# 2008 Havant Borough Council election

The 2008 Havant Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Havant Borough Council in Hampshire, 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
* Labour 3
* Liberal Democrats 3

## Background

Before the election the Conservatives ran the council with 31 of the 38 seats. 14 seats were contested at the election with a total of 55 candidates standing at the election. As well as full slates from the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats, there were 9 candidates from the UK Independence Party and 2 each from the Green party and the English Democrats.

## Election result

The Conservatives increased their majority on the council after Mike Sceal took a seat in Warren Park ward from Labour. This took the Conservatives to 32 seats, while Labour dropped to 3 seats on the council. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat Faith Ponsonby held a seat in Battins ward to keep the Liberal Democrats having 3 councillors. Overall turnout at the election was 32.2%.
Havant local election result 2008 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 12 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 85.7 | 58.0 | 17,202 | +0.5% |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 23.5 | 6,977 | +0.2% |
| Labour | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 7.1 | 11.0 | 3,263 | +4.6% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 | 1,585 | +3.2% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 | 385 | -2.9% |
| English Democrat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 253 | +0.1% |

## Ward results
### Barncroft

Barncroft :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Yvonne Weeks | 575 | 54.7 | +10.7 |
| | Labour | Bill Fish | 187 | 17.8 | −9.1 |
| | UKIP | Ray Finch | 146 | 13.9 | −1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Liam Hutchings | 143 | 13.6 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 388 | 36.9 | +19.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,051 | 24.2 | −0.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Battins

Battins :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Faith Ponsonby | 559 | 46.4 | +16.2 |
| | Conservative | Leonard Shaw | 292 | 24.3 | −1.0 |
| | Labour | Paul Hansford | 199 | 16.5 | −15.4 |
| | UKIP | Peter Legge | 154 | 12.8 | +12.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 267 | 22.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,204 | 24.9 | +1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Bedhampton

Bedhampton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Smith | 1,216 | 47.1 | +10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Sawtell | 903 | 35.0 | −13.3 |
| | English Democrat | George Herbert | 182 | 7.1 | +2.8 |
| | Labour | Anne Edwards | 170 | 6.6 | +1.4 |
| | UKIP | Stephen Little | 110 | 4.3 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 313 | 12.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,581 | 36.8 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Bondfields

Bondfields :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Terry Hart | 385 | 33.4 | −3.0 |
| | Conservative | Anne Fairhurst | 318 | 27.6 | +10.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jane Briggs | 257 | 22.3 | −23.9 |
| | UKIP | Hedley Lester | 121 | 10.5 | +10.5 |
| | English Democrat | Grant Greenham | 71 | 6.2 | +6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 67 | 5.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,152 | 23.1 | −4.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Cowplain

Cowplain :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Keast | 1,645 | 71.7 | −2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Jacobs | 495 | 21.6 | +4.1 |
| | Labour | Kenneth Monks | 155 | 6.8 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,150 | 50.1 | −6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,295 | 31.4 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Emsworth

Emsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Brendan Gibb-Gray | 2,287 | 66.1 | +8.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Maple | 699 | 20.2 | −3.8 |
| | Labour | Ken Gilchrist | 263 | 7.6 | +0.8 |
| | UKIP | Alex Spurge | 209 | 6.0 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,588 | 45.9 | +12.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,458 | 43.9 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Hart Plain

Hart Plain :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elaine Shimbart | 1,421 | 61.6 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rod Crawford | 681 | 29.5 | −12.0 |
| | Labour | Howard Sherlock | 204 | 8.8 | +8.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 740 | 32.1 | +15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,306 | 30.9 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Hayling East

Hayling East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sheila Pearce | 1,494 | 63.0 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janis Shawashi | 351 | 14.8 | +1.6 |
| | UKIP | Gary Kerrin | 306 | 12.9 | +12.9 |
| | Labour | Colin Blunden | 221 | 9.3 | +9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,143 | 48.2 | +7.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,372 | 32.6 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Hayling West

Hayling West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Victor Pierce-Jones | 1,842 | 68.6 | +5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tim Pascall | 449 | 16.7 | +7.9 |
| | UKIP | Russell Thomas | 212 | 7.9 | +3.5 |
| | Labour | Derek Smith | 181 | 6.7 | +6.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,393 | 51.9 | +7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,684 | 38.8 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Purbrook

Purbrook :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Farrow | 1,471 | 66.2 | +11.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Moore-Blunt | 280 | 12.6 | +2.8 |
| | Labour | David Potts | 280 | 12.6 | +1.4 |
| | Green | Julie Blenkharn | 190 | 8.6 | +2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,191 | 53.6 | +17.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,221 | 31.0 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### St Faiths

St Faiths :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Guest | 1,318 | 45.9 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ray Cobbett | 915 | 31.9 | +1.4 |
| | UKIP | Elizabeth Snow | 223 | 7.8 | +4.0 |
| | Labour | Ralph Cousins | 218 | 7.6 | −0.2 |
| | Green | Tim Dawes | 195 | 6.8 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 403 | 14.0 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,869 | 40.5 | −2.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Stakes

Stakes :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Caren Tarrant | 1,108 | 62.7 | +11.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Bazley | 365 | 20.6 | +1.6 |
| | Labour | Barry Steel | 295 | 16.7 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 743 | 42.0 | +9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,768 | 23.8 | −0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Warren Park

Warren Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mike Sceal | 407 | 36.1 | +9.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Brown | 383 | 34.0 | +15.9 |
| | Labour | Virginia Steel | 234 | 20.7 | −21.7 |
| | UKIP | Stephen Harris | 104 | 9.2 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24 | 2.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,128 | 23.5 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Waterloo

Waterloo :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hunt | 1,808 | 70.2 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Frederick Dunford | 497 | 19.3 | +1.0 |
| | Labour | Margaret Beauvoisin | 271 | 10.5 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,311 | 50.9 | −3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,576 | 34.1 | +0.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

## By-elections between 2008 and 2010

A by-election was held in Waterloo ward on 4 September 2008 after the death of councillor Wendy Brown. The seat was narrowly held for the Conservatives by Ray Bastin with a majority of 48 votes over the Liberal Democrats.
Waterloo by-election 4 September 2008 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ray Bastin | 849 | 48.7 | −21.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Fred Dunford | 801 | 45.9 | +26.6 |
| | Labour | Howard Sherlock | 95 | 5.4 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 48 | 2.8 | −48.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,745 | 23.2 | −10.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |