# 2008 Basildon District Council election

The 2008 Basildon District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, 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 29
* Labour 10
* Liberal Democrats 3

## Candidates

The Conservative, Labour and British National parties stood in all 14 seats contested, which was an increase from 11 at the 2007 election for the British National party. The Liberal Democrats stood in 13 wards, just not contesting Pitsea North West, while there were 4 United Kingdom Independence Party, 3 Green and 3 independent candidates. The independent candidates included councillor Jane Dyer in Vange, after she left the Labour party just before the election, and former councillor David Harrison in Wickford North.

## Election result

The results saw the Conservatives increase their majority by 1 after taking Vange ward to hold 29 seats. Conservative Luke Mackenzie became the youngest councillor in Basildon at the age of 22, after taking Vange from independent, formerly Labour, councillor Jane Dyer, who only received 72 votes in the election. Labour remained on 10 seats, with the party 82 votes behind the Conservatives in the contest in Vange. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats remained on 3 seats, but finished behind the British National Party in the share of the vote. Overall turnout in the election was 29%.
Following the election Lynda Gordon became the first female group leader on Basildon council, after taking over from Nigel Smith as leader of the Labour group. Smith had declared that he would step down as leader of the Labour group before the election.
2008 Basildon local election result :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 71.4 | 47.5 | 15,936 | 2.3 |
| Labour | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21.4 | 20.8 | 6,982 | 2.4 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 0 | | 7.1 | 11.5 | 3,851 | 7.5 |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 14.1 | 4,743 | 5.9 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 1 | | 0 | 3.3 | 1,093 | 2.9 |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 2.0 | 669 | New |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 0.8 | 266 | 0.7 |
All comparisons in vote share are to the corresponding 2004 election.

## Ward results
### Billericay East

Billericay East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stuart Sullivan | 1,932 | 65.8 | +21.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Hatch | 428 | 14.6 | −20.7 |
| | BNP | Geoffrey McCarthy | 220 | 7.5 | −4.6 |
| | Labour | Patricia Reid | 206 | 7.0 | −1.3 |
| | UKIP | Susan McCaffery | 152 | 5.2 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,504 | 51.2 | +42.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,938 | 32 | −2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Billericay West

Billericay West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Philip Turner | 2,145 | 71.1 | +5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Belinda Jackson | 332 | 11.0 | −4.4 |
| | Labour | Wendy Aitken | 239 | 7.9 | +0.0 |
| | BNP | Michael Bateman | 200 | 6.6 | −4.4 |
| | UKIP | Cherry Young | 99 | 3.3 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,813 | 60.1 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,015 | 32 | −1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Burstead

Burstead :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Moore | 1,967 | 64.9 | +2.0 |
| | BNP | Irene Bateman | 407 | 13.4 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Taylor | 384 | 12.7 | −2.5 |
| | Labour | Margaret Viney | 275 | 9.1 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,506 | 51.4 | +3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,033 | 36 | −0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Crouch

Crouch :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stuart Allen | 1,311 | 68.5 | +7.7 |
| | BNP | Carolyn Rossiter | 251 | 13.1 | −0.4 |
| | Labour | Anthony Borlase | 218 | 11.4 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Cole | 135 | 7.0 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,060 | 55.4 | +8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,915 | 30 | −6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Fryerns

Fryerns :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paul Kirkman | 1,013 | 40.1 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Jim Devlin | 636 | 25.2 | +2.0 |
| | BNP | Leonard Heather | 628 | 24.9 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Lutton | 250 | 9.9 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 377 | 14.9 | −3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,527 | 27 | −1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Laindon Park

Laindon Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frank Tomlin | 1,020 | 45.1 | +11.8 |
| | Labour | David Kirkman | 661 | 29.2 | +4.7 |
| | BNP | David King | 387 | 17.1 | +5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Myall | 193 | 8.5 | +4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 359 | 15.9 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,261 | 27 | −4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Langdon Hills

Langdon Hills :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Hillier | 1,176 | 57.6 | −5.0 |
| | Labour | William Archibald | 283 | 13.9 | −2.5 |
| | BNP | Kevin Swaby | 197 | 9.6 | +9.6 |
| | UKIP | Imelda Clancy | 152 | 7.4 | +7.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Emma Peall | 130 | 6.4 | −4.7 |
| | Green | Annie Humphries | 104 | 5.1 | −4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 893 | 43.7 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,042 | 30 | −5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Lee Chapel North

Lee Chapel North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lynda Gordon | 972 | 43.8 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative | Mark Coxshall | 604 | 27.2 | −1.1 |
| | BNP | Jay Slaven | 358 | 16.1 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Nice | 160 | 7.2 | −2.6 |
| | Green | Ernest Humphries | 126 | 5.7 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 368 | 16.6 | +5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,220 | 25 | −0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Nethermayne

Nethermayne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoff Williams | 1,247 | 43.0 | −8.0 |
| | Conservative | Kerry Whitaker | 697 | 24.1 | −6.6 |
| | Labour | Mark Witzer | 495 | 17.1 | −1.2 |
| | BNP | Mark Henry | 459 | 15.8 | +15.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 550 | 19.0 | −1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,898 | 33 | +0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Pitsea North West

Pitsea North West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Baggott | 945 | 40.7 | +7.3 |
| | Labour | Emma Collins | 739 | 31.9 | −2.4 |
| | BNP | Raymond Pearce | 370 | 15.9 | −1.0 |
| | UKIP | Terry McBride | 266 | 11.5 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 205 | 8.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,320 | 25 | +2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Pitsea South East

Pitsea South East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ann Blake | 1,255 | 52.0 | +5.3 |
| | Labour | Richard Llewellyn | 604 | 25.0 | −6.1 |
| | BNP | Sidney Chaney | 383 | 15.9 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vivien Howard | 171 | 7.1 | +7.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 651 | 27.0 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,413 | 27 | −1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### St Martin's

St Martin's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Philip Rackley | 539 | 38.1 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative | Gwen Ball | 408 | 28.8 | +5.9 |
| | BNP | Philip Howell | 305 | 21.6 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Dickinson | 163 | 11.5 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 131 | 9.3 | −9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,415 | 24 | −3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Vange

Vange :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Luke MacKenzie | 590 | 35.8 | +0.9 |
| | Labour | Santa Bennett | 508 | 30.9 | −7.8 |
| | BNP | Rodney Leveridge | 289 | 17.6 | −8.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip Jenkins | 104 | 6.3 | +6.3 |
| | Independent | Jane Dyer | 72 | 4.4 | +4.4 |
| | Independent | David Aitken | 47 | 2.9 | +2.9 |
| | Green | Dean Hall | 36 | 2.2 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 82 | 5.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,646 | 24 | −4 |
| | Conservative gain from Independent | Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | | |

### Wickford North

Wickford North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Carole Morris | 1,250 | 43.1 | −9.6 |
| | Independent | David Harrison | 974 | 33.6 | −0.2 |
| | BNP | Anthony Gladwin | 289 | 10.0 | +10.0 |
| | Labour | Christopher Wilson | 230 | 7.9 | −5.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Woods | 154 | 5.3 | +5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 276 | 9.5 | −9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,897 | 31 | −2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |