Winchester Council election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Winchester Council election took place on 6 May 2010 to elect members of Winchester
District
Council in Hampshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council from the Conservative party
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
after a sex scandal involving the local Liberal Democrat MP
Mark Oaten
. Going into the 2010 election the Conservatives had a majority of just 1 seat and were defending 13 seats compared to 4 for the Liberal Democrats, due to the seats they won in 2006 being due for election in 2010. Several councillor
s stood down at the election, including George Hollingbery
from The Alresfords ward
to contest the Meon Valley constituency
in the general election, Fred Allgood from Denmead
ward, Georgina Busher from Bishop's Waltham
and James Stephens from St Luke ward. Brian Collin also did not defend his Olivers Battery
and Badger Farm ward, which he had held for 24 years, to contest St John and All Saints instead.
The Conservatives defended their record on the council pointing to a repaving of the high street, park and ride
projects and keeping council tax
increases below inflation
. However the Liberal Democrats accused the Conservatives of running down reserves that the Liberal Democrats had built up when they were in power and were confident of taking control in particular with the election taking place at the same time as the general election. The Labour party
were defending their last seat on the council in St John and All Saints ward with predictions that Labour could be without representation on the council for the first time. Meanwhile the Green party
only contested one seat in St Bartholomew in order to concentrate their efforts and campaigned on development issues.
seat where the councillor Georgina Busher stood down at the election. Meanwhile the last remaining Labour seat was lost after Labour was defeated in St John and All Saints ward.
City of Winchester
Winchester is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with city status. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham....
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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 Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council from 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...
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- Liberal Democrat 29
- 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...
26 - IndependentIndependent (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...
2
Campaign
The Conservatives had gained control of Winchester council in the 2006 electionWinchester Council election, 2006
The 2006 Winchester Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Winchester District Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.After the election, the...
after a sex scandal involving the local Liberal Democrat MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Mark Oaten
Mark Oaten
Mark Oaten is a former British Liberal Democrat politician. He served as the Member of Parliament for Winchester from 1997 to 2010, and was his party's Home Affairs spokesperson from 2003 to 2006...
. Going into the 2010 election the Conservatives had a majority of just 1 seat and were defending 13 seats compared to 4 for the Liberal Democrats, due to the seats they won in 2006 being due for election in 2010. Several 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 stood down at the election, including George Hollingbery
George Hollingbery
George Michael Edward Hollingbery is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Meon Valley, a new Hampshire constituency created as a result of changes made by the Boundary Commission for England.Hollingbery was educated...
from The Alresfords 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:...
to contest the Meon Valley constituency
Meon Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Meon Valley is a new county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created for the 2010 general election...
in the general election, Fred Allgood from Denmead
Denmead
Denmead is a village in Hampshire, England. It is part of the City of Winchester district. As of 2005, it had a population of 6,457 and an electorate of 4,987....
ward, Georgina Busher from Bishop's Waltham
Bishop's Waltham
Bishop's Waltham is a small town in Hampshire, England situated at the head of the River Hamble. It is home to the ruins of Bishop's Waltham Palace, an English Heritage monument.-History:...
and James Stephens from St Luke ward. Brian Collin also did not defend his Olivers Battery
Olivers Battery
Olivers Battery is a civil parish in Hampshire, England, of some 700 households located just to the south of the City of Winchester. The parish was founded in 1956 on land that was formerly part of Compton parish...
and Badger Farm ward, which he had held for 24 years, to contest St John and All Saints instead.
The Conservatives defended their record on the council pointing to a repaving of the high street, park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
projects and keeping council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
increases below inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
. However the Liberal Democrats accused the Conservatives of running down reserves that the Liberal Democrats had built up when they were in power and were confident of taking control in particular with the election taking place at the same time as the general election. 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...
were defending their last seat on the council in St John and All Saints ward with predictions that Labour could be without representation on the council for the first time. Meanwhile the Green party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
only contested one seat in St Bartholomew in order to concentrate their efforts and campaigned on development issues.
Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats take control over the council after gaining 5 seats to hold 29 of the 57 seats. This gave them an overall majority of 1 seat, despite the Conservatives winning 10 seats at the election compared to 9 for the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives did make one gain, taking a former independentIndependent (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...
seat where the councillor Georgina Busher stood down at the election. Meanwhile the last remaining Labour seat was lost after Labour was defeated in St John and All Saints ward.