorities are not counted in calculations of the net gain/loss of council control. This paper is intended as a provisional summary of the results, and is based on media reports and data supplied by the BBC’s Political Research department, and local authorities. The final compilation of the results, including votes cast at ward- and authority-level, shares of the vote, and turnout will be published later in the year by Professors Rallings and Thrasher of the University of Plymouth in their Local Elections Handbook 2008. Comparisons of net gains and losses are based on council composition immediately prior to the elections. Control is attributed on a simple numerical basis – minority 1 Department of Communities and Local Government,, Councils’ proposals for unitary local government: an approach to implementation (discussion document) , August 2007, http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/unitarycouncilsimplementation 7 RESEARCH PAPER 08/48 administrations and coalitions are not taken into account; they are regarded as the authority being under no overall (single party) control. II The results A. Council control The Conservatives won or retained control of 63 councils, a net gain of 12 comprising 14 gains and two losses. They gained one council from Labour (Nuneaton & Bedworth), gained West Lindsey from the Liberal Democrats and gained a further 10 councils from no overall control (NOC). They lost two councils to NOC (Colchester and Coventry). The Conservatives control two councils in Wales, gaining Vale of Glamorgan from NOC. Overall, following the elections, the Conservatives controlled a total of 213 councils in Great Britain. They also won two ‘shadow’ authorities (Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester). Labour won or retained control of 17 councils, a net loss of nine councils, comprising 10 losses and one gain. They gained one council from NOC (Slough), lost one council to the Conservatives (Nuneaton & Bedworth), and lost a further nine councils to NOC (including Torfaen where Labour lost 16 councillors compared to the previous elections).