Gravesham Council election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Gravesham Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Gravesham
Borough
Council in Kent
, England
. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party
gained overall control of the council from the Labour party
.
had 23 seats, compared to 21 for the Conservatives. The Conservatives had therefore needed to gain 2 seats to take control from Labour.
at the election was 36.4%, up from 31% at the 2003 election
.
The Conservative gains included taking all 3 seats in the wards
of Painters Ash and Singlewell
from Labour. The Conservatives also held the seats in Whitehill where the two sitting councillors, George Lambton and Derek Robinson, had stood as independents
after being deselected by the Conservatives before the election. The leader of the Conservatives on the council, Michael Snelling, said "I am over the moon. I think we have exceeded our expectations.", while the Labour council leader, John Burden said he planned "to come back in four years' time".
The election in Meopham
North was postponed after the death of one of the Conservative councillor
s Malcolm Burgoyne on the 25 April. The delayed election in Meopham North was held on the 21 June and saw the Conservatives hold both seats in the ward. The Conservative leader, Michael Snelling, was one of the two winners in Meopham North and as a result was able to then become the new leader of the council.
Gravesham
Gravesham is a local government district and borough in North West Kent, England. It has borders with the River Thames to the north; the City of Rochester and Medway to the east; the borough of Tonbridge and Malling ; and the boroughs of Sevenoaks and Dartford to the west.Its council is based at...
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 Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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...
gained overall control of the council from the Labour party
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...
.
Background
Before the election Labour had run the council since 1995 and since the 2003 electionGravesham Council election, 2003
The 2003 Gravesham Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Gravesham Borough Council in Kent, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999. The Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.-Election...
had 23 seats, compared to 21 for the Conservatives. The Conservatives had therefore needed to gain 2 seats to take control from Labour.
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives gain control of the council from Labour, the first time the Conservatives had control of the council in 20 years. The Conservatives moved to 26 seats after winning 54% of the vote, while Labour dropped to 16 seats on a 40% vote share. Overall turnoutVoter 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...
at the election was 36.4%, up from 31% at the 2003 election
Gravesham Council election, 2003
The 2003 Gravesham Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Gravesham Borough Council in Kent, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999. The Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.-Election...
.
The Conservative gains included taking all 3 seats in the wards
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:...
of Painters Ash and Singlewell
Singlewell
Singlewell or Ifield is the name given to the area south of Gravesend in Kent, England.Originally two separate settlements on either side of Watling Street, it is now separated by the A2 road and bears little resemblance to its past...
from Labour. The Conservatives also held the seats in Whitehill where the two sitting councillors, George Lambton and Derek Robinson, had stood as independents
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...
after being deselected by the Conservatives before the election. The leader of the Conservatives on the council, Michael Snelling, said "I am over the moon. I think we have exceeded our expectations.", while the Labour council leader, John Burden said he planned "to come back in four years' time".
The election in Meopham
Meopham
Meopham is a large linear village and civil parish in the Borough of Gravesham and ceremonial county of Kent, in England, and lies to the south of Gravesend. The parish covers , and comprises two villages and two smaller settlements; it has a population of 6,427...
North was postponed after the death of one of the Conservative councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s Malcolm Burgoyne on the 25 April. The delayed election in Meopham North was held on the 21 June and saw the Conservatives hold both seats in the ward. The Conservative leader, Michael Snelling, was one of the two winners in Meopham North and as a result was able to then become the new leader of the council.