2008 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 1 May 2008. One-third of the council was up for election.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Election result

Wigan Local Election Result 2008
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Labour	12	1	5	-4	48.0	37.3	26,353	-5.9%
Conservative	6	4	0	+4	24.0	26.0	18,360	+5.0%
Independent	4	2	0	+2	16.0	8.9	6,260	+5.7%
Community Action	2	0	2	-2	8.0	13.9	9,830	-1.9%
Liberal Democrats	1	0	0	0	4.0	8.6	6,054	-1.5%
BNP	0	0	0	0	0	3.3	2,352	-0.3%
UKIP	0	0	0	0	0	1.3	912	+0.8%
Respect	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.3	222	+0.3%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party		Previous council	New council
	Labour	46	42
	Conservative	10	14
	Community Action	10	8
	Independent	5	7
	Liberal Democrat	4	4
	BNP	0	0
	UKIP	0	0
	Respect	0	0
Total		75	75
Working majority		17	9

Ward results

Abram

Abram^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Eddie Russon	1,226	47.8	−7.3
	Community Action	John Shale	934	36.7	+14.5
	Conservative	Marion Green	386	15.0	+4.7
Rejected ballots			11	0.4	+0.2
Majority			283	11.0	−21.8
Turnout			2,566	25.2	+0.4
	Labour hold		Swing	-10.9

Ashton

Ashton^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Community Action	Paul Tushingham	1,766	53.4	+8.0
	Labour	Ann Rampling	1,111	33.6	−6.5
	Conservative	Marie Winstanley	248	7.5	−0.7
	BNP	Adrian Jones	178	5.4	−0.8
Rejected ballots			7	0.2	+0.1
Majority			655	19.8	+14.5
Turnout			3,310	36.9	+2.5
	Community Action hold		Swing	+7.2

Aspull New Springs Whelley

Aspull, New Springs, Whelley^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Hilton	1,443	43.0	−10.1
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Robinson	1,254	37.4	+8.8
	Conservative	Anthony Hind	640	19.1	+6.1
Rejected ballots			17	0.5	+0.1
Majority			189	5.6	−18.9
Turnout			3,354	34.4	−1.2
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.4

Astley Mosley Common

Astley Mosley Common^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sean Ell	1,207	42.0	+12.3
	Labour	Brian Wilson	1,014	35.3	−2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Gavin Clements	684	22.1	−2.0
Rejected ballots			18	0.6	+0.1
Majority			193	6.7	−1.5
Turnout			2,873	30.9	+2.3
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+7.4

Atherleigh

Atherleigh^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Susan Loudon	1,246	58.7	+6.6
	Conservative	Abigail Solomon	858	40.4	+23.1
Rejected ballots			20	0.9	+0.5
Majority			388	18.3	−3.6
Turnout			2,124	26.4	−0.4
	Labour hold		Swing	-8.2

Atherton

Atherton^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Bob Splaine	976	29.5	+29.5
	Labour	Elnur Yusifzade	858	25.8	−19.5
	Liberal Democrats	David Higginbottom	821	24.8	−12.9
	Conservative	Michael Nicholls	416	12.9	+1.9
	Respect	Stephen Hall	221	6.7	+6.7
Rejected ballots			13	0.4	+0.1
Majority			120	3.6	−4.0
Turnout			3,314	31.4	+1.9
	Independent hold		Swing	+24.5

Bryn

Bryn^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Don Hodgkinson	1,606	49.2	−3.1
	Labour	Helen Ash	765	23.4	−8.9
	Community Action	Clive Charles	384	12.1	+12.1
	BNP	Ken Haslam	284	8.7	−0.9
	Conservative	Malcolm Childs	204	6.2	+0.6
Rejected ballots			13	0.4	+0.2
Majority			841	25.8	+5.8
Turnout			3,266	36.2	+1.9
	Independent hold		Swing	+2.9

Douglas

Douglas^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joy Birch	1,170	51.4	−6.6
	Community Action	Anthony Unsworth	745	32.7	+7.3
	Conservative	Stephen Holt	350	15.4	−0.8
Rejected ballots			12	0.5	+0.1
Majority			425	18.7	−13.9
Turnout			2,277	24.6	+0.2
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.9

Golborne Lowton West

Golborne Lowton West^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Yvonne Klieve	1,186	41.0	−15.4
	Community Action	Peter Franzen	1,110	38.4	+9.6
	Conservative	John Oxley	282	9.8	−4.6
	BNP	Steven McEllenborough	178	6.2	+6.2
	Independent	Frank Davies	129	4.5	+4.5
Rejected ballots			7	0.2	-0.2
Majority			76	2.6	−25.0
Turnout			2,892	32.9	+2.5
	Labour gain from Community Action		Swing	-12.5

Hindley

Hindley^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Jim Ellis	1,347	47.4	+47.4
	Labour	Marcia Dooley	694	24.5	−20.8
	Independent	David Culshaw	515	18.1	+18.1
	Conservative	Margaret Winstanley	277	9.7	−1.2
Rejected ballots			7	0.2	-0.1
Majority			1,166	41.0	+39.1
Turnout			2,842	29.1	+2.4
	Independent gain from Labour		Swing	+34.1

Hindley Green

Hindley Green^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Bob Brierley	1,105	44.7	+44.7
	Labour	Martin Long	981	26.5	−3.6
	Conservative	Stuart Foy	353	14.3	+3.9
	Community Action	Rachel Fagan	351	14.2	−17.2
Rejected ballots			10	0.4	+0.1
Majority			450	18.2	+16.9
Turnout			2,474	28.9	+2.4
	Independent gain from Labour		Swing	+24.1

Ince

Ince^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Molyneux	1,180	60.5	−5.9
	Community Action	Syd Hall	479	24.6	+2.0
	Conservative	Raymond Whittingham	275	14.1	+3.8
Rejected ballots			15	0.8	+0.2
Majority			701	36	−7.9
Turnout			1,949	23.0	−0.6
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.9

Leigh East

Leigh East^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Keith Cunliffe	981	43.8	−4.3
	Conservative	Dorothy Angell	649	29.0	+9.0
	Liberal Democrats	Gordon Jackson	597	26.4	−4.7
Rejected ballots			17	0.8	+0.0
Majority			332	14.8	−2.2
Turnout			2,238	24.8	−2.2
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.6

Leigh South

Leigh South^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kevin Anderson	1,372	41.2	−2.1
	Conservative	Andrew Oxley	1,000	30.1	+6.6
	Community Action	Ian Franzen	476	14.3	−9.5
	BNP	Gary Chadwick	470	14.1	+5.1
Rejected ballots			9	0.3	-0.2
Majority			372	11.2	−8.3
Turnout			3,327	32.6	+1.5
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.3

Leigh West

Leigh West^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Susan Greensmith	1,543	64.3	+10.3
	Conservative	Denise Young	817	34.0	+22.7
Rejected ballots			40	1.7	+1.3
Majority			726	30.3	−0.2
Turnout			2,400	22.9	−0.9
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.2

Lowton East

Lowton East^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Grundy	1,972	53.6	+29.9
	Community Action	Ian Franzen	943	25.6	−17.4
	Labour	James Cowley	758	20.6	−12.3
Rejected ballots			8	0.2	-0.2
Majority			1,029	28.0	+17.9
Turnout			3,681	37.9	+4.3
	Conservative gain from Community Action		Swing	+23.6

Orrell

Orrell^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Clayton	1,608	46.5	+1.3
	Labour	Mike Barnes	969	28.0	−7.6
	BNP	Charles Mather	548	15.8	+1.5
	Independent	Richard Clayton	321	9.3	+9.3
Rejected ballots			12	0.3	+0.0
Majority			639	18.5	+8.9
Turnout			3,458	37.9	−2.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

Pemberton

Pemberton^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jeanette Prescott	1,387	55.7	−1.9
	Community Action	Mike Leyland	406	16.3	−0.3
	Conservative	Benjamin Gray	350	14.1	+2.1
	BNP	Chris Hilton	334	13.4	−0.1
Rejected ballots			14	0.6	+0.2
Majority			981	39.4	−1.6
Turnout			2,491	25.9	+1.0
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.8

Shevington with Lower Ground

Shevington with Lower Ground^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Paul Liptrot	1,531	48.4	+6.5
	Labour	Mike Crosby	971	30.7	−7.3
	Liberal Democrats	Martin Sutton	251	7.9	−1.5
	UKIP	John Atherton	251	7.9	−2.3
	Independent	Andy Sumner	157	5.0	+5.0
Rejected ballots			2	0.1	-0.3
Majority			560	17.7	+13.8
Turnout			3,163	34.2	−0.7
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+6.9

Standish with Langtree

Standish with Langtree^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Judith Atherton	1,710	50.8	−7.1
	Labour	George Davies	1,039	30.9	+2.3
	UKIP	Alan Freeman	283	8.4	+8.4
	Liberal Democrats	June Garner	214	6.4	−6.6
	Community Action	Ronnie Barnes	116	3.4	+3.4
Rejected ballots			5	0.1	-0.4
Majority			671	19.9	−9.4
Turnout			3,367	35.6	−0.9
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	-4.7

Tyldesley

Tyldesley^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Bleakley	1,827	65.7	+2.7
	Labour	Barry Taylor	621	22.0	+6.7
	Conservative	Hilary Hayden	313	11.3	−1.4
Rejected ballots			29	1.0	+0.9
Majority			1,215	43.7	−4.0
Turnout			2,781	27.8	−0.8
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	-2.0

Wigan Central

Wigan Central^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Cadman	1,562	50.3	+6.1
	Labour	Mathew Bullen	940	30.2	−2.8
	UKIP	Keith Jones	378	12.2	+12.2
	Community Action	Leanne Brotherton	213	6.9	+0.0
Rejected ballots			15	0.5	+0.2
Majority			622	20.0	+8.8
Turnout			3,108	34.3	−0.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

Wigan West

Wigan West^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Terence Halliwell	1,089	43.7	−3.7
	Conservative	Steven Surples	471	18.9	−0.3
	Liberal Democrats	Darren Atherton	462	18.6	+18.6
	BNP	Susan Mather	360	14.5	+0.7
	Independent	Mick Dahl	104	4.2	+4.2
Rejected ballots			4	0.2	-0.2
Majority			618	24.8	−3.4
Turnout			2,490	25.0	−3.6
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.7

Winstanley

Winstanley^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Community Action	Stanley Barnes	1,226	46.9	+7.7
	Labour	Phil Kelly	869	33.4	−10.0
	Conservative	Paula Thompson	508	19.5	+2.4
Rejected ballots			9	0.3	+0.0
Majority			357	13.7	+9.6
Turnout			2,612	29.8	−2.2
	Community Action hold		Swing	+8.8

Worsley Mesnes

Worsley Mesnes^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Brian Baldwin	1,275	55.1	−0.2
	Community Action	Hannah Leyland	662	28.6	+3.0
	Conservative	Jonathan Cartwright	363	15.7	+4.2
Rejected ballots			16	0.7	+0.3
Majority			613	26.5	−3.2
Turnout			2,316	26.4	−1.3
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.6

By-elections between 2008 and 2010

Wigan West By-Election 10 July 2008^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Steve Dawber	817	38.3	−5.4
	Conservative	Jonathan Cartwright	528	24.8	+5.9
	Liberal Democrats	Trevor Beswick	344	16.1	−2.5
	BNP	Christopher Hilton	200	9.4	−5.1
	UKIP	Keith Jones	124	5.8	+5.8
	Independent	Sandy Franzen	118	5.5	+1.3
Majority			289	13.5	−11.3
Turnout			2,131	21.0	−4.0
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.6

References

^ "Local elections: Wigan". BBC News Online. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z "Local Election Results 01 May 2008". wiganmbc.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z "Local Elections Archive Project: 2008 - Wigan". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
^ "Wigan West By-Election Result – 10 July 2008". Wigan Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
^ "Local Authority Byelection Results". gwydir.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2012.

Wigan Council election, 2008 - nominations

[1] "Local elections: Wigan". BBC News Online. Retrieved 4 July 2012.

[wiganmbc-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z "Local Election Results 01 May 2008". wiganmbc.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.

[teale-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z "Local Elections Archive Project: 2008 - Wigan". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.

[dawber-4] "Wigan West By-Election Result – 10 July 2008". Wigan Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2008.

[byelections-5] "Local Authority Byelection Results". gwydir.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2012.

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