# 1988 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 1988 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council elections were held on Thursday, 5 May 1988, with one third of the council to be elected. Prior to the election, Packwood councillor, Kenneth Meeson, had defected from Independent to the Conservatives. The Conservatives retained control of the council.

## Election result

Solihull Local Election Result 1988 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 10 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 58.8 | 51.9 | 29,904 | +0.9 |
| Labour | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20.4 | 26.3 | 15,165 | +8.4 |
| SLD | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 5.9 | 15.6 | 8,987 | -7.2 |
| Independent Ratepayers & Residents | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 3,539 | -2.0 |
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:
| Party | Party | Previous council | New council |
| | Conservatives | 30 | 29 |
| | Labour | 14 | 14 |
| | Independent Ratepayers & Residents | 4 | 4 |
| | Social and Liberal Democrats | 3 | 4 |
| Total | Total | 51 | 51 | 51 |
| Working majority | Working majority | 9 | 7 |

## Ward results

Bickenhill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Graham Juniper | 2,246 | 54.2 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Sheila Brookes | 1,519 | 36.7 | +8.3 |
| | SLD | David Moore | 376 | 9.1 | −7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 727 | 17.6 | −9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,141 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | -4.5 | |
Castle Bromwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Richards | 2,831 | 67.7 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | Jeffrey Potts | 1,078 | 25.8 | +8.7 |
| | SLD | Paul Rivers | 271 | 6.5 | −12.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,753 | 41.9 | −4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,180 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.7 | |
Chelmsley Wood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alfred Hill | 1,683 | 68.5 | +17.1 |
| | Conservative | Robin Draycott | 581 | 23.7 | −4.1 |
| | SLD | Petula Holmes | 191 | 7.8 | −10.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,102 | 44.9 | +21.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,455 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +10.6 | |
Elmdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rona Miller | 1,729 | 45.9 | +14.1 |
| | Conservative | Norman Page | 1,690 | 44.8 | −4.0 |
| | SLD | Richard Blight | 349 | 9.3 | −10.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 39 | 1.0 | −16.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,768 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.0 | |
Fordbridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Corser | 1,403 | 73.1 | +20.5 |
| | Conservative | Neil Archer | 515 | 26.8 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 888 | 46.3 | +23.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,918 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +11.5 | |
Kingshurst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Allen | 1,503 | 68.0 | +15.4 |
| | Conservative | Dorothy Wallace | 708 | 32.0 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 795 | 36.0 | +16.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,211 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.9 | |
Knowle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ronald Scannell | 2,341 | 72.4 | +5.8 |
| | SLD | Bernadette Pruden | 570 | 17.6 | −11.3 |
| | Labour | Christine Horton | 322 | 10.0 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,771 | 54.8 | +17.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,233 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.5 | |
Lyndon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SLD | Richard Balmer | 1,550 | 43.2 | −0.3 |
| | Conservative | Peter Duddy | 1,417 | 39.5 | −2.3 |
| | Labour | Walter Kinder | 622 | 17.3 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 133 | 3.7 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,589 | | |
| | SLD gain from Conservative | SLD gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.0 | |
Meriden :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Vincent | 1,813 | 59.5 | +2.7 |
| | Alliance (SDP) | John Johnson | 969 | 31.8 | −7.2 |
| | Labour | Robert Overton | 263 | 8.6 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 844 | 27.7 | +9.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,045 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.9 | |
Olton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Diana Holl-Allen | 2,186 | 55.5 | +1.2 |
| | SLD | Timothy Farzmand | 1,419 | 36.0 | −3.6 |
| | Labour | Hugh Hendry | 333 | 8.5 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 767 | 19.5 | +4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,938 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.4 | |
Packwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Meeson | 2,389 | 62.6 | +14.8 |
| | SLD | Arthur Crossley | 1,193 | 31.3 | +31.3 |
| | Labour | Maurice Jones | 234 | 6.1 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,196 | 31.3 | +31.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,816 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -8.2 | |
Shirley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frank Morris | 1,738 | 51.9 | +2.4 |
| | Independent Ratepayers | Richard Jackson | 1,124 | 33.6 | +13.2 |
| | Labour | Derek Jones | 486 | 14.5 | +5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 614 | 18.3 | −9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,348 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -5.4 | |
Shirley South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Ratepayers | Ursula Eames | 2,415 | 53.6 | +5.7 |
| | Conservative | Theresa Samuels | 1,696 | 37.6 | −6.4 |
| | Labour | Georgina Parisi | 397 | 8.8 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 719 | 15.9 | +12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,508 | | |
| | Independent Ratepayers hold | Independent Ratepayers hold | Swing | +6.0 |
Shirley West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Miriam Harris | 1,671 | 53.2 | −1.0 |
| | SLD | John Reeve | 786 | 25.0 | −9.1 |
| | Labour | Margaret Brittin | 685 | 21.8 | +10.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 885 | 28.2 | +8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,142 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -4.0 | |
Silhill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Hogarth | 2,572 | 68.3 | +7.9 |
| | SLD | Jennifer Wright | 697 | 18.5 | −12.6 |
| | Labour | Graham Craig | 496 | 13.2 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,875 | 49.8 | +20.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,765 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +10.2 | |
Smith's Wood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derrick Harrison | 2,155 | 75.3 | +23.8 |
| | Conservative | Mark Saunders | 707 | 24.7 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,448 | 50.6 | +26.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,862 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +13.3 | |
St. Alphege :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Taylor | 2,803 | 76.2 | +4.1 |
| | SLD | Bernard Winchombe | 616 | 16.8 | −7.8 |
| | Labour | Thomas Hayes | 257 | 7.0 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,187 | 59.5 | +11.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,676 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.0 | |

## By-elections between 1988 and 1990

Shirley East by-election 2 February 1989 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SLD | John Reeve | 1,127 | 51.4 | +51.4 |
| | Conservative | Theresa Samuels | 799 | 36.4 | −15.5 |
| | Labour | Philip Knowles | 228 | 10.4 | −4.1 |
| | National Front | Norman Tomkinson | 38 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 328 | 15.0 | −3.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,192 | | |
| | SLD gain from Conservative | SLD gain from Conservative | Swing | -5.4 | |
Smith's Wood by-election 2 March 1989 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Graham Craig | 957 | 74.7 | −0.6 |
| | Conservative | Peter Llewellyn | 276 | 21.5 | −3.2 |
| | Green | Paul Adams | 48 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 681 | 53.2 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,281 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
Packwood by-election April 1989 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SLD | Judy Morris | 1,897 | 54.1 | +22.8 |
| | Conservative | Stephen Bishop | 1,455 | 41.5 | −21.1 |
| | Labour | Jeffrey Potts | 155 | 4.4 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,196 | 31.3 | +31.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,507 | | |
| | Social and Liberal Democrats gain from Independent Residents | Social and Liberal Democrats gain from Independent Residents | Swing | +21.9 |