# 2008 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election

The 2008 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Stratford-on-Avon District Council in Warwickshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
* Conservative 32
* Liberal Democrat 19
* Independent 2

## Background

Before the election the Conservatives had a 21-seat majority with 37 councillors, as compared to 14 for the Liberal Democrats and 2 independents. 19 seats were being contested in the election, which was expected to be fought mainly between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

## Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrats make 5 gains to reduce the Conservatives majority on the council. 3 of the gains for the Liberal Democrats came in the wards of Stratford-upon-Avon itself, along with 2 in Harbury and Shipston. Meanwhile, the one independent councillor who was up for election, Kim James, successfully held his seat in Bidford and Salford ward, defeating the Liberal Democrat candidate by 185 votes.
The losses for the Conservatives were one of the worst performances by the party in the 2008 local elections, in contrast to the national picture where they made strong gains. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg described the Stratford election as "an excellent result".
Stratford-on-Avon Local Election Result 2008 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 11 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 57.9 | 51.0 | 15,222 | -0.9% |
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 36.8 | 39.9 | 11,916 | +4.3% |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 | 3.4 | 1,019 | +0.4% |
| Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 | 1,103 | -1.8% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 | 406 | -0.9% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 183 | -1.1% |

## Ward results

Alcester :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Susan Adams | 1,139 | 55.1 | −4.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carol Lane | 856 | 41.4 | +10.3 |
| | Labour | Michael Gerrard | 73 | 3.5 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 283 | 13.7 | −15.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,068 | 43.9 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Aston Cantlow :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Lawrence | 524 | 73.0 | +11.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Bicknell | 194 | 27.0 | −11.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 330 | 46.0 | +23.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 718 | 47.0 | −5.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bardon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Valerie Hobbs | 537 | 73.1 | +10.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Insoll | 198 | 26.9 | +3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 339 | 46.1 | +6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 735 | 41.7 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bidford and Salford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Kim James | 903 | 52.0 | +52.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rona Fitzpatrick | 718 | 41.3 | +4.9 |
| | Labour | Alec Brown | 116 | 6.7 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 185 | 10.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,737 | 32.9 | −5.3 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Burton Dassett :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Simon Jackson | 647 | 78.8 | +13.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Hill | 174 | 21.2 | −13.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 473 | 57.6 | +26.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 821 | 45.9 | −3.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Claverdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Horner | 684 | 82.6 | +9.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeanne Lowe | 144 | 17.4 | −9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 540 | 65.2 | +18.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 828 | 45.9 | −1.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Ettington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Izzi Seccombe | 597 | 68.0 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christian Senior | 165 | 18.8 | −15.8 |
| | Independent | Darryl Armstrong | 116 | 13.2 | +13.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 432 | 49.2 | +18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 878 | 47.4 | −2.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Harbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Beverley Mann | 861 | 50.3 | +6.8 |
| | Conservative | Peter Barton | 850 | 49.7 | −6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 0.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,711 | 45.5 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Henley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Thirlwell | 1,172 | 74.6 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Karyl Rees | 215 | 13.7 | +6.0 |
| | UKIP | Brett Parsons | 184 | 11.7 | +3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 957 | 60.9 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,571 | 44.0 | −2.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Kineton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Susan Wixey | 979 | 70.0 | +10.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vivien Purdy | 420 | 30.0 | −10.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 559 | 40.0 | +21.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,399 | 41.5 | −4.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Shipston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Cheney | 934 | 48.7 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Trevor Russel | 921 | 48.0 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Jeffrey Kenner | 64 | 3.3 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13 | 0.7 | −1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,919 | 48.6 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Southam :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Appleton | 853 | 52.1 | −4.7 |
| | Labour | Peter Thomas | 404 | 24.7 | −7.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Angela Adkins | 380 | 23.2 | +12.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 449 | 27.4 | +2.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,637 | 33.1 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Stratford Alveston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kate Rolfe | 1,264 | 49.1 | +10.3 |
| | Conservative | Lynda Organ | 1,088 | 42.3 | −6.3 |
| | UKIP | Ralph Berry | 222 | 8.6 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 176 | 6.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,574 | 48.3 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Stratford Avenue and New Town :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Trevor Honychurch | 991 | 47.6 | +30.0 |
| | Conservative | Juliet Short | 957 | 46.0 | +5.1 |
| | Labour | Matthew Stephens | 132 | 6.3 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 1.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,080 | 37.5 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Stratford Guild and Hathaway :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ron Cockings | 1,141 | 47.3 | +16.3 |
| | Conservative | Michael Perry | 956 | 39.6 | −10.8 |
| | Green | Hugh Chatwin | 183 | 7.6 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | George Hathaway | 134 | 5.6 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 185 | 7.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,414 | 42.0 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Stratford Mount Pleasant :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joyce Taylor | 798 | 66.8 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative | Karen Parnell | 317 | 26.5 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | David Talbot | 80 | 6.7 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 481 | 40.3 | −4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,195 | 35.6 | −4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Studley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Beaman | 1,083 | 59.0 | +15.1 |
| | Conservative | Jon Vale | 652 | 35.5 | −13.0 |
| | Labour | Jacqueline Abbott | 100 | 5.4 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 431 | 23.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,835 | 40.6 | +0.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Tanworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Atkinson | 1,140 | 86.6 | +5.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sally Hinchley | 176 | 13.4 | −5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 964 | 73.3 | +1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,316 | 41.5 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Wellesbourne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sue Main | 1,209 | 50.1 | +7.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michala Piotrowski | 1,204 | 49.9 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 0.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,413 | 45.0 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |