# 2008 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2008 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Labour 49
* Conservative 14
* Liberal Democrat 5
* British National Party 2
* Independent 2

## Background

Before the election Labour ran the council with 52 of the 72 seats, compared to 11 for the Conservatives, 5 Liberal Democrats, 2 British National Party and 2 independents. This meant the Conservatives could not gain control of the council whatever the results, despite Labour defending 17 of the 24 seats being contested. Other candidates in the election included 12 from the British National Party, 7 from the Green Party and 1 Socialist Labour Party candidate in Oldbury ward.

## Election result

The results saw Labour remain in control of the council with 49 seats, but the Conservatives made a net gain of 3 to move to 14 seats. The Conservatives gained 4 of the 17 seats Labour had been defending, in the wards of Bristnall, Cradley Heath and Old Hill, Princes End and Wednesbury South. However Labour did take 1 seat back from the Conservatives in St Pauls ward. Labour put the results down to them keeping council tax levels low and improving services, however the Conservatives said they were moving forward in "a traditional Labour stronghold".
The Liberal Democrats held the 2 seats they had been defending in Great Barr with Yew Tree and Newton wards to stay on 5 seats, while neither the Greens or the British National Party won any seats. The British National Party share of the vote in the 12 seats they contested, dropped to 17% from the 33% they had won in the 2006 election.
Sandwell Local Election Result 2008 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 14 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 58.3 | 43.8 | 30,195 | -1.3% |
| Conservative | 8 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 33.3 | 36.1 | 24,881 | +8.8% |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 | 9.8 | 6,780 | -1.4% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 | 5,755 | -6.8% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 1,006 | +0.8% |
| Socialist Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 216 | +0.3% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 84 | -0.4% |

## Ward results

Abbey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ann Gieszcykiewicz-Jaron | 1,571 | 51.7 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative | Ewart Johnson | 916 | 30.2 | +8.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Nikel | 342 | 11.3 | −12.7 |
| | Green | Patricia Thompson | 209 | 6.9 | +6.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 655 | 21.6 | −8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,038 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Blackheath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mary Docker | 1,497 | 54.0 | +21.2 |
| | Labour | Robert Hamblett | 1,016 | 36.7 | −6.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Johns | 258 | 9.3 | +9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 481 | 17.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,771 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bristnall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Terence Grainger | 1,306 | 46.7 | +5.4 |
| | Labour | Malcolm Bridges | 1,235 | 44.1 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Emma Underhill | 258 | 9.2 | −4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 71 | 2.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,799 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Charlemont with Grove Vale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Raymond Nock | 1,635 | 48.3 | +10.8 |
| | Labour | Ralph Perkins | 664 | 19.6 | −5.3 |
| | BNP | Arthur Copson | 571 | 16.9 | −3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michaela Allcock | 362 | 10.7 | −6.6 |
| | Green | John Macefield | 155 | 4.6 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 971 | 28.7 | +16.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,387 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Cradley Heath and Old Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Bowler | 1,430 | 53.9 | +23.8 |
| | Labour | Margaret James | 1,224 | 46.1 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 206 | 7.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,654 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Friar Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Lewis | 1,027 | 44.9 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Nelson | 691 | 30.2 | +8.1 |
| | BNP | Gordon Howells | 427 | 18.7 | −12.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dorothy Brayshaw | 140 | 6.1 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 336 | 14.7 | +4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,285 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Great Barr with Yew Tree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sadie Smith | 1,218 | 36.0 | +3.5 |
| | Labour | Roy Melia | 905 | 26.7 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative | Robert White | 715 | 21.1 | +1.0 |
| | BNP | Terence Lewin | 547 | 16.2 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 313 | 9.2 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,385 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Great Bridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derek Rowley | 1,220 | 45.0 | −0.3 |
| | BNP | Jennifer Howells | 711 | 26.2 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative | Heather Gibson | 629 | 23.2 | +6.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel Richards | 154 | 5.7 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 509 | 18.8 | +3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,714 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Greets Green and Lyng :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Edwards | 1,259 | 51.3 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Elaine Fitzpatrick | 592 | 24.1 | +3.8 |
| | BNP | David Howells | 422 | 17.2 | −7.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dorothy Jones | 180 | 7.3 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 667 | 27.2 | +4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,453 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Hateley Heath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paul Sandars | 1,245 | 45.9 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative | Stephanie Page | 706 | 26.0 | +12.4 |
| | BNP | James Vaughan | 512 | 18.9 | −10.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Roebuck | 250 | 9.2 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 539 | 19.9 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,713 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Langley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Pauline Hinton | 1,271 | 47.6 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative | Ronald Griffiths | 897 | 33.6 | +9.9 |
| | BNP | Victoria Montgomery | 364 | 13.6 | −8.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ronald Hackett | 137 | 5.1 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 374 | 14.0 | −9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,669 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joyce Underhill | 1,310 | 45.4 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | Valerie Ward | 763 | 26.4 | +3.0 |
| | Labour | Shirley Hosell | 719 | 24.9 | −9.4 |
| | Green | David Hawkins | 94 | 3.3 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 547 | 19.0 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,886 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Old Warley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Leslie Pawlowski | 1,494 | 45.6 | +4.8 |
| | Labour | Susan Crumpton | 1,269 | 38.8 | −7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Baden Smith | 359 | 11.0 | −2.4 |
| | Green | Aldo Mussi | 151 | 4.6 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 225 | 6.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,273 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Oldbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Susan Downing | 1,720 | 51.0 | −13.4 |
| | Conservative | Abdul Qayyum | 1,173 | 34.8 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Mitchener | 265 | 7.9 | +7.9 |
| | Socialist Labour | Maureen Matthews | 216 | 6.4 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 547 | 16.2 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,374 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Princes End :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Beatrice Owen | 974 | 46.0 | +26.2 |
| | Labour | Delia Edwards | 718 | 33.9 | −1.8 |
| | BNP | Karen Parkes | 427 | 20.2 | −14.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 256 | 12.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,119 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Rowley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Iris Boucher | 1,169 | 45.5 | −6.6 |
| | Conservative | Wayne Nicholas | 896 | 34.9 | +8.7 |
| | BNP | John Salvage | 384 | 15.0 | −1.9 |
| | Green | Vicky Dunn | 118 | 4.6 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 273 | 10.6 | −15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,567 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
St Paul's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paramjit Randhawa | 2,031 | 52.6 | −8.2 |
| | Conservative | Mohammed Sakhi | 1,497 | 38.8 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thomas Underhill | 249 | 6.4 | +6.4 |
| | Independent | Roshan Randhawa | 84 | 2.2 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 534 | 13.8 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,861 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Smethwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Linda Horton | 1,620 | 59.0 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative | William Shipman | 758 | 27.6 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Prior | 369 | 13.4 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 862 | 31.4 | +4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,747 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Soho and Victoria :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Darren Cooper | 1,972 | 70.9 | +15.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kezia Malton | 441 | 15.9 | −16.3 |
| | Conservative | Robert Lawrence | 367 | 13.2 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,531 | 55.1 | +31.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,780 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Tipton Green :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Jones | 1,373 | 47.7 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | Sandra Vickers | 684 | 23.8 | +7.4 |
| | BNP | Keith Woodhouse | 532 | 18.5 | −10.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joanne Arnold | 289 | 10.0 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 689 | 23.9 | +5.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,878 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Tividale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Maria Crompton | 1,485 | 56.3 | +14.7 |
| | Conservative | Jack Sabharwal | 1,155 | 43.8 | +25.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 330 | 12.5 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,640 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Wednesbury North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Archer | 2,115 | 79.3 | +23.4 |
| | Labour | Babubhai Patel | 553 | 20.7 | −5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,562 | 58.5 | +28.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,668 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Wednesbury South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Middleton | 1,215 | 40.8 | +11.1 |
| | Labour | Robert Evans | 1,144 | 38.4 | −2.3 |
| | BNP | Lee Bissell | 467 | 15.7 | −8.1 |
| | Green | Colin Bye | 151 | 5.1 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 71 | 2.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,977 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
West Bromwich Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kim Wilkinson | 1,785 | 54.4 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative | Margaret Macklin | 776 | 23.7 | −7.3 |
| | BNP | John Howells | 391 | 11.9 | +11.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Russell George | 199 | 6.1 | −7.6 |
| | Green | Brian Thompson | 128 | 3.9 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,009 | 30.8 | +6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,279 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |