2008 Slough Borough Council election
Elections to the Borough Council in Slough, England, were held on 1 May 2008. This was the 123rd Slough general local authority election (including both whole council elections and elections by thirds) since Slough became a local government unit in 1863.
The regular 2008 election was to fill fourteen seats, one from each ward, for the 2008-2012 term. These fourteen seats were last contested in the whole Council election of 2004, following the redrawing of the ward boundaries in the Borough.
The election also filled a casual vacancy, for the remaining three years of a 2007-2011 term. The vacancy was caused when Eshaq Khan (Conservative-Central ward) was removed from office, on 18 March 2008, following the hearing of an election petition (for more details see the external link to the judgment of the Election Commissioner below).
The remaining twenty-six Slough Councillors will continue in office, for seats which will be next contested in 2010 or 2011.
In an election where, in most parts of England, the Labour Party did badly; in Slough they regained control of the Council for the first time since 2004. Labour gained two seats from the Conservatives (and arguably a third by taking the vacant seat, last held by Eshaq Khan), one seat from the Liberal Democrats and one seat from the UK Independence Party. The Tories offset their losses by gaining one seat from Labour and another from The Slough Party. As a result of these changes the Council now has 23 Labour members and 18 opposition councillors.
Recent political history of Slough
Slough has an unusual balance of political forces. The council, between 2004 and 2008, had no party in overall control. A coalition of the Britwellian, Independent, Liberal and Liberal Democrats Group (BILLD) and the Conservative Group formed a coalition administration. In the 2007-2008 municipal year the Labour Group and the one councillor of The Slough Party were in opposition.
The BILLD Group is itself a local coalition, containing members from five parties or groups of independents. The organisations represented in the group, as at April 2008, were the Slough Liberal Democrats, the Slough Liberals, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), the Independent Britwellian Residents and Independents from Wexham Lea ward. The existing members of the Group had an electoral pact for the 2008 election, continuing electoral arrangements which started with the Slough Council election, 2001.
The Slough Party and a number of Independents, not affiliated to the BILLD group or the coalition administration, also contested the 2008 election.
In the previous election, in 2007, the Labour Party gained one seat from the Conservatives and one from the Liberal Democrats. However the Conservative Party defeated the then longest serving Labour Councillor and former Mayor, Lydia Simmons. This return was subsequently found, by an Election Commissioner, to have been obtained by corrupt and illegal means. Labour finished the 2007 count with a net gain of one, which left Slough Council still in a state of no overall control. The existing coalition administration (supported by all Councillors not in the Labour group, except for one) continued in office for the 2007-2008 municipal year.
During 2007-2008 the Conservative Party lost one seat following the hearing of an election petition. The casual vacancy, caused by the removal from office of former Councillor Eshaq Khan (Conservative-Central ward), was filled at the May election.
At the time of the 2008 election there were twenty councillors each supporting the administration and the opposition, with one vacancy. A single net gain by the opposition parties would have probably resulted in a change of administration. Two net gains for the Labour Party would ensure the first single party majority administration since the party lost control in 2004.
In the event Labour secured four net gains, to give the party a 23:18 margin and a majority of five for the 2008-2009 municipal year.
Party | Seats April 2008 | Seats Up | Candidates May 2008 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | 19 | 4 | 15 | |
Conservative | 6 | 3 | 9 | |
* | Liberal Democrats | 4 | 2 | 7 |
* | Independent (BILLD | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Independent (Non BILLD) | - | - | 4 | |
* | Independent Britwellian Residents | 3 | 1 | 1 |
* | Liberal | 3 | 1 | 1 |
The Slough Party | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
* | UK Independence | 1 | 1 | 1 |
vacant | 1 | 1 | - | |
Total | 41 | 15 | 43 |
- * Member of the Britwellian, Independent, Liberal and Liberal Democrats Group (BILLD)
Election result 2008
The change in Conservative representation is calculated on the basis of the outcome of the 2007 count, without regard to the subsequent election petition.
The plus/minus figure is the change in votes percentage from the Slough Council election, 2007.
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 3 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 20.00 | 25.83 | 7,276 | -3.07% | |
Labour | 8 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 53.34 | 45.60 | 13,640 | +2.15% | |
Liberal Democrats | 1 | - | 1 | -1 | 6.67 | 11.99 | 3,585 | -0.80% | |
Independent | 1 | - | - | - | 6.67 | 3.80 | 1,137 | -1.13% | |
Independent | 0 | - | - | - | - | 1.91 | 572 | +0.67% | |
Britwellian | 1 | - | - | - | 6.67 | 2.36 | 706 | +0.55% | |
Liberal | 1 | - | - | - | 6.67 | 2.92 | 873 | -0.01% | |
The Slough Party | 0 | - | 1 | -1 | - | 3.98 | 1,190 | +0.03% | |
UKIP | 0 | - | 1 | -1 | - | 1.61 | 481 | n/a |
Total valid votes: 29,910 Total spoilt votes: 182 Slough BC turnout: 32.93%
New Council by group: Labour 23, BILLD 12 (Independent 3, Independent Britwellian Residents 3, Liberal 3, Liberal Democrats 3), Conservative 6. Total 41.
Labour majority: 5.
Summary of Election results by party from 2004
Election Results 2004-2007 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | 2004 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |||||
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] | 9 | 1 (5) | 3 (7) | 3 (6) | ||||
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | [[Labour Party (UK)|Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] | 15 | 8 (18) | 7 (19) | 8 (23) | ||||
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | | [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/shortname]] | 6 | 1 (5) | 1 (4) | 1 (3) | ||||
style="background-color: Template:Others/meta/color" | | [[Others|Template:Others/meta/shortname]] | 11 | 3 (13) | 3 (11) | 3 (9) | ||||
Total Seats | 41 | 13 (41) | 14 (41) | 15 (41) |
Note: The 2004 election was for the whole Council. Other elections are for a third of the Council. For them the overall totals, after the election, are given in brackets.
List of Councillors whose terms expired in 2008
Ward | Party | Elected | Incumbent | Cand.? | Re-elected? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baylis & Stoke | Liberal Democrats | 2004 | Rashad Javaid Butt * | No | N/A |
Britwell | Ind. Britwellian Res. | 2002 | Sean Patrick Wright * | Yes | Yes |
Central | Conservative | 2004 | Mohammed Aziz | Yes | No |
Chalvey | Labour | 2002 | Pervez Choudhry | Yes (Central) | Yes (Central) |
Cippenham Green | UK Independence | 1995 | William Geoffrey Howard * | Yes | No |
Cippenham Meadows | Labour | 2003 | May Dodds | Yes | Yes |
Colnbrook with Poyle | Conservative | 2000 | Dexter Jerome Smith | Yes | No |
Farnham | Labour | 1997 | Robert Anderson | Yes | Yes |
Foxborough | Liberal Democrats | 2000 | John William Edwards * | No | N/A |
Haymill | Liberal | 1987 | Richard Stanley Stokes * | Yes | Yes |
Kedermister | Labour | 2002 | Jagjit Singh Grewal | Yes | Yes |
Langley St Mary's | The Slough Party | 2004 | Neil James Arnold | Yes | No |
Upton | Conservative | 1999 | Julia Thomson Long | Yes | Yes |
Wexham Lea | Independent | 2000 | Michael Anthony Haines * | Yes | Yes |
- * Member of the Britwellian, Independent, Liberal and Liberal Democrats Group (BILLD)
Candidates and Incumbent Parties
The name of the party holding the seat up for election is in brackets, following the name of the ward. A candidate who is an incumbent Councillor for the ward being contested has an * following their name. If an incumbent Councillor for another ward, there is a + following the name.
Figures for the eligible electorate are given as at 3 March 2008. The Returning Officer has confirmed that the number of electors for each Ward has to be based on the current Register, plus any alterations made up to 3 March. The number given is derived from the full register, not the edited register available to the general public.
The maximum election expenses for a candidate are calculated on the basis of £600 plus 5 pence for every entry in the register (as first published).
Total eligible electorate for the Borough: 82,724
Baylis and Stoke (Labour gain from Liberal Democrats)
Total eligible electorate 6,737
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Natasa Pantelic | 1,413 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Sarfraz Khan | 1,222 | |||
Majority | 191 | ||||
Turnout | 2,662 (27 spoilt) | 37.86 | |||
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 6,737 |
Britwell (Independent Britwellian Residents hold)
Paul Janik is a former Independent Britwellian Residents Councillor for this ward, serving from 2003 to 2006.
Total eligible electorate 5,609
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Britwellian | Sean Patrick Wright * | 706 | |||
Labour | Olly Isernia | 423 | |||
The Slough Party | Paul Janik | 375 | |||
Majority | 283 | ||||
Turnout | 1,513 (9 spoilt) | 26.63 | |||
Britwellian hold | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 5,609 |
Central (2008-2012 term: Labour gain from Conservative; 2008-2011 term: Labour gain from vacant)
As two seats were filled at the election, the bloc vote electoral system was used. Each elector was entitled to cast up to two votes. The candidate with most votes was elected to the four year term and the one in second place was returned for three years.
A local newspaper (the Slough Observer) reported, in its edition of 18 April 2008, that Councillor Aziz (the current Deputy Mayor of Slough) had appeared at Slough Magistrates Court facing charges related to the election fraud scandal at last year's Central ward election. The councillor was suspended from the Conservative Party on Thursday 17 April 2008. As it was too late for a nominated candidate to withdraw from this year's election, Councillor Aziz will remain on the ballot as an official Conservative candidate. Former Councillor Eshaq Khan, one of the other defendants in the criminal case, had been expelled from the Conservative Party following the recent election court hearing.
Councillor Pervez Choudhry was an incumbent councillor for the Chalvey ward, at the time of the election. A.S. Dhaliwal had represented the ward before the Slough Council election, 2004.
Total eligible electorate 6,941
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Pervez Choudhry + | 1,214 | |||
Labour | Arvind Singh Dhaliwal | 1,173 | |||
Conservative | Mohammed Aziz * | 1,037 | |||
Conservative | Muhammad Umar Majeed | 947 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Gary James Griffin | 272 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Tejinder Dhaliwal | 206 | |||
Turnout | 4,865 (16 spoilt) | 36.77 | |||
Registered electors | 6,941 |
Chalvey (Conservative gain from Labour)
Total eligible electorate 5,801
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Mohammad Basharat | 1,008 | |||
Labour | Karen Ann Lisa Muhammad | 969 | |||
Majority | 39 | N/A | N/A | ||
Turnout | 2,002 (25 spoilt) | 33.31 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 5,801 |
Cippenham Green (Labour gain from UK Independence Party)
Geoff Howard is a former Slough Councillor for the Labour Party and then the Conservative Party. He ultimately joined UKIP in 2004, shortly before the parliamentary election of 2005 at which he contested the Slough seat for his new party. He was seeking re-election to the council seat which he last won as a Conservative candidate in 2004.
Total eligible electorate 5,916
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Roger Francis Davis | 1,010 | |||
UKIP | Geoff Howard * | 481 | |||
The Slough Party | Derek Henry Canziani | 159 | |||
Independent | Kenneth Wright | 126 | |||
Majority | 529 | ||||
Turnout | 1,795 (19 spoilt) | 30.20 | |||
Labour gain from UKIP | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 5,916 |
Cippenham Meadows (Labour hold)
Total eligible electorate 6,641
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | May Dodds * | 974 | |||
Conservative | Kevin Charles Pond | 617 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Nadeem Anwar Rana | 169 | |||
Majority | 357 | ||||
Turnout | 1,764 (4 spoilt) | 26.17 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 6,641 |
Colnbrook with Poyle (Labour gain from Conservative)
Councillor Smith was, at the time of the election, the leader of the Conservative group on Slough Council.
Total eligible electorate 3,842
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | James Lawrence Walsh | 699 | |||
Conservative | Dexter Smith * | 640 | |||
Independent | Kevin Christopher McCabe | 59 | |||
Majority | 59 | ||||
Turnout | 1,402 (4 spoilt) | 34.97 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 3,842 |
Farnham (Labour hold)
Councillor Anderson was the leader of the Labour group on Slough Council. Sumander Khan represented Central Ward from 2004 to 2006.
Total eligible electorate 6,072
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Robert Anderson * | 1,279 | |||
Conservative | Sumander Khan | 456 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Josephine Mary Hanney | 235 | |||
Majority | 823 | ||||
Turnout | 1,980 (10 spoilt) | 32.08 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 6,072 |
Foxborough (Liberal Democrats hold)
Duncan Buchanan served as a Councillor from Baylis & Stoke ward from 2004 to 2006.
Total eligible electorate 5,332
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Duncan Peter Buchanan | 1,204 | |||
Labour | Rani Bains | 505 | |||
Majority | 699 | ||||
Turnout | 1,728 (19 spoilt) | 32.17 | |||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 5,332 |
Haymill (Liberal hold)
Councillor Stokes was the Leader of the Council (2004-2008) and of the BILLD group.
Total eligible electorate 6,431
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Richard Stanley Stokes * | 873 | |||
Labour | Martin Frank Carter | 597 | |||
Independent | Liam Thomas Roche | 216 | |||
Majority | 276 | ||||
Turnout | 1,704 (18 spoilt) | 26.10 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 6,431 |
Kedermister (Labour hold)
Total eligible electorate 5,962
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jagjit Singh Grewal * | 1,028 | |||
Conservative | Wal Chahal | 988 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Helen Edwards | 272 |
Langley St Mary's (Conservative gain from The Slough Party)
Neil Arnold was elected in 2004 as an Independent Langley Residents candidate. He supported the coalition administration until he joined The Slough Party around the time of the 2007 council election.
Peter Dale-Gough is the husband of Diana Coad, another Councillor from this ward.
Total eligible electorate 5,459
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Dale-Gough | 899 | |||
Labour | Rajinder Singh Sandhu | 656 | |||
The Slough Party | Neil James Arnold * | 528 |
Upton (Conservative hold)
Total eligible electorate 5,694
Julia Long is a former Mayor of Slough from 2004 - 2005
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Julia Thomson Long * | 1,134 | |||
Labour | Gurminder Singh Sall | 723 | |||
The Slough Party | Mervyn Alphonso Williams | 128 |
Wexham Lea (Independent hold)
Councillor Haines is a member of the BILLD group and a supporter of the former (2004-2008) coalition administration.
Total eligible electorate 6,287
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Tony Haines * | 1,137 | |||
Labour | Mohammed Shabir Khan | 977 | |||
Independent | Alan James Griffith | 171 |
Members of Slough Borough Council May 2008
Ward | Party | Elected | Term | Councillor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Baylis & Stoke | Labour | 2008 | 2012 | Natasa Pantelic |
Baylis & Stoke | Labour | 2007 | 2011 | Faza Ahmed Matloob |
Baylis & Stoke | Labour | 2006 | 2010 | Azhar Qureshi |
Britwell | Ind. Britwellian Res. | 2002 | 2012 | Sean Patrick Wright * |
Britwell | Ind. Britwellian Res. | 2002 | 2011 | Patrick Shine * |
Britwell | Ind. Britwellian Res. | 2006 | 2010 | John Joseph Finn * |
Central | Labour | 2002 | 2012 | Pervez Choudhry |
Central | Labour | 2008 | 2011 | Arvind Singh Dhaliwal (a) |
Central | Labour | 2006 | 2010 | Shafiq Ahmed Chaudhry |
Chalvey | Conservative | 2008 | 2012 | Mohammad Basharat |
Chalvey | Labour | 2001 | 2011 | Raja Mohammad Zarait |
Chalvey | Labour | 2006 | 2010 | Mohammed Rasib |
Cippenham Green | Labour | 2008 | 2012 | Roger Francis Davis |
Cippenham Green | Labour | 2007 | 2011 | Patricia Josephine O'Connor |
Cippenham Green | Labour | 2002 | 2010 | James Charles Robert Swindlehurst |
Cippenham Meadows | Labour | 2003 | 2012 | May Dodds |
Cippenham Meadows | Labour | 2001 | 2011 | Sat Pal Singh Parmar (b) |
Cippenham Meadows | Labour | 2004 | 2010 | Nimrit Chohan |
Colnbrook with Poyle | Labour | 2008 | 2012 | James Lawrence Walsh |
Colnbrook with Poyle | Labour | 2007 | 2011 | Rakesh Pabbi |
Farnham | Labour | 1997 | 2012 | Robert Anderson |
Farnham | Labour | 2001 | 2011 | Joginder Singh Bal |
Farnham | Labour | 2002 | 2010 | Sukhjit Kaur Dhaliwal |
Foxborough | Liberal Democrats | 2008 | 2012 | Duncan Peter Buchanan * (c) |
Foxborough | Liberal Democrats | 2004 | 2011 | Sonja Anne Jenkins * |
Foxborough | Liberal Democrats | 2004 | 2010 | Robert Clive Plimmer * |
Haymill | Liberal | 1987 | 2012 | Richard Stanley Stokes * (d) |
Haymill | Liberal | 1990 | 2011 | David John Munkley * |
Haymill | Liberal | 2004 | 2010 | Brian Graham Hewitt * |
Kedermister | Labour | 2002 | 2012 | Jagjit Singh Grewal |
Kedermister | Labour | 1988 | 2011 | Mewa Singh Mann |
Kedermister | Labour | 2002 | 2010 | Christine Rita Small |
Langley St Mary's | Conservative | 2008 | 2012 | Peter Dale-Gough |
Langley St Mary's | Conservative | 2006 | 2011 | Diana Victoria Coad |
Langley St Mary's | Conservative | 2000 | 2010 | Derek Ernest Cryer (e) |
Upton | Conservative | 1999 | 2012 | Julia Thomson Long (f) |
Upton | Conservative | 2004 | 2011 | Balwinder Singh Dhillon (g) |
Upton | Labour | 2006 | 2010 | Balvinder Singh Bains (h) |
Wexham Lea | Independent | 2000 | 2012 | Michael Anthony Haines * (i) |
Wexham Lea | Independent | 2002 | 2011 | David Ian MacIsaac * |
Wexham Lea | Independent | 2004 | 2010 | Mohammed Latif Khan * (j) |
Notes:-
- * Member of the Britwellian, Independent, Liberal and Liberal Democrats Group (BILLD)
- (a) A.S. Dhaliwal: Formerly served 2004
- (b) Parmar: Formerly served 1995-2000
- (c) Buchanan: Formerly served 2004-2006
- (d) Stokes: Formerly a Labour Councillor 1983-1986
- (e) Cryer: Formerly served 1967-1974
- (f) Long: Formerly served 1983-1990
- (g) Dhillon: Formerly Conservative 2004 and Independent Conservative 2004-2007.
- (h) Bains: Formerly served 2003-2004
- (i) Haines: Formerly a Labour Councillor 1987-1991 and 1992-1998
- (j) Khan: Formerly a Labour Councillor 1999-2002
References
- The History of Slough, by Miss Maxwell Fraser (Slough Corporation 1973)
- A Short History of Slough, by Kathleen M. Jones (bound typescript volume in Slough Central Library)
See also
External links
- Official results 2006
- Official results 2007
- The Slough Council website coverage of the 2008 election
- The Election Commissioner's judgment in the case of Simmons v Khan
- [1] The Boundary Committee for England page about Slough Unitary Authority, with links to pre and post 2004 ward maps
- [2] The Victoria County History of Buckinghamshire
Preceded by Slough Council election, 2007 |
Slough local elections 2008 | Succeeded by Slough Council election, 2010 |