# 2008 Maidstone Borough Council election

The 2008 Maidstone Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Maidstone Borough Council in Kent, 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 composition of the council was:
* Conservative 29
* Liberal Democrat 20
* Independent 5
* Labour 1

## Background

Before the election the Conservatives were the largest party on the council with 27 seats, but did not have a majority. The council however was run by a coalition of the other groups, with the Liberal Democrats leading an alliance with Labour and the independents. Between them these groups had 28 seats, until the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Hooper, after he was arrested in relation to a computer-related crime, left them with the same number of seats as the Conservatives.
19 seats were being contested in the election, with the Conservatives defending 8 and the Liberal Democrats 7.

## Election result

The results saw the Conservatives gain a majority of the council after making a net gain of 2 seats, in what was the first time any party had a majority on the council for 25 years. The Conservatives went up to 29 seats, while the Liberal Democrats dropped one seat to 20. The Labour group leader Morel D'Souza was defeated in Fant ward and his party was reduced to just 1 seat. Meanwhile, the independents went up by 1 seat to have 5 seats on the council. Overall turnout in the election was 35.58%.
Maidstone Local Election Result 2008 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 10 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 52.6 | 49.7 | 16,328 | +0.5% |
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 36.8 | 32.7 | 10,732 | -0.5% |
| Independent | 2 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 10.5 | 4.0 | 1,311 | -1.4% |
| Labour | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 6.7 | 2,215 | +0.8% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 1,981 | +0.7% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | 263 | +0.8% |

## Ward results

Allington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Robertson | 1,437 | 59.6 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative | Jeff Curwood | 724 | 30.0 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | Marianna Poliszczuk | 108 | 4.5 | −2.8 |
| | UKIP | Gareth Kendall | 86 | 3.6 | +3.6 |
| | Green | Amanda Evans | 57 | 2.4 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 713 | 29.6 | −5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,412 | 42.9 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Barming :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Fay Gooch | 552 | 51.9 | +51.9 |
| | Conservative | Cass Jappie | 474 | 44.5 | −40.2 |
| | Labour | Wendy Hollands | 38 | 3.6 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 78 | 7.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,064 | 54.2 | +0.3 |
| | Independent gain from Conservative | Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Bearsted :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Ash | 1,937 | 74.7 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steven Hunter | 481 | 18.5 | +0.0 |
| | Green | Ian McDonald | 176 | 6.8 | −4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,456 | 56.1 | +4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,594 | 39.7 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Mike Fitzgerald | 759 | 89.9 | +19.8 |
| | UKIP | Keith Woollven | 85 | 10.1 | +10.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 674 | 79.9 | +35.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 844 | 42.0 | −8.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Boxley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Wendy Hinder | 1,607 | 78.8 | +11.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Doherty | 321 | 15.7 | −9.6 |
| | Green | Patricia Marchant | 111 | 5.7 | +5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,286 | 63.1 | +21.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,039 | 31.4 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Ross | 671 | 44.8 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Pickett | 640 | 42.7 | −7.8 |
| | Labour | Sally Willcox | 100 | 6.7 | +6.7 |
| | Green | Angela Wooi | 88 | 5.9 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 31 | 2.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,499 | 35.3 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Coxheath and Hunton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Wilson | 1,354 | 50.9 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Moira Walter | 1,206 | 45.4 | −2.4 |
| | Labour | Michael Casserley | 99 | 3.7 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 148 | 5.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,659 | 48.3 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patrick Sellar | 1,331 | 56.7 | +2.6 |
| | Conservative | Edward Winstanley | 879 | 37.4 | +1.8 |
| | Green | James Shalice | 139 | 5.9 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 452 | 19.2 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,349 | 37.3 | −4.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Fant :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Paine | 679 | 33.3 | +9.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Fran Smith | 562 | 27.6 | −12.6 |
| | Labour | Morel D'Souza | 470 | 23.1 | +10.4 |
| | Green | Stuart Jeffery | 326 | 16.0 | −1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 117 | 5.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,037 | 32.7 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Headcorn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Thick | 1,164 | 66.7 | +5.8 |
| | Green | Penny Kemp | 581 | 33.3 | −5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 583 | 33.4 | +11.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,745 | 45.2 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Heath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bryan Vizzard | 562 | 45.4 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | Mark Mears | 518 | 41.8 | −1.2 |
| | Labour | Patrick Coates | 83 | 6.7 | −1.5 |
| | Green | Andrew Waldie | 75 | 6.1 | +6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 44 | 3.6 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,238 | 30.2 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
High Street :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Denise Joy | 738 | 43.9 | −2.9 |
| | Conservative | Paul Butcher | 611 | 36.3 | +3.4 |
| | Labour | Richard Coates | 152 | 9.0 | −2.2 |
| | UKIP | John Stanford | 92 | 5.5 | +5.5 |
| | Green | Wendy Lewis | 89 | 5.3 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 127 | 7.6 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,682 | 28.6 | +0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Marden and Yalding :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Verrall | 1,506 | 72.9 | +10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Samme | 320 | 15.5 | −4.5 |
| | Labour | Edith Davis | 240 | 11.6 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,186 | 57.4 | +14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,066 | 35.2 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Paterson | 1,012 | 59.4 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative | Jeff Tree | 552 | 32.4 | +4.6 |
| | Green | Derek Eagle | 141 | 8.3 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 460 | 27.0 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,705 | 29.3 | −2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
North Downs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Daphne Parvin | 599 | 76.9 | +17.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Watson | 96 | 12.3 | −2.9 |
| | Green | Sarah Goodwin | 84 | 10.8 | +10.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 503 | 64.6 | +20.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 779 | 39.2 | −6.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Park Wood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Field | 447 | 54.1 | +20.0 |
| | Conservative | Susan Yates | 258 | 31.2 | +0.3 |
| | Labour | Liz Stevens | 122 | 14.8 | −20.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 189 | 22.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 827 | 24.5 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Shepway North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Christopher Garland | 1,091 | 60.6 | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Gill Annan | 375 | 20.8 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Batt | 220 | 12.2 | +1.3 |
| | Green | Stephen Muggeridge | 114 | 6.3 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 716 | 39.8 | +5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,800 | 28.7 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Shepway South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bob Hinder | 525 | 51.9 | +15.9 |
| | Labour | Ken Stevens | 324 | 32.0 | −5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Maria Sotelo-Moratinos | 163 | 16.1 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 201 | 19.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,012 | 23.7 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Chittenden | 1,196 | 48.2 | |
| | Conservative | Scott Hahnefeld | 1,179 | 47.6 | |
| | Labour | John Randall | 104 | 4.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17 | 0.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,479 | 41.6 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |