2008 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

2008 UK local government election

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

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
^ "Local Election Results 01 May 2008". wiganmbc.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
^ "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

v t e Council elections in Greater Manchester
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Bolton	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Bury	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Manchester	1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Oldham	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Rochdale	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Salford	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Stockport	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Tameside	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Trafford	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Wigan	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
County Council	1973 1977 1981
See also: Wards Boundary changes

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